Designated Respondent

Given that the pandemic has significantly altered our daily lives, it is necessary to gather information on its effects on mental health and coping skills.— Statistics Canada

Sometime in the spring of 2023, I received a slim brown Government of Canada envelope in the mail. My first thought was that it was an adjustment to my tax return. But then I noticed the listed agency: Statistics Canada. I opened the envelope, half pulled out the letter, scanned the top. It was a study of some kind. My household had been selected to participate in the Survey on COVID-19 and Mental Health. Great, I thought, another questionnaire. I had that week already been pestered by an online retailer wanting me to rate its performance in regard to a recent transaction (a replacement vacuum cleaner hose and a tube of age-spot remover). Then there was Airbnb, which desperately wanted me to rate the host for a property we had rented for...