Sociodemographic Characteristics, Research Roles, Training Needs, and Perceived Barriers Among Individuals Engaged in ACB Research and Data Governance in Canada

Background: Race-based data collection and governance remain inconsistent across Canadian health systems, limiting the visibility of African, Caribbean, and Black (ACB) communities. This paper presents a data profile of people working in or alongside ACB-serving organizations in Canada. Methods: A national cross-sectional survey captured sociodemographic characteristics, organizational affiliations, research roles, perceptions of data governance, training needs, barriers to participation, and self-rated research capacities of individuals engaged in ACB research and data governance. Eligible participants were individuals engaged in research, evaluation, data collection, data administration, or related activities in ACB-serving organizations across Canada. We conducted descriptive analysis. Results: Among 384 respondents, 45.8% lived in Ontario and 23.7% in Quebec. Most identified as female (72.1%), and 59.9% held a bachelor’s degree or higher. Many reported involvement in data collection (48.2%), data analysis (41.7%), and data management (41.4%). Training needs were frequently identified in cultural competency (48.7%), research methodology (44.3%), and data analysis (44.3%). Common barriers included lack of representation (46.1%), language challenges (41.4%), historical mistrust (37.5%), and concerns about data sovereignty (37.5%). Confidence was highest for data collection (56.4% rating 7–9) and lowest for securing research funding (34.8% rating 1–3). Conclusions: This data profile provides foundational evidence to support equitable, community-aligned data governance policy and practice within ACB-serving organizational contexts in Canada.