Key Adult Populations Immunization Coverage Survey (KAPICS): Understanding the data
Information on vaccination, the data source used to create this dashboard, and the terms used in this publication.
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The current tab presents information on the importance of vaccination among key Canadian populations, introduces the data source used to build this dashboard, and offers useful explanations and definitions of the terminology used throughout the publication.
On this page
- Why we explore adult vaccination
- Summary of survey characteristics
- Notes on the presented estimates and terminology
- Definitions used in this dashboard
- Data suppression
- Acknowledgements
- Suggested citation
- Learn more
- For more information
Why we explore adult vaccination
Data suggest that adult vaccine coverage is uneven across Canada. Vaccination tracking tools show that some populations are under-surveyed, leaving data gaps. Data gaps undermine immunization by limiting:
- routine adulthood, seasonal influenza, and COVID-19 vaccine surveillance
- public trust in vaccines (confidence)
- data availability
- policy and public health guidance
- knowledge sharing (mobilization activities)
The Key Adult Populations Immunization Coverage Survey (KAPICS) was previously called the Vulnerable and Hard-to-reach populations COVID-19 Immunization Coverage Survey (VHCICS, archived report on Health Infobase). This survey focuses on key adult populations for which vaccine-related information is currently limited. It provides timely, trusted and evidence-based information. These data help people in Canada make decisions about personal and collective health related to various vaccine-preventable diseases. Survey results will inform policy, public education and areas where we need interventions to improve vaccine coverage.
Summary of survey characteristics
We first conducted the survey in 2023 in collaboration with Advanis. It is a large, national survey of individuals aged 18 years and older from various populations of interest within Canada. The survey collects data on:
- routine adult, seasonal influenza and COVID-19 vaccination coverage
- barriers to vaccination
- respondents’ knowledge, attitudes and beliefs about vaccines
You can find the detailed data tables and methodological report on Library and Archives Canada.
Table 1: Summary of survey characteristics, 2023 and 2024 VHCICS and 2025 KAPICS
| Survey characteristic | 2023 VHCICS | 2024 VHCICS | 2025 KAPICS |
|---|---|---|---|
| Key specific population | Individuals living in Canada, who were 18 years of age or older. | ||
| Sampling approach | Probability-based survey of respondents from the general population. | ||
| Period of data collection | January 9 to February 23, 2023 | January 11 to March 3, 2024 | February 19 to March 23, 2025, and May 1 to July 3, 2025 (the first half of data collection stopped because of the federal election) |
| Data collection tool | Electronic questionnaire | ||
Sample size of key population, response rate (%) and final sample size by population
| Survey year | Population | Sample size | Response rate (%) | Final sample size* |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 VHCICS | Lower education | 4,048 | (37.4%) | 1,515 |
| 2023 VHCICS | Lower income | 7,762 | (28.8%) | 2,234 |
| 2023 VHCICS | Younger adults | 6,397 | (21.6%) | 1,382 |
| 2023 VHCICS | Urban Indigenous | 2,357 | (18.9%) | 445 |
| 2023 VHCICS | Visible minorities (including Indigenous) | 7,147 | (30.4%) | 2,175 |
| 2023 VHCICS | Recent immigrants | 4,208 | (14.1%) | 592 |
| 2023 VHCICS | Rural or remote communities | 2,848 | (37.6%) | 1,070 |
| 2024 VHCICS | Lower education | 3,620 | (24.9) | 900 |
| 2024 VHCICS | Lower income | 6,966 | (31.7%) | 2,209 |
| 2024 VHCICS | Younger adults | 4,936 | (20.0%) | 989 |
| 2024 VHCICS | Urban Indigenous | 1,832 | (28.6%) | 524 |
| 2024 VHCICS | Visible minorities (including Indigenous) | 6,061 | (32.3%) | 1,955 |
| 2024 VHCICS | Recent immigrants | 3,652 | (13.0%) | 476 |
| 2024 VHCICS | Rural or remote communities | 3,273 | (32.2%) | 1,053 |
| 2025 KAPICS | Lower education | 5,748 | (25.1) | 1,444 |
| 2025 KAPICS | Lower income | 11,894 | (16.0%) | 1,908 |
| 2025 KAPICS | Younger adults | 7,999 | (11.7%) | 936 |
| 2025 KAPICS | Indigenous | 2,544 | (16.5%) | 420 |
| 2025 KAPICS | Visible minorities (including Indigenous) | 9,262 | (15.4%) | 1,424 |
| 2025 KAPICS | Recent immigrants | 4,287 | (10.6%) | 453 |
| 2025 KAPICS | Rural or remote communities | 6,344 | (16.6%) | 1,055 |
Total survey completions by region
| Region | Survey year (completions) | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 VHCICS | 2024 VHCICS | 2025 KAPICS | |
| Alberta | 674 | 625 | 683 |
| British Columbia and Territories | 855 | 823 | 841 |
| Manitoba | 213 | 267 | 336 |
| Saskatchewan | 190 | 191 | 240 |
| Ontario | 2,185 | 1,954 | 1,844 |
| Quebec | 1,189 | 1,387 | 1,353 |
| Atlantic | 397 | 615 | 456 |
| Canada | 5,703 | 5,862 | 5,754 |
Table 1 shows the sample size, response rate and final sample size for each survey year, for populations where we could directly determine quotas. We couldn’t directly determine quotas in 2023 and 2024 for health care workers, industry workers, transportation workers and people who use drugs.
In 2025, we didn’t specifically include health care workers, industry workers and transportation workers populations in the survey. As well, in 2025, we reframed the urban Indigenous population to include the whole population of Indigenous people, regardless of their urbanicity status.
For each survey year, populations are not mutually exclusive. Respondents can be part of multiple groups.
For each survey year, we had a sufficient number of respondents to derive national- and regional-level estimates for most regions. However, we didn’t have enough respondents from some provinces and territories to report reliable and accurate estimates. To resolve this challenge we collapsed:
- respondents from New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland and Labrador into an Atlantic region
- respondents from Yukon, Northwest Territories and Nunavut with British Columbia
The VHCICS and KAPICS are self-report-based surveys that rely on recall. Such surveys are prone to:
- recall bias (that is, not remembering or misremembering past events or experience)
- social desirability bias (that is, when respondents conceal their true opinion on a subject in order to make themselves look good to others)
- non-response bias (that is, when those who agree to participate in a survey are different in certain characteristics than those who choose not to participate)
If present, these biases may lead to over- or under-estimation of immunization coverage and other measures estimated using survey data.
Notes on the presented estimates and terminology
The estimates (percentages) derived are all weighted estimates. This means we applied survey sampling weights to the calculations to ensure the derived estimates represent the Canadian population. We applied survey sampling weights to age, gender, education, income, population centre, visible minority identity, recent immigrant status and Indigenous status. The results for each survey year are generalizable to the Canadian adult population and to all key populations surveyed in the cycle, except for the people who use drugs due to limitations in the targeted recruitment for that group.
The small black bars visible on some of the charts represent the confidence intervals around the estimates. Confidence intervals are one way to relay information about how "good" an estimate is. The wider the confidence interval for a particular estimate, the more caution is required when using the estimate.
We included the levels "I don't know" and "I prefer not to answer" in the analysis, where applicable.
Definitions used in this dashboard
- Vaccination (or immunization) coverage
- Refers to the percentage of a population that is appropriately immunized against a specific vaccine-preventable disease.
- At least one dose
- People who have received a COVID-19 vaccine, regardless of the number of doses. People in this category may have received 1 or more doses, regardless of the type of COVID-19 vaccine administered.
- Vaccine hesitancy
- The World Health Organization (WHO) defines vaccine hesitancy as a delay in acceptance or refusal of vaccines despite availability. Although vaccine hesitancy is influenced by multiple factors itself, hesitancy also plays a role in understanding vaccine uptake.
- Vaccine fatigue
- The feeling of being tired of hearing about vaccination or of having to get vaccinated.
Data suppression
Data are suppressed in this report if a province or territory has concerns around releasing values less than 5 for their jurisdiction. Provinces and territories that suppress values less than 5 include Saskatchewan, Quebec, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, Yukon and Northwest Territories.
Generally, if a province or territory requiring data suppression has a category with a value of less than 5, some counts are reclassified as “unknown.” This is done to reduce the number of values that must be suppressed. Remaining values less than 5 after recategorization are then removed from provincial or territorial and national totals to prevent the value from being calculated.
Acknowledgements
We would like to thank everyone who participated in the 2023 and 2024 VHCICS, and 2025 KAPICS. This report would not be possible without the respondents who generously dedicated their time and thoughtfully responded to the multitude of survey questions presented to them.
Suggested citation
Public Health Agency of Canada. Canadian Key Adult Populations Immunization Coverage Survey (KAPICS) report. Ottawa: Public Health Agency of Canada; .
Learn more
To learn more about health inequalities and the work being done to promote health equity in Canada, please visit the following resources:
- Report: Vision and priorities of Canada's Chief Public Health Officer (CPHO)
- Social determinants of health and health inequities
- News release: The federal government addresses health inequities across Canada
For more information
You can direct your questions about this publication to:
vacc.cover.effect.surveil-surveil.couvert.efficacite.vacc@phac-aspc.gc.ca
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