UNews - Reginald Bibby

U of L invites community to participate in Research Week 2017

trevor.kenney — Tue, 28 Feb 2017 17:11:25 +0000

Now celebrating its 50th anniversary, the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge has evolved into one of the top research universities in the country, and will celebrate systematic enquiry throughout Research Week 2017 – Spotlight on Research, March 13-18, 2017.

The week is an annual event designed to highlight research and creative excellence across campus and throughout disciplines, shining a light on both graduate and undergraduate work and giving the southern Alberta community an opportunity to gain insight to the tremendous impact U of L research activities have on society.

Dr. Bryan Kolb, pictured here, will join Dr. Reginald Bibby to present a community lecture on Wedesday of Research Week 2017.

“There is so much interesting work being done by our faculty and their students; we really enjoy opening our doors and giving the community a look at what we’re doing,” says Vice-President (Research) Dr. Erasmus Okine. “The research we engage in here at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ is critical work affecting peoples’ lives locally, provincially, nationally and beyond.”

The week features both on- and off-campus events and kicks off Monday, March 13 with the Community ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ Research Exchange (CURE) event. CURE is an initiative designed to connect U of L researchers with community members interested in research endeavours and has, over the years, facilitated a number of collaborative research relationships. Keynote speaker Dr. Christine Murray of Alberta Innovates, speed talks focused on projects with community partners and a poster session are all part of this event, with full details available here: http://www.uleth.ca/research-services/researchservices/community-university-research-exchange-cure.

On Tuesday, the Undergraduate Research Showcase is in the spotlight as undergraduate students will share their research experiences in the form of a poster show from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ Hall Atrium.

“This is a new event we’re very excited about,” says Okine. “The undergraduate research activities at the U of L routinely rival that of graduate-level students at other universities and we’re pleased to give our students an opportunity to show off their work.”

A community talk highlights Wednesday as two of the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ’s most accomplished and engaging researchers, Drs. Reginald Bibby and Bryan Kolb, share anecdotes of research growth and achievement over the U of L’s 50 years. The talk will be held from 7 to 9 p.m. at the Galt Museum and Archives.

Thursday sees a Research Data Management panel discussion in the U of L Library (12:15 to 1:30 p.m., L950), while Friday’s activities include an Industry and Enabler Panel discussion as well as the popular Three-Minute Thesis (3MT) event, where students present a compelling oration on their thesis and its significance in just three minutes in language appropriate to a non-specialist audience. The finals of the 3MT competition begin at 5:30 p.m. in the Markin Hall Atrium, with winners advancing to the Canada West event in April.

Research Week 2017 concludes with Saturday’s Meeting of the Minds conference, an interdisciplinary graduate research conference organized by the Graduate Students’ Association. Under the title Intersections, the conference will celebrate interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary research activities and showcase all types of traditional and non-traditional research. The conference will run all day in the Markin Hall Atrium and conclude with Kolb’s keynote address at 6 p.m.

For a look at all the activities associated with Research Week 2017, visit this link: https://www.uleth.ca/notice/notices/research-week-2017-spotlight-research.

Canadians prefer ‘Christmas’ to ‘Holiday Season’ just one finding in Angus Reid/U of L survey

trevor.kenney — Tue, 23 Dec 2014 17:18:47 +0000

An online survey of more than 1,500 Canadian adults by the Angus Reid Institute and ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge sociologist Dr. Reginald Bibby shows that eight out of 10 respondents preferred to use the term ‘Christmas.’

Regardless of their religion or culture, people who responded to the survey showed much in common when it comes to celebrating Christmas. Almost all of the respondents, 94 per cent, say being with friends and family is what makes Christmas special. Slightly more than half, 54 per cent, pointed to celebrating the birth of Christ as the reason Christmas is special. Three out of four Canadians say the best thing about Christmas is that it provides a break from everyday life.

As for key features of Christmas, more than half of those surveyed indicated sharing a Christmas meal together makes the day special. About a quarter of people singled out gift giving and receiving as the aspect that made Christmas special.

If the survey is any indication, Christmas church services across the country can expect to see double the usual attendance. Two in five people said they would attend a Christmas service, twice as many who said they normally attend a service once a month or more.

The survey also points to Christmas as being a time to reflect — to remember those who are no longer there, to ponder the direction life has taken, and the role of faith in life.

Bibby, a Board of Governors Research Chair in the Department of Sociology and researcher in the Prentice Institute has monitored social trends in Canada for the past 40 years. The full news release can be found on the Angus Reid Institute website.

Bibby survey shows football thriving in Canada

trevor.kenney — Fri, 22 Nov 2013 23:04:05 +0000

A new national survey has found fan interest in pro football to be remarkably robust as the 101st Grey Cup game approaches this Sunday in Regina.

While hockey continues to be followed by a nation-leading 46% of Canadians, 33% now say that they are close followers of the CFL and/or the NFL – well above the 20% who indicate they follow Major League Baseball. Just under 10% of Canadians report that they closely follow either the NBA or Major League Soccer.

The on-line survey of 1,505 Canadians was carried out in early November by sociologist Dr. Reginald Bibby of the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge and pollster Angus Reid Global, as part of their joint research on The Future of Life in Canada.

What will surprise many people is the finding that 26% of people across the country say that they follow the CFL, compared to 21% for the NFL. Of these fans, 14% follow both leagues, while 12% follow only the CFL and 7% have eyes for only the NFL.

Combined with Bibby’s earlier Project Canada national surveys, the latest poll shows that, since 2005 and the end of hockey lockout, interest in the NHL has jumped from 30% to 46%. In the past decade or so, both the CFL and NFL have seen their fan bases increase by about 10 percentage points. Key factors influencing the growing interest in all three leagues would seem to include accelerated coverage, led by television, print media, and Internet-related platforms. The CFL’s resilience is particularly remarkable and unexpected, given the massive media exposure and corporate support that the NFL receives on both sides of the border.

Major League Baseball had a following of some 25-30% of Canadians when the Blue Jays were winning World Series in 1992 and 1993. The fan base dropped to below 15% by 2005 but, fuelled perhaps by expanded coverage and new hope for the Jays in recent years, now stands at 20%.

The NBA had a following of 4% of the population in 1990. With the arrival of the Raptors and Grizzlies in 1995, that figure increased slightly to 6% and then nudged up to 8% by 2000 – the same year Vancouver lost its team to Memphis. Today the NBA’s national fan base remains at 8%.

Major League Soccer, in Toronto since 2007 and now in Vancouver (2011) and Montreal (2012), is followed closely by 9% of Canadians – about the same percentage of fans as the NBA.

Regionally, west of Ontario and in Quebec, interest in the CFL is second only to hockey. In Ontario and in Toronto specifically, hockey reigns and interest in Major League Baseball is
considerably higher than in the rest of the country and there is slightly more interest in the NFL than the CFL. That said, combined interest in pro football is slightly higher than baseball – even in Toronto (35% versus 32%). In Toronto and the rest of Ontario, NBA fans number under 15%, with the figure under 10% for Major League Soccer. In the Atlantic region, hockey is no. 1 with baseball and football close to even but a distant no. 2.

These survey findings offer a reading on the interest in professional sport in Canada that help to clarify reality.

Contrary to rumour, not everyone is a wild-eyed hockey fan. Nonetheless, close to 1 in 2 Canadians are closely following the National Hockey League.

Enthusiasm about the Canadian Football League is not limited only to Grey Cup week; some 1 in 4 people across the country follow the league closely all season long.

The massive media exposure and corporate support of the National Football League has contributed to growth in interest in the NFL. But, as something of a cultural miracle, the CFL nonetheless has a greater national following. Ironically, the intense marketing of American football may be helping to “sell” football, Canadian-style.

Major League Baseball, as with the NFL, has a fan base that consists of about 1 in 5 Canadians. To a large extent, the popularity of MLB will undoubtedly rise and fall with the success of the Blue Jays. But its following of some 30% in the early 1990s will be difficult to match, given the increasingly crowded sports marketplace and the growth of fan interest in both the NHL and pro football. Losing all our Triple-A clubs, along with the Expos, hasn’t helped.

��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ recognizes faculty excellence

trevor.kenney — Thu, 11 Apr 2013 21:21:16 +0000

The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge honoured faculty and postdoctoral fellows across campus who received academic research awards of distinction, secured research funding or published their research findings in the last year at Thursday's Celebrating Research Reception in Markin Hall.

The U of L also recognized those who had books published within the last calendar year.

Below is a list of the awards presented.

Research Awards: External

Alberta Science and Technology Leadership Foundation (ASTech) Award: Excellence in Science and Technology Public Awareness
Kristy Burke | Conference & Event Services

American Oil Chemists' Society Timothy L. Mounts Award
Roman Przybylski | Chemistry & Biochemistry

Campus Alberta Innovates Program (CAIP) Chairs
Chris Hopkinson | Geography, Terrestrial Ecosystems Remote Sensing
Greg Pyle | Biological Sciences, Aquatic Health

Canada Research Chairs
Louise Barrett | Psychology, Cognition, Evolution and Behaviour, Tier 1
Stacey Wetmore | Chemistry & Biochemistry, Computational Chemistry, Tier 2

Canadian Insolvency Foundation Lloyd Houlden Research Fellowship
Gordon Hunter | Management

Confederation of Alberta Faculty Association (CAFA) Distinguished Academic Award
Trudy Govier | Philosophy

Pat Clifford Award for Early Career Research in Education
Michelle Hogue | First Nations' Transition Program

Queen Elizabeth Diamond Jubilee Medal
Reginald Bibby | Sociology
Peter McCormick | Political Science
Richard Mrazek | Education

World Council for Curriculum & Instruction Distinguished Leadership Award
Peter Heffernan | Education

Research Awards: Internal

Ingrid Speaker Medal for Distinguished Research, Scholarship, or Performance
Joseph Rasmussen | Biological Sciences

��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Board of Governors Research Chair

Igor Kovalchuk | Biological Sciences
Olga Kovalchuk | Biological Sciences
David Naylor | Physics & Astronomy
Sergio Pellis | Neuroscience

��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ Scholars
Janice Rahn | Education
Peter Visentin | Music
Judith Whitehead | Anthropology

Research Grants: External

Alberta Advisory Committee for Educational Studies Grant
Noella Piquette | Education
Jennifer Thannhauser | Education

Alberta Agriculture and Rural Development
Wei Xu | Geography

Alberta Centre for Child, Family and Community Research Grant
(2) Claudia Malacrida | Sociology

Alberta Foundation for the Arts
Mary Kavanagh | Art
Taras Polataiko | Art
Janice Rahn/Michael Campbell | Education/Art Co-Principal Investigators

Alberta Gaming Research Institute Grant
Yale Belanger | Native American Studies
Cheryl Currie | Public Health
Gabriela Novotna | Addictions Counselling
Claudia Steinke | Nursing

Alberta Inflammatory Bowel Disease Grant
Sameer Despande | Management

Alberta Innovates Health Solutions Grant
Gerlinde Metz | Neuroscience, Co-Director

Alberta Innovates Health Solutions Sustainability Funds
Roy Golsteyn | Biological Sciences
Aaron Gruber | Neuroscience
David Naylor | Physics & Astronomy
Paul Vasey | Psychology
Ute Wieden-Kothe | Chemistry & Biochemistry

Alberta Rural Development Network (ARDN) Grant
Shawn Bubel | Geography
Glenda Bonifacio | Women & Gender Studies
Jon Doan | Kinesiology & Physical Education
Leanne Elias | New Media
Carmen Mombourquette | Education
Monique Sedgwick | Nursing
David Slomp | Education
(2) Carol Williams | Women & Gender Studies

Alzheimer Society of Canada Grant
Shannon Spenceley | Nursing

American Cancer Society Grant
Raphael Lencucha | Public Health

ATB Financial
Gordon Hunter/Dan Kazakoff | Management

Canada Council for the Arts Grant
Mary Kavanagh | Art
Maria Ng | English

Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation Grant
Olga Kovalchuk | Biological Sciences
Olga Kovalchuk | Biological Sciences, Co-applicant

Canada Centre for Remote Sensing
Nadia Rochdi/Karl Staenz | Alberta Terrestrial Imaging Centre/Geography

Canada Foundation for Innovation Leaders Opportunity Fund Grant
Aaron Gruber | Neuroscience
Paul Hazendonk | Chemistry & Biochemistry
Andrew Iwaniuk | Neuroscience
Hans-Joachim Wieden | Chemistry & Biochemistry

CIHR Emerging Team Grant
Gabriela Novotna | Health Sciences

CIHR Café Scientifique Grant
Penny D'Agnone | Office of Research & Innovation Services

CIHR Operating Grant
Sameer Deshpande | Management, Co-applicant
Judith Kulig | Nursing

CIHR Research Planning Grant
Sameer Desphande | Management, Co-applicant

Canadian Space Agency Contract
Karl Staenz | Geography
(2) David Naylor | Physics & Astronomy

Canadian Wildlife Federation
Richard Mrazek | Education

Department of Defense Contract
Albert Cross | Neuroscience

European Union FP7 Grant
David Naylor | Physics & Astronomy, Co-applicant

Grand Challenges in Global Health Grant
Gerlinde Metz | Neuroscience, Co-applicant

Health Canada Grant
Judith Kulig | Health Sciences, Co-applicant

Heritage Canada Grant for Aid to Scholarly Publication
Peter Heffernan | Education

Institute for Catastrophic Loss Reduction Grant
Judith Kulig | Health Sciences

Max Bell Foundation Award
Noella Piquette | Education, Co-applicant

Monieson Centre, Queen's Business School
Gordon Hunter | Management

National Science Foundation
Jennifer Mather | Psychology, Collaborating Consultant

NSERC Collaborative Research & Training Experience (CREATE) Grant
Robert Sutherland | Neuroscience

NSERC Discovery Grant
Louise Barrett | Psychology
Sarah Boon | Geography
Howard Cheng | Mathematics & Computer Science
Saurya Das | Physics & Astronomy
Jon Doan | Kinesiology & Physical Education
Cam Goater | Biological Sciences
Bruce McNaughton | Neuroscience
Jackie Rice | Mathematics & Computer Science
Elizabeth Schultz | Biological Sciences
Robert Sutherland | Neuroscience
Soroosh Yazdani | Mathematics & Computer Science

NSERC Research Tools and Instruments Grant
Amir Akbary | Mathematics & Computer Science
Paul Hazendonk | Chemistry & Biochemistry

Pacific Institute for the Mathematical Sciences
Shahadat Hossain | Mathematics & Computer Science

SSHRC Aid to Scholarly Journals Grant
Peter Heffernan | Education
Edward Jurkowski | Music

SSHRC Insight Development Grant
Abdie Kazemipur | Sociology, Co-applicant

SSHRC Insight Grant
Harold Jansen | Political Science
Heidi MacDonald | History
Noella Piquette | Education, Co-applicant
Paul Vasey | Psychology

SSHRC Partnership Grant
Yale Belanger | Native American Studies, Co-applicant
Henning Bjornlund | Economics, Co-applicant
Glenda Bonifacio | Women & Gender Studies, Co-applicant
Abdie Kazemipur | Sociology, Co-applicant
Richard Mueller | Economics, Co-applicant
Ivan Townshend | Geography, Co-applicant
Wei Xu | Geography, Co-applicant

SSHRC Public Outreach Grant
Debra Basil | Management

TECTERRA
Wei Xu/Karl Staenz | Geography

Research Grants: Internal

Emmy Droog Research Awards in Health Sciences Grant
Cheryl Currie | Public Health
Ruth Grant Kalischuk | Nursing

Interdisciplinary Research Development Fund Grant
Leanne Elias | New Media
Team: John Usher (Management), Janice Rahn (Education), Michael Campbell (Art) and Cheryl Meheden (Management)
Roy Golsteyn | Biological Sciences
Team: Olga Kovalchuk (Biological Sciences) and David Naylor (Physics & Astronomy)
Josephine Mills | Art
Team: Louise Barrett (Psychology), Lisa Doolittle (Theatre & Drama), Emily Luce (New Media), Bruce MacKay (Liberal Education Program) and Tiffany Muller Myrdahl (Women & Gender Studies)
Nicole Rosen | Modern Languages
Team: Inge Genee (Modern Languages), Robbin Gibb (Neuroscience), Claudia Gonzalez (Kinesiology & Physical Education), Fangfang Li (Psychology) and Noella Piquette (Education)
Carol Williams | Women & Gender Studies
Team: Glenda Bonifacio (Women & Gender Studies), Bonnie Lee (Health Sciences), Linda ManyGuns (Native American Studies) and Patrick Wilson (Anthropology)

Parkland Institute Faculty Research Grant
Claudia Malacrida | Sociology

��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Community of Research Excellence Development Opportunities (CREDO) Grant
Jerimy Cunningham | Anthropology
Claudia Malacrida | Sociology
Janay Nugent | History
Amy Shaw | History

��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Internal
Artistic/Creative Grant
Michael Campbell | Art
Dagmar Dahl | Art
Mary Kavanagh | Art

��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Internal SSHRC Grant
Michelle Hogue | First Nations' Transition Program
Janay Nugent | History
Kent Peacock | Philosophy
Amy Shaw | History

��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Research Dissemination Grant
Glenda Bonifacio | Women & Gender Studies
Inge Genee | Modern Languages
Catherine Kingfisher | Anthropology
Janice Newberry | Anthropology
Hillary Rodrigues/John Harding | Religious Studies
Arlan Schultz | Music
Amy Shaw | History

��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Research Fund Grant
Vishaal Baulkaran/Ebenezer Asem | Finance
Sarah Boon | Geography
Shawn Bubel | Geography
Michael Campbell | Art
Arundhati Dasgupta | Physics & Astronomy
Larry Flanagan | Biological Sciences
Claudia Gonzales/Fangfang Li | Kinesiology & Physical Education/Psychology
Ute Wieden-Kothe | Chemistry & Biochemistry
Jason Laurendeau | Sociology
Raphael Lencucha | Public Health
Hua Li | Mathematics & Computer Science
Heidi MacDonald | History
Kimberly Mair | Sociology
Steve Patitsas/Saurya Das | Physics & Astronomy
Adriana Predoi-Cross | Physics & Astronomy
Drew Rendall | Psychology
Shelley Scott | Theatre & Drama
David Siminovitch/Tony Montina | Physics & Astronomy
D. Andrew Stewart | Music
Mark Walton | Physics & Astronomy
John Zhang | Mathematics & Computer Science

Post-Doctoral Fellow Awards Alberta Innovates Health Solutions Postgraduate Fellowship
Ben Clark | Neuroscience
Corinne Montes-Rodriquez | Neuroscience
Jake Ormond | Neuroscience
Ivan Skelin | Neuroscience
Aaron Wilber | Neuroscience

Canadian Space Agency Space Science Enhancement Award Postdoctoral Fellowship
Matthijs Van Der Wiel | Physics & Astronomy

CIHR Fellowship
Hendrik Steenland | Neuroscience

Japan Society for the Promotion of Science Postdoctoral Fellowship (Short-Term) for North American and European Researchers
Noelle Gunst | Psychology

Japan Society for the Promotion of Science Postdoctoral Research Support Allowance (Short-Term) for North American and European Researchers
Noelle Gunst | Psychology

Book Awards 2013 recipients

M. Gordon Hunter & Dan Kazakoff (authors): Small Business: Journey to Success

Shawn Bubel, James McMurchy & Duncan Lloyd (authors): Record In Stone: Familiar Projectile Points From Alberta

Jean-Baptiste Leca, Michael A. Huffman & Paul Vasey (editors): The Monkeys of Smokey Mountain

Sarah Glassford & Amy Shaw (editors): A Sisterhood of Suffering and Service: Women and Girls of Canada and Newfoundland during the First World War

Geoffrey Hale (author): So Near Yet So Far: The Public and Hidden Worlds of Canada-U.S. Relations

Aaron Taylor (editor): Theorizing Film Acting

Marc R. Roussel (author): A Life Scientist's Guide to Physical Chemistry

Glena Tibe Bonifacio (editor): Feminism and Migration: Cross-cultural Engagements

Robert J. Williams, Robert T. Wood & Jonathan Parke (editors): The Routledge International Handbook of Internet Gambling

Arundhati Dasgupta (editor): Recent Research in Quantum Gravity

John S. Harding (editor): Studying Buddhism in Practice

Yale D. Belanger (editor): First Nations Gaming in Canada

Yongjian Bao & Wenlong Yuan (authors): The Contrarian Way of Crisis Management

Keith Roscoe & Rick Mrazek (authors): Developing Scientific Literacy: Ideas and Strategies for Planning, Assessment, and Instruction

Blythe Shepard & Lorna Martin (authors): Supervision of Counselling and Psychotherapy: A Handbook for Canadian Certified Supervisors and Applicants

Margaret A. Winzer & Kas Mazurek (editors): International Practices in Special Education: Debates and Challenges

Judith C. Kulig & Allison M. Williams (editors): Health in Rural Canada

Olga Kovalchuk & Igor Kovalchuk (authors) Epigenetics in Health and Disease

Bibby study says aboriginal teens are hopeful

trevor.kenney — Wed, 24 Nov 2010 17:28:19 +0000

A major new and unprecedented survey of teenage aboriginals across the country has found that the vast majority are dreaming big when it comes to their futures. Yet, despite their hopes and aspirations, large numbers already suspect that those dreams may not be realized.

The findings are part of a comprehensive national survey of more than 5,500 high school students carried out by Dr. Reginald Bibby, a sociology professor and researcher at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge.

The survey, completed in early 2009, included a special subsample study of some 500 aboriginals attending band-run schools that was coordinated by Terri-Lynn Fox, a PhD student at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Calgary and a member of the Kainai community on the Blood Reserve. James Penner was the third member of the research team.

Their report, entitled, Canada's Emerging Aboriginal Millennials, looks at the values, interests, concerns, beliefs and aspirations of aboriginals, comparing them with Canadian young people more generally.

Fox says that she hopes the report, "will be a foundational document to build upon," since it reveals "ideas and aspirations, tribulations and triumphs that are integral to the health and well-being of who they are now and who they will become."

The report calls for a concerted national effort to bridge aboriginal dreams and realities.

Following are some of the highlights.

• Aboriginal youth want the same things from life as everyone else. Their top values are family life, friendship, freedom and being loved. Their top goals: getting a good education and being successful.

• The new technologies and the Internet specifically are having a revolutionary impact on aboriginals living on reserves, providing a bridge to the rest of Canada and the globe.

• Aboriginal teens are very positive about Canada: 70 per cent say Canada is important to them, well above the 43 per cent level for the country as a whole.However, they are far more likely than others to feel there are a number of problem areas that require top priority attention.

Among the issues: child abuse, suicide, violence against women, discrimination, drug abuse, AIDS and youth gangs. Such concerns about these problems lead only 45 per cent to feel they would choose to live in Canada, below the 54 per cent level for all Canadian teenagers.

• Teens who live on reserves are even more inclined than other teens to feel moral decisions lie with the individual, and are highly situational when it comes to things like sexual behaviour and family and parental arrangements. Those attending off-reserve schools and frequently removed from reserve and family ties exhibit considerable moral and lifestyle autonomy.

• Young aboriginals exhibit higher levels of supernatural belief and a greater inclination to value spirituality than teenagers as a whole. While most value aboriginal spirituality, more than 50 per cent who live on reserves continue to identify with Christianity.

• While aboriginal youth face many of the same personal concerns as other teens, for many life is particularly difficult. Money, rapid change, the lack of social support, discrimination and fear for one's safety are problems that are particularly acute. Drug use and problems with the law further lower the quality of life for a disproportionately high number.

• Despite these hurdles, young aboriginals exhibit the potential for resilience, not only in retaining positive self-images during their teens years, but in holding hopes for a better future.

They, like other Canadian young people, seem to have "a hope chip" imbedded. They have high hopes when it comes to education, careers, owning their own homes, being more financially comfortable than their parents, having good and lasting relationships, having children and being involved in their communities. All this is true whether they expect to eventually live on or off reserves.

For more on Bibby's research and his findings on Canadian teens, check out this story.

Trend-tracking in action

trevor.kenney — Tue, 19 Oct 2010 04:30:09 +0000

Dr. Reg Bibby knows a thing or two about today's teens.

You may not like their asymmetrical hairdos, nose piercings or ironic t-shirts, but today's teenagers aren't turning Canadian culture on its head, as per the prevailing stereotype. On many levels, today's youth are actually looking better than previous generations, says sociologist and trend-tracker Dr. Reginald Bibby.

The notion of teenagers as threats to the well-being of Canadian society is a prejudicial stereotype that unfairly generalizes all teens. "There seems to be such a pervasive mindset that teens are simply not that likable and lovable," says Bibby.

In reality, quite the opposite is true, according to the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge researcher who has been monitoring the attitudes and habits of Canadian teens and adults for three decades. Today's youth are solid citizens and are adjusting well to the new Canada, Bibby reports in his latest book, The Emerging Millennials: How Canada's Newest Generation is Responding to Change and Choice.

Working on Project Teen Canada, a series of national surveys that have examined Canadian teenagers' behaviour and values since 1984, Bibby and Associate Director James Penner completed the most recent installment in 2008. The survey of 5,500 teenagers across the country shows that the millennials are doing well. They're generous and polite. They report the most positive relationships with parents in three decades. The prevalence of vices like smoking, drinking and marijuana use have declined, as have depression, suicide and bullying.

Also on the decline is young people's interest in professional sports, including the beloved National Hockey League (NHL). Only about 50 per cent of young men and 20 per cent of young women follow the NHL. According to Bibby, their lack of interest demonstrates the acceleration of choices, but for an allegedly hockey-crazed country, it's a rather startling discovery that caught the attention of media outlets ranging from the National Post through Canada AM to the New York Times.

All in all, the baby boomer generation's "social experiment" of having both parents employed outside the home has known increasing success as older boomers and post-boomers have improved on how they balance careers and family life.

To quote a famous baby boomer lyric: the kids are all right.

While the large majority has been receptive to Bibby's overall good-news findings, not everyone is convinced. Bibby has found that invariably there are those who are down on teenagers, people who "don't want to be confused by the facts."

But such responses don't phase him. Dismantling tired stereotypes is important to the researcher who has explored social trends since coming to the U of L in 1975. Bibby's areas of myth-breaking have included attributing much teen-adult conflict to adults; questioning the extent to which people are abandoning religion; the importance of not only praising but tapping into our cultural diversity; documenting the limited growth of interest in the National Football League and National Basketball Association and the ongoing interest in the Canadian Football League; and making his most recent case for the elevation of the quality of teenage life in Canada.

Bibby's research philosophy has always been that it doesn't make sense to study trends abstractly; rather, it's essential to question Canadians directly.
"In my mind, if one wants to understand what people are thinking, there's no substitute for asking them," he says. "Therefore, a survey that is carried out well is simply a good conversation with people. It results in learning what Canadians are thinking – rather than telling them."

Disseminating the research is also an important aspect of Bibby's work. Over the years, he's consciously shared and explained his findings with Canadians through his books, media coverage and public presentations across the country.

His commitment to public awareness has not gone unnoticed. This fall, Bibby will receive the 2009 Distinguished Academic Award from the Confederation of Alberta Faculty Associations (CAFA), an award that recognizes the success of ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ bringing their scholarly work to the broader community.

Not surprisingly, this isn't his first accolade. Bibby holds a U of L Board of Governors Research Chair in Sociology, has an honorary doctoral degree from Laurentian ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ and in 2006 was appointed an officer of the Order of Canada in recognition of his research contributions to the country.

In the aftermath of the 2008 survey, the prolific researcher plans to take a breather from his survey-research. "I want to sit on a rock in some beautiful place and write poetry," he jokes. Instead of focusing on data collection, Bibby plans to spend more time analyzing the data he has accumulated and turn his attention to a new book on religion in Canada – Beyond the Gods and Back.

And, of course, he'll continue to hold up that mirror to Canadians.

"I really have been fortunate not only to do research but also to teach and make presentations that allow me to see to what extent people recognize themselves in the findings. It has made the research come alive."

Bibby is the author of 12 best-selling books with total sales of close to 150,000 copies. His research has received extensive media coverage and has been seen as the feature story on the cover of Maclean's on several occasions.

Trend-tracking in action

trevor.kenney — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 21:23:03 +0000

To quote a famous baby boomer lyric: the kids are all right.

Bibby's research philosophy has always been that it doesn't make sense to study trends abstractly; rather, it's essential to question Canadians directly.

"In my mind, if one wants to understand what people are thinking, there's no substitute for asking them," he says. "Therefore, a survey that is carried out well is simply a good conversation with people. It results in learning what Canadians are thinking – rather than telling them."

And, of course, he'll continue to hold up that mirror to Canadians.

Bibby earns CAFA award

trevor.kenney — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 21:15:24 +0000

He's broken down popular culture myths, authored best-selling books and always found a way to engage a broad audience. The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge's Dr. Reginald Bibby is one of the most well known ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ in the country. Recently, he was honoured by the Confederation of Alberta Faculty Associations (CAFA) with the CAFA Distinguished Academic Award for 2009.

The CAFA Distinguished Academic Award recognizes academic staff members who through their research and/or other scholarly, creative or professional activities have made an outstanding contribution to the wider community beyond the university.

"The recipients of the CAFA Distinguished Academic Awards are being honoured by their peers," notes Linda Bonneville, President of CAFA.

"Through these awards, we wish to recognize and highlight exceptional contributions made by our colleagues, through their research, scholarly and creative activities, to the wider community beyond the academy."

Bibby, who holds a Board of Governors Research Chair in Sociology at the U of L, has been monitoring and analyzing Canadian social trends and attitudes since the mid-1970s through a series of periodic nationwide surveys of adults and teens.

This groundbreaking and often-cited body of research, developed in his 12 books, as well as numerous refereed journal articles and monographs, has generated a wealth of pioneering and historic data on social issues, intergroup relations, religion, and quality of life in Canada, and has earned Dr. Bibby a well-deserved reputation among his colleagues as 'the academic's academic.'

Never content to address his findings solely to other ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ, however, Bibby, in the words of his department chair, has reached out "regularly, willingly, and with a purpose" to engage with a wider, non-academic audience.

To quote another of his colleagues, Bibby "has contributed conspicuously to the popular understanding of social trends in Canada while writing the most careful, prescient, and sophisticated sociological analyses of religion, youth and demographic change in Canadian society."

More than 140,000 copies of Dr. Bibby's books have been sold to date. The latest, entitled The Emerging Millennials: How Canada's Newest Generation is Responding to Change & Choice, was released in April 2009.

The 2009 CAFA Distinguished Academic Awards were presented at a banquet in Edmonton, Thursday, Sept. 17, 2009.

Bibby Finds Major Decline in Teenage Interest in Pro Sports

trevor.kenney — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 20:39:23 +0000

Every league – including the NHL – suffering a drop in market share

Canada is supposedly a hockey-mad country with an insatiable appetite for the National Hockey League. But surprising new research findings reveal that Canadian interest in the NHL has actually declined over the past two decades.

What's more, the proportion of teenagers who follow the National Hockey League (NHL) is lower in Toronto than in any of Canada's six NHL cities.

The research, carried out by sociologist Reginald Bibby of the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge and published in his new book, The Emerging Millennials, shows that since about 1990, teenage interest in the NHL has dropped from 45% to 35%.

Among adults, the percentage of fans has slipped from about 35% to 30%. The teenage decline in interest extends to all other major sports as well.

- During the glory days of the Blue Jays in the early 1990s, 33% of teenagers said they were following Major League Baseball (MLB). Today that figure stands at only 10%.

- Despite the presence of the Toronto Raptors, interest in the National Basketball Association (NBA) among teens is actually lower today (21%) than it was in the early 90s before the league expanded to Canada (27%).

- For all the exposure the National Football League (NFL) has been receiving, teenage interest has fallen from 26% to 19% over the past two decades.

- In the case of the Canadian Football League (CFL), just 14% of teens say they are currently following the league, down from 22% in the early 1990s.

"What these findings point to is the fact that the entertainment choices of young people and the rest of us have exploded," Bibby said.

"In addition, growing numbers of teens have come to Canada from countries where their sports choices have been led by soccer and basketball, rather than hockey, baseball, or football. And then there has been the ineptitude of the Maple Leafs. The result is that, in Ontario alone, the proportion of teenagers who closely follow the NHL has dropped from 40% in 1992 to 28% in 2008."

Bibby said that the patterns reflect in large part what some observers of social trends refer to as the "death of the monoculture" – where diverse consumer options are resulting in ever-increasing individual choices. It's true of music, fashion, lifestyle – and pretty much everything else.

Bibby's latest youth survey has found that "the monocultural casualties" extend to things like drinking, smoking, and sex. "Even 'vices' now have to compete for teenage attention," Bibby said. So it is that interest in the National Hockey League has taken a serious hit.

"Forget the rhetoric about the NHL needing to add teams in Canada because the country is in love with hockey," Bibby said.

"These findings suggest the NHL needs to add teams in Canada in order that more Canadians – starting with young people – will fall in love with hockey. As a key part of their attractiveness, of course, those new teams need to be competitive and entertaining – shortcomings that have been particularly blatant in the case of the Maple Leafs."

Bibby said his research also indicates that, as teens move into their 20s and 30s and beyond, their following of any given league or sport will come and go in keeping with what they consider to be of interest and value.

"For example, in the past two decades, teen interest in the NBA has waned as they have aged, while their interest in the CFL has increased. Obviously the sports one follows as a single teenager are not necessarily the sports one follows as a married parent."

The research message? Canadians' interest in hockey is hardly innate. The NHL, like every other sport, is going to have to work harder to retain and expand its market share. More Canadian teams, more accessible and affordable tickets, and a winning team in Toronto might be good places to start.

Reginald Bibby has been monitoring Canadian social trends since the mid-1970s, making his findings available through eleven best-selling books. His most recent book is The Emerging Millennials: How Canada's Newest Generation is Responding to Change and Choice (for details visit http://www.reginaldbibby.com).

The current Project Teen Canada survey was concluded in late 2008, and consists of a highly representative sample of more than 5,500 teenagers. Results are accurate within about plus or minus 3 percentage points, 19 times in 20.

Graphs which outline the research findings can be found below.

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