September 2007 Issue

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BACKGROUNDER

Public Holds APEGGA Professions in High Regard

New research from Ipsos Reid takes a close look at member, public and permit holder opinions and awareness. The data collected in the 2006 survey will help the Association plan and strategize

BY PHILIP MULDER, APR
Manager, Communications
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The results of a public survey conducted in late 2006 bring to mind Sally Field’s famous comments upon winning her 1985 Academy Award. “You like me, right now, you like me,” she said.

The research project results show that a majority of the general public in Alberta have positive feelings about the professions of engineering, geology and geophysics.

In fact, the public’s awareness of APEGGA is also very strong. “This is tremendous; a very high level of familiarity compared to other associations and organizations,” says Ipsos Reid senior vice-president Tim Moro.

Ipsos Reid was contracted to conduct the research project, which included the public telephone survey, an online member survey, and focus groups with permit holders.

“Compared to other professional associations, in general, APEGGA is doing well in terms of its core regulatory functions, which are in the top 25 per cent,” says Mr. Moro.

APEGGA last formally surveyed members, employers and the public in 2002. This new research is part of an ongoing commitment to communications and consultation with members.

Formal research by a consultant ensures that we generate unbiased information. This becomes a tool for Council and staff to develop and implement the Association’s strategic plan, budget and business plan, as well as services and programs.

Council looked over high-level results of the survey in February. Then the material was reviewed in greater depth during a Council strategic planning session in May, where it helped inform the review and update of the Association’s strategic plan.

Below are highlights of the research results.

General Public Telephone Survey

Public perceptions of professional engineers, geologists and geophysicists are positive. However, perceptions of professional engineers are more positive than perceptions of professional geoscientists.

Awareness continues to be low, however, of the P.Eng., P.Geol. and P.Geoph. designations. Just 22 per cent of Albertans are able to specify the P.Eng. designation, and this drops to five per cent for P.Geol. and two per cent for P.Geoph. These are similar percentages to those compiled in 2002.
It is interesting to note that on a regional basis, familiarity with the designations is higher in Calgary than elsewhere in Alberta. This may be because half of APEGGA members call Calgary home, so the public there has a greater chance of interacting with members.

Generally speaking, while awareness of APEGGA is strong, familiarity with what APEGGA does is more limited. However, to put this in context, this level of familiarity is thought to be similar to or better than familiarity with most other self-regulating professions.

Member Online Survey
“An extraordinary number of members participated in the online survey,” says Ipsos Reid senior research manager Sheela Das.

Of the 7,000 members who participated, over half are satisfied with APEGGA’s performance while 12 per cent are dissatisfied.

“This is remarkably low dissatisfaction for an organization such as APEGGA,” says Mr. Moro. Member dissatisfaction centred largely on perceptions of relevance.

However, member perception of the career advantages of being a professional has increased significantly. It remains higher among engineers than it does among geoscientists.

Members said that APEGGA is doing its job. The majority of members agree that the Association is fulfilling its mandate. In particular, members value highly APEGGA’s fulfillment of its key roles of licensing, self-regulation and discipline, with a majority of members agreeing that APEGGA is doing a very good job in those three critical areas. Furthermore, there is strong consensus that licensing and self-regulation are the two key priority areas for APEGGA.

“When we look at performance versus value, licensing, self-regulation and discipline all emerge as critical strengths of the organization. No critical weaknesses are apparent,” says Ipsos Reid’s Ms. Das.

Two areas do receive poor performance ratings by more than one-in-five members: public promotion and leading on issues. A continued focus on communication and consultation will be critical to improving member perceptions in these areas.

There is a strong relationship between familiarity, value and performance, so it is possible that increasing member familiarity with APEGGA’s roles and activities will result in an improvement in perceptions of performance.

Nevertheless, there is room for continued communication and consultation with members, and for programming designed to encourage member engagement.

In terms of engagement and filling volunteer roles in the Association, while participation is low, members identified no strong barriers to participation. More information about volunteer opportunities, the time commitment required and the proactive recruitment of volunteers may further enhance member involvement.

As an interesting side note, the percentage of respondents who reported voting in Council elections is greater than the actual voting percentage. This could be because members who completed the survey tend to be more engaged in Association affairs, meaning their incidence of voting really is higher. Or it could be that respondents remembered voting sometime in the past, but it wasn’t actually in the last Council election.

Permit Holder Focus Groups
Most permit holders have a positive view of the Association.

Self-governance of the professions was definitely seen as preferable to direct regulation by government.

When asked which words or phrases members would use to describe the organization, most were very literal and described APEGGA’s roles and responsibilities. One unidentified participant said, “I think it’s a pretty good organization. I’m proud to be a member... they do a lot of good stuff.”

Those who expressed a negative perception believe APEGGA is becoming more bureaucratic or that they do not receive enough value for their dues.

As one would expect, permit holders were very knowledgeable about the roles and responsibilities of APEGGA, and identified the main roles APEGGA should be fulfilling as self-regulation, self-governance, licensing, protecting the public, enforcement and upholding the Code of Ethics. Another anonymous participant said that “upholding the Code of Ethics is the key, and public safety is paramount. That’s the core of what we do.”

Other roles considered important were promoting the professions and educating the public, inter-jurisdictional agreements and continuing education for members.