Reverse record check: Tracing people in Canada - ARCHIVED

The Reverse Record Check is the main vehicle used to assess the level of undercoverage in the Canadian Census of Population. A sample of persons is selected from sources independent of the current census and extensive tracing operations are undertaken to determine the usual address of each selected person as of Census day. Census records are then checked to determine whether or not each selected person was enumerated. The tracing is by far the most complex, costly and time-consuming operation associated with this study. It involves extensive use of administrative records as well as tracing in the field. This paper describes the various tracing methods used as well as the success obtained from each of them.