Projects

Learning Diversity at Work and School

A Lab-in-the-field Experiment on Intergroup Evaluation Contacts in Virtual Reality

2022-2024

Funding: Project is pending funding from the Ministère D’Immigration, Francisation, et de l’Intégration. Confirmed funding from the National Film Board, Studio XR (Ubisoft, Knowledge One), Research Chair in Political Psychology of Social Solidarity – UQAM, University of Montreal Department of Political Science, Confédération des Syndicats Nationaux (CSN), Commission scolaire de Laval, Seeing Human Lab, and the Center for the Study of Democratic Citizenship.

This project is based on a field experiment that will use virtual reality games to test the durability of intergroup contact effects on high school students and adults in the workplace. Together, these studies will provide experimental evidence from non-laboratory settings for individuals across age groups and life contexts.

Le Programme Accès et Soutien à l’Intégration (PASI) et la pleine participation des personnes immigrantes

2021-2025

Funding: the Ministère D’Immigration, Francisation, et de l’Intégration of Québec.

In collaboration with the Ministère D’Immigration, Francisation, et de l’Intégration, I will examine how the use of public programs impacts immigrants’ citizen integration and participation, and whether public programs can help bridge some gaps in civic and political participation between recent immigrants and citizens born in Quebec. The project will use a three-year panel survey of native Quebecers and immigrants in addition to interviews and focus groups. Notably, the policies studied will include recent innovative programs that have been deployed at a smaller scale. The primary goal of this study is to provide evidence-based policy feedback to the ministry and the policy community to improve support for immigrants and to facilitate their integration and participation in Quebec’s society.

Educational Interventions to Counter Disinformation among Adult Youth

A Lab-in-the-field Experiment

2020-2022

With Colette Brin (PI), K. Dalkir, T. Giasson, P. Jackson, and N. Landry

Funding: Heritage Canada

Partner organizations: HabiloMédias and Carrefours Jeunesse Emplois

This project assesses the effectiveness of web tutorials that teach individuals how to identify fake news. The study uses a sample of disadvantaged youth in Québec in order to see if online educational resources can help youth identify fake news and change their news consumption habits in consequence.

Generational Change and its Impact on the Political Dynamics of Quebec and Canada

2018-2022

With Éric Bélanger (PI) and R. Nadeau

Funding: the Social Sciences & Humanities Research Council of Canada - Insight Grant.

In an ongoing project funded by a SSHRC Insight Grant (2018-2022), we investigate whether generational replacement is about to reconfigure the political dynamics of Quebec and Canada. We expect differences between the newer generations (Millennials and Generation Z) and older generations (Generation X and Baby-boomers) to be especially substantial in terms of ‘new politics’ (e.g. environmental and diversity issues). This project is based on two post-election surveys with an over-sample of younger Canadians (collected in 2018 and 2019).

Get Out the Children’s Vote

A Field Experiment during the 2018 Quebec Elections

2018-2020

Funding: Social Sciences & Humanities Research Council of Canada - Partnership Engage Grant; Elections Quebec; the Centre for the Study of Democratic Citizenship.

In collaboration with Élections Québec, I evaluated the effect of a mobilization campaign designed for children during the 2018 provincial election. In this field experiment, approximately 25,000 students from 105 elementary schools – roughly 6% of Quebec’s student population – received the invitation to vote at the Small Polling Stations on Election Day. The invitation card - sent through schools – lead to a substantial increase in the number of children who voted at a Small Polling Station in 2018. This experience is believed to offer children a dynamic introduction to the electoral process and to support their democratic education.

Reports for parents and teachers are available below:

Research report for Parents [EN]

Rapport de recherche pour les parents [FR]

The Small polling stations

Reciprocal Socialization

An Experimental Study on Civic Education and the Transmission of Political Behaviour between Parents and Children

2017-2019

Funding: Elections Quebec, FRQSC, la Chaire de recherche sur la Démocratie et les institutions parlementaires, and the Centre for the Study of Democratic Citizenship.

In collaboration with Elections Quebec, I developed a civic education activity for elementary school students in fifth and sixth grade, which was then deployed 181 classrooms across the province of Québec. Students in the treatment group were offered the civic activity at the beginning of the school year and subsequently showed an increase in political knowledge and in the intention to use petitions. What is noteworthy is that parents of students in the treatment group also made gains in terms of political knowledge and political participation, which provides evidence of trickle up socialisation. These effects were even stronger among the families who, as recommended by the facilitator, played the knowledge card game at home.

Reports for parents and schools are available below:

Rapport pour enseignants [FR]

Rapport pour parents [FR]

The Vote Compass

An Experimental Evaluation of an Online Civic Education Tool

2014-2015

Funding: Making Electoral Democracy Work, the Center for the Study of Democratic Citizenship, and the McGill Dean of Arts.

The Vote Compass was first deployed in the 2011 Canadian Federal Election. The voting aid application helps individuals situate themselves in the political landscape after being asked a series of questions about their political views. This study surveyed voters’ experiences with the application during the 2014 Québec election. Individuals were asked about the clarity of the website, usefulness of the content, and why they chose to use the application. The results of study are available in the participant report (below) and two academic publications.

Rapport pour participants [FR]

Article in Policy and Communication

Article in Political Communication

Canadian Youth Study

A Panel Study

2005-2006 and 2013-2015

Funding: the Fonds de Recherche du Québec, Société et Culture (FRQSC) and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC).

In 2005-2006, a team of researchers under prof. Dietlind Stolle surveyed over 3 300 grade 10 and 11 students in Québec and Ontario to better understand the political engagement and interests of Canadian youth. We continued the project with a second wave of surveys in 2013-2015.

The reports for participating schools from the first wave are below:

Report for Schools [EN]

Rapport pour écoles [FR]

Article in the Canadian Journal of Political Science