The AGRI National Project (ANP) was a three-year longitudinal study conducted by a multi-institute research team based at the Alberta Gambling Research Institute (AGRI). The aim of the study was to capture a national-wide picture of gambling and problem gambling in Canada. The ANP had ten research objectives. The Online Panel Study was one of three parts of the ANP and was central to many of the ten objectives. The aims of the study included but was not limited to:
- Determine provincial and demographic differences in gambling and problem gambling;
- Determine the prevalence of online gambling; and
- Determine the use of and perceived effectiveness of harm minimization initiatives in preventing problem gambling.
The Online Panel Study collected data on a number of gambling-specific aspects of the responders' lives. The data contains gambling-specific information including:
- Demographics;
- Gambling attitudes and beliefs in gambling fallacies;
- Gambling participation; and
- Family history of problem gambling;
In addition to gambling-specific data, the Online Panel Study contains general data variables including:
- Psychological factors (personality, mental health); and
- Comorbid factors (behavioural addictions, substance use, PTSD)
A sample of 10,199 participants were recruited from each province of Canada. Participants were recruited through the Leger Opinion's registered pool of online participants. The LEO participant pool is structured to be demographically and geographically representative of the Canadian adult (18 years and older) population. Of the initial 10,199 participants, 4,707 participated in the follow-up survey. LEO registered participants were sent an email asking if they participated in gambling activities once per month. Participants who did gamble and consented to participating in the study were directed to an online survey. The baseline data was collected between August 2018 and October 2018. The follow-up data was collected between August 2019 and November 2019. Additional information on sampling, retention, study variables, and survey questionnaires can be located in the accompanying user manual and codebooks.
The manual and codebooks were created by Dr. Carrie A. Shaw (née Leonard)
