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Health Canada spent nearly $100,000 on a public opinion survey asking Canadians how they improve the air quality inside their homes, with the most common answer being simply to open a window.

According to Blacklock’s Reporter, the department paid Toronto-based Environics Research $99,927 for the survey, which questioned 2,022 Canadians about indoor and outdoor air quality.

The resulting report, Evaluation Of Air Quality Program Outreach And Engagement, found 79% of respondents rated the air in their homes as “excellent” or “good.”

Only 36% said they had taken steps to improve their indoor air quality because of health concerns.

When researchers asked what Canadians actually did to make the air better, 64% said they opened a window when outdoor air quality was good.

Other measures included cleaning furnace filters, cited by 51% of respondents, cleaning air ducts at 34%, and smoking cigarettes outside at 18%.

“Among those who have not acted despite experiencing only fair to poor indoor air quality in their home, the main reasons are simply not having thought about it,” the report said.

Respondents identified poor ventilation, tobacco smoke, cooking, pet dander, dirty ducts and furnace filters and outdoor pollution among the causes of poor indoor air quality.

The department said the research forms part of its efforts to encourage Canadians to change their behaviour to protect themselves from poor air quality.

Health Canada also promotes the Air Quality Health Index, which provides information about outdoor air pollution, including risks associated with wildfire smoke.

Researchers said awareness of outdoor air-quality risks appears to be increasing, particularly following Canada's recent experiences with wildfire smoke.

But when it came to improving the air inside Canadian homes, the government's $99,927 survey confirmed one decidedly low-tech solution: open the window.