The Journey of the ‘Data for Change’ Ethos
The York University Institute for Social Research (ISR) is celebrating its Diamond Jubilee 60th anniversary this year in 2025.
Established in 1965, the Institute for Social Research is the leading academic social science and health survey research organization in Canada. Over six decades, the ISR has built a reputation for excellence in conducting academic research aimed at advancing the stock of systematic knowledge for a deeper comprehension of the world around us, and applied research focused on solving practical real-world problems.
The broad-based operations for ISR’s academic and applied research goals are presently undertaken through three separate but interdependent research centres, each with a particular focus and capabilities – (1) the Survey Research Centre (SRC) has built a reputation for high-quality and multi-platform social survey research; (2) the ISR Statistical Consulting Service (ISR SCS) provides expert individual consultation and non-credit short courses in quantitative and mix-method research; and (3) the Statistics Canada – York University Research Data Centre (York RDC) makes government microdata files accessible and available to York researchers.
Through its three research centres, the Institute for Social Research provides research support services across the York community and conducts surveys for academic researchers nationwide, governments, public and private sector organizations, and NGOs.
For the better part of sixty years the ISR’s ‘data for change’ ethos has nurtured relationships with external clients through applied survey research, including decades-long associations with the Ontario Ministry of Health, the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Ontario Public Health Units, The Canadian Fitness and Lifestyle Research Institute, Canadian Blood Donations, and Cancer Care Ontario, providing research supports designed to ameliorate social problems and help bolster Canadian’s health.
At the same time, the ISR remains active in initiating research and engaging in collaborative partnerships with researchers on the York campus as well. While excellence in survey research has been the ISR calling card, it has also maintained an influential role in teaching and providing high-quality statistical and survey design consultation to students and faculty at York, with the goal to enhance the quality and rigour of scholarly and scientific research across various academic disciplines.
In more recent years, ISR’s support services for faculty administration and for university senior administration has focused on ensuring and enhancing quality control for academic programs and policies. Analyzing performance metrics of programs and policies is achieved through various mechanisms and tools including student and faculty surveys, peer reviews, periodic and cyclical reviews, and stakeholder engagement. This ISR work primarily involves data analytics for effective monitoring, evaluating, and improving the curriculum, teaching, learning, and valuation practices. It also involves performance analytics for wider university policies, such as human rights accommodations on campus. Here, the ISR’s pan-university research support for senior faculty officials and senior university administration has provided data-led analysis crucial for evidence-informed decision-making that improves program planning and development, and student learning in sustainable ways; as well as contributing to the overall academic success of faculty units, areas of focus, and the campus curricular and community development as a whole.
Of special note in this anniversary year, the Statistics Canada-York University Research Data Centre has introduced the new enhanced IT infrastructure of the virtual RDC (vRDC) to boost the public policy work of York researchers. This new digital research support system allows extended hours of operation at the York RDC and the increased flexibility of off-site access for York researchers to vast amounts of government microdata. Going forward, the ISR Research Data Centre is well positioned to synergize and facilitate further intensification of research output at York – by enabling more research activities, greater levels of interdisciplinary collaboration, and inspiring greater numbers of applications and success in the acquisition of research grants.
In conjunction with its 60th anniversary, it is most worthy of note that the Institute for Social Research (ISR) has been re-chartered in July as York’s first official Organized Research Service Unit (ORSU) – meaning that the ISR has been granted permission by the York Senate to assume the role of both a ‘research unit’ and a ‘service unit’. This welcomed transformation of the ISR into an ORSU is in line with its unique position delivering research support for the internal York community across the university, as well as supporting the research needs of external clients from the wider public, private and para-public sectors.
An External Review Team (ERT) comprised of experts from Canada and the United States, submitted during 2022 an assessment report to the York Senate Sub-Committee on Academic Policy, Planning and Research Committee (APPRC) in reference to ISR’s ORSU application. In their assessment the ERT noted:
“York University identifies an intense focus on research as a key goal. Through the activities of three core research centers, the ISR is uniquely situated to supporting and advancing the university’s research intensification objective. Given the volume of studies ISR conducts and the number of campus members ISR supports in consultation and instruction, it is hard to imagine the university succeeding in its research intensification goals without the commitment of ISR.”
As we celebrate the 60th anniversary of the Institute for Social Research, we’re reflecting on the rich history of innovation that informs our world and looking ahead to the future of research. Over the last six decades, ISR has consistently pushed the boundaries of the social and health sciences, pioneering new methodologies, providing crucial insights into the human condition, and informing forward-looking public policy. ISR researchers have delved into a wide array of topics, from economic behavior and political attitudes to health disparities and education systems; and along the way helped refine notions of social justice in Canada.
Sixty years strong—thanks to the clients who trusted us with their research.
