Participatory research in Canada (2013-2018): a cross-sectional survey of academic researchers

Abstract

Participatory research encompasses diverse investigative approaches that engage community, industry, and other nonacademic collaborators. While investigators have examined single studies to explore research processes and impacts, less is known about the participatory research ecosystem. To address this, our team conducted an online survey to characterize academic researchers who conducted participatory research in Canada (2013–8). Of 1135 respondents (response rate = 27.5 per cent), 38.9 per cent identified their research project as participatory. Results of a multivariable logistic regression showed that academic researchers identifying as women or gender diverse, Indigenous or racialized, of older age, funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council, and those with larger grants were more likely to conduct participatory research. This study contributes to a growing understanding of individual- and institution-level factors that may influence academic researcher engagement with research coproduction. These findings offer new insights to inform science policy, funding priorities, and sustainable participatory research environments in academia.