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All (42) (20 to 30 of 42 results)

21. Developing Statistics New Zealand's respondent load strategy Archived
Articles and reports: 11-522-X200800011005
Description:
In 2006 Statistics New Zealand started developing a strategy aimed at coordinating new and existing initiatives focused on respondent load. The development of the strategy lasted more than a year and the resulting commitment to reduce respondent load has meant that the organisation has had to confront a number of issues that impact on the way we conduct our surveys.
The next challenge for Statistics NZ is the transition from the project based initiatives outlined in the strategy to managing load on an ongoing basis.
Release date: 2009-12-03
22. Measuring respondent burden in the UK Office for National Statistics Archived
Articles and reports: 11-522-X200800011006
Description:
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) has an obligation to measure and annually report on the burden that it places on businesses participating in its surveys. There are also targets for reduction of costs to businesses complying with government regulation as part of the 2005 Administrative Burdens Reduction Project (ABRP) coordinated by the Better Regulation Executive (BRE).
Respondent burden is measured by looking at the economic costs to businesses. Over time the methodology for measuring this economic cost has changed with the most recent method being the development and piloting of a Standard Cost Model (SCM) approach.
The SCM is commonly used in Europe and is focused on measuring objective administrative burdens for all government requests for information e.g. tax returns, VAT, as well as survey participation. This method was not therefore specifically developed to measure statistical response burden. The SCM methodology is activity-based, meaning that the costs and time taken to fulfil requirements are broken down by activity.
The SCM approach generally collects data using face-to-face interviews. The approach is therefore labour intensive both from a collection and analysis perspective but provides in depth information. The approach developed and piloted at ONS uses paper self-completion questionnaires.
The objective of this paper is to provide an overview of respondent burden reporting and targets; and to review the different methodologies that ONS has used to measure respondent burden from the perspectives of sampling, data collection, analysis and usability.
Release date: 2009-12-03
23. Reducing the number of cognitive interviews by adding other cognitive methods of testing Archived
Articles and reports: 11-522-X200800011007
Description:
The Questionnaire Design Resource Centre (QDRC) is the focal point of expertise at Statistics Canada for questionnaire design and evaluation. As it stands now, cognitive interviewing to test questionnaires is most often done near the end of the questionnaire development process. By participating earlier in the questionnaire development process, the QDRC could test new survey topics using more adaptive cognitive methods for each step of the questionnaire development process. This would necessitate fewer participants for each phase of testing, thus reducing the cost and the recruitment challenge.
Based on a review of the literature and Statistics Canada's existing questionnaire evaluation projects, this paper will describe how the QDRC could help clients in making appropriate improvements to their questionnaire in a timely manner.
Release date: 2009-12-03
24. The challenges of the use of administrative data in the Survey of Employment, Payrolls and Hours Archived
Articles and reports: 11-522-X200800011010
Description:
The Survey of Employment, Payrolls and Hours (SEPH) is a monthly survey using two sources of data: a census of payroll deduction (PD7) forms (administrative data) and a survey of business establishments. This paper focuses on the processing of the administrative data, from the weekly receipt of data from the Canada Revenue Agency to the production of monthly estimates produced by SEPH.
The edit and imputation methods used to process the administrative data have been revised in the last several years. The goals of this redesign were primarily to improve the data quality and to increase the consistency with another administrative data source (T4) which is a benchmark measure for Statistics Canada's System of National Accounts people. An additional goal was to ensure that the new process would be easier to understand and to modify, if needed. As a result, a new processing module was developed to edit and impute PD7 forms before their data is aggregated to the monthly level.
This paper presents an overview of both the current and new processes, including a description of challenges that we faced during development. Improved quality is demonstrated both conceptually (by presenting examples of PD7 forms and their treatment under the old and new systems) and quantitatively (by comparison to T4 data).
Release date: 2009-12-03
25. Use it or lose it: Mining municipal administrative data Archived
Articles and reports: 11-522-X200800011011
Description:
The Federation of Canadian Municipalities' (FCM) Quality of Life Reporting System (QOLRS) is a means by which to measure, monitor, and report on the quality of life in Canadian municipalities. To address that challenge of administrative data collection across member municipalities the QOLRS technical team collaborated on the development of the Municipal Data Collection Tool (MDCT) which has become a key component of QOLRS' data acquisition methodology. Offered as a case study on administrative data collection, this paper argues that the recent launch of the MDCT has enabled the FCM to access reliable pan-Canadian municipal administrative data for the QOLRS.
Release date: 2009-12-03
26. Incorporating audio file information in survey data collection Archived
Articles and reports: 11-522-X200800011013
Description:
Collecting data using audio recordings for interviewing can be an effective and versatile data collection tool. These recordings however can lead to large files which are cumbersome to manage. Technological developments including better audio software development tools and increased adoption of broadband connections has eased the burden in the collection of audio data. This paper focuses on technologies and techniques used to record and manage audio collected surveys using laptops, telephones and internet connections. The process outlined involves devices connecting directly to the phone receiver which streams conversations directly to the laptop for storage and transmission.
Release date: 2009-12-03
27. Evaluation of the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire Archived
Surveys and statistical programs – Documentation: 89-634-X2009008
Geography: Canada
Description:
The Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) is a parent-reported instrument designed to provide information on children's behaviours and relationships. The SDQ consists of 25 items which are grouped into five subscales: (1) pro-social, (2) inattention-hyperactivity, (3) emotional symptoms, (4) conduct problems, and (5) peer problems. The SDQ was used to provide information on children aged 2 to 5 years in the 2006 Aboriginal Children's Survey (ACS). Though validated on general populations, the constructs of the SDQ have not been validated for off-reserve First Nations, Métis and Inuit children in Canada. The first objective of this evaluation is to examine if the five subscales of the SDQ demonstrate construct validity and reliability for off-reserve First Nations, Métis and Inuit children. The second objective is to examine if an alternative set of subscales, using the 25 SDQ items, may be more valid and reliable for off-reserve First Nations, Métis and Inuit children.
Release date: 2009-11-25
28. Aboriginal Children's Survey 2006
Journals and periodicals: 89-634-X
Description:
The Aboriginal Children's Survey (ACS) provides an extensive set of data about Aboriginal (Métis, Inuit, and off-reserve First Nations) children under 6 years of age in urban, rural, and northern locations across Canada. The Aboriginal Children's Survey (ACS) was designed to provide a picture of the early development of Aboriginal children and the social and living conditions in which they are learning and growing.
The survey was developed by Statistics Canada and Aboriginal advisors from across the country and was conducted jointly with Human Resources and Social Development Canada.
Release date: 2009-11-25
29. Technological Change in the Private and Public Sectors Archived
Articles and reports: 88F0006X2009004
Description:
This paper provides an analysis of technological change within the Canadian economy based on data from the 2006 Survey of Electronic Commerce and Technology where firms indicated how they introduced significantly improved technologies. The paper explores differences in the use of methods of introduction of significantly improved technologies by firm/organization size and by industry in both the private and public sectors.
The paper begins with a brief presentation of previous work carried out on technology introduction. The methodology is described. A description of concepts used in the analysis will follow. Analytic results examining technological change in the private sector overall, by industry and by size, and the public sector overall, by industry and by size are presented. A comparison of technological change in the private and public sectors follows. The paper concludes with a discussion of analytic results and further analytic work that could be undertaken.
Release date: 2009-11-19
30. Parenting after separation and divorce: a profile of agreements and arrangements for spending time with and making decisions for children Archived
Articles and reports: 85-002-X200900410931
Geography: Canada
Description:
Based on information available from the 2006 General Social Survey on families, this article will explore the nature of time children spend with their separated or divorced parents. Issues to be explored will include: the type of visitation/access arrangements; the length of time spent with each parent; whether the time involves leisure activities, regular care (school, daycare, social) and decision-making activities; and whether parents are satisfied with the arrangements they have for visitation/access.
Release date: 2009-10-28

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Analysis (33)

Analysis (33) (10 to 20 of 33 results)

11. Accuracy of travel data samples: Utilizing online vs. mail methodologies Archived
Articles and reports: 11-522-X200800010988
Description:
Online data collection emerged in 1995 as an alternative approach for conducting certain types of consumer research studies and has grown in 2008. This growth has been primarily in studies where non-probability sampling methods are used. While online sampling has gained acceptance for some research applications, serious questions remain concerning online samples' suitability for research requiring precise volumetric measurement of the behavior of the U.S. population, particularly their travel behavior. This paper reviews literature and compares results from studies using probability samples and online samples to understand whether results differ from the two sampling approaches. The paper also demonstrates that online samples underestimate critical types of travel even after demographic and geographic weighting.
Release date: 2009-12-03
12. Can we make official statistics with self-selection web surveys? Archived
Articles and reports: 11-522-X200800010989
Description:
At first sight, web surveys seem to be an interesting and attractive means of data collection. They provide simple, cheap and fast access to a large group of people. However, web surveys also suffer from methodological problems. Outcomes of web surveys may be severally biased, particularly if self-selection of respondents is applied instead of proper probability sampling. Under-coverage is also a serious problem. This raises the question whether web surveys can be used for data collection in official statistics. This paper addresses the problems under-coverage and self-selection in web surveys, and attempts to describe how Internet data collection can be incorporated in normal data collection practices of official statistics.
Release date: 2009-12-03
13. Non-response in a random digit dialling survey: The experience of the General Social Survey's Cycle 21 (2007) Archived
Articles and reports: 11-522-X200800010994
Description:
The growing difficulty of reaching respondents has a general impact on non-response in telephone surveys, especially those that use random digit dialling (RDD), such as the General Social Survey (GSS). The GSS is an annual multipurpose survey with 25,000 respondents. Its aim is to monitor the characteristics of and major changes in Canada's social structure. GSS Cycle 21 (2007) was about the family, social support and retirement. Its target population consisted of persons aged 45 and over living in the 10 Canadian provinces. For more effective coverage, part of the sample was taken from a follow-up with the respondents of GSS Cycle 20 (2006), which was on family transitions. The remainder was a new RDD sample. In this paper, we describe the survey's sampling plan and the random digit dialling method used. Then we discuss the challenges of calculating the non-response rate in an RDD survey that targets a subset of a population, for which the in-scope population must be estimated or modelled. This is done primarily through the use of paradata. The methodology used in GSS Cycle 21 is presented in detail.
Release date: 2009-12-03
14. Using paradata to manage nonresponse in the Survey of Labour and Income Dynamics Archived
Articles and reports: 11-522-X200800010996
Description:
In recent years, the use of paradata has become increasingly important to the management of collection activities at Statistics Canada. Particular attention has been paid to social surveys conducted over the phone, like the Survey of Labour and Income Dynamics (SLID). For recent SLID data collections, the number of call attempts was capped at 40 calls. Investigations of the SLID Blaise Transaction History (BTH) files were undertaken to assess the impact of the cap on calls.The purpose of the first study was to inform decisions as to the capping of call attempts, the second study focused on the nature of nonresponse given the limit of 40 attempts.
The use of paradata as auxiliary information for studying and accounting for survey nonresponse was also examined. Nonresponse adjustment models using different paradata variables gathered at the collection stage were compared to the current models based on available auxiliary information from the Labour Force Survey.
Release date: 2009-12-03
15. Identification of optimal call patterns for intensive follow-up in business surveys using paradata Archived
Articles and reports: 11-522-X200800010998
Description:
Businesses which have not responded to a mail survey are generally subject to intensive follow up (IFU) by telephone or other means to obtain a response. As this contact is expensive, strategies are needed to optimise the approach to conducting calls for IFU purpose.
This paper presents results from an investigation conducted into the number and type of IFU contacts made for business surveys at the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS). The paper compares the amount of effort expended in IFU compared to the response rates and contribution to key estimates for these surveys, and discusses possible uses of this type of information to make more optimal use of resources.
Release date: 2009-12-03
16. Keeping in touch with project participants between surveys: A mailing experiment Archived
Articles and reports: 11-522-X200800011000
Description:
The present report reviews the results of a mailing experiment that took place within a large scale demonstration project. A postcard and stickers were sent to a random group of project participants in the period between a contact call and a survey. The researchers hypothesized that, because of the additional mailing (the treatment), the response rates to the upcoming survey would increase. There was, however, no difference between the response rates of the treatment group that received the additional mailing and the control group. In the specific circumstances of the mailing experiment, sending project participants a postcard and stickers as a reminder of the upcoming survey and of their participation in the pilot project was not an efficient way to increase response rates.
Release date: 2009-12-03
17. Methodological issues in anthropometry: Self-reported versus measured height and weight Archived
Articles and reports: 11-522-X200800011002
Description:
Based on a representative sample of the Canadian population, this article quantifies the bias resulting from the use of self-reported rather than directly measured height, weight and body mass index (BMI). Associations between BMI categories and selected health conditions are compared to see if the misclassification resulting from the use of self-reported data alters associations between obesity and obesity-related health conditions. The analysis is based on 4,567 respondents to the 2005 Canadian Community Health Survey (CCHS) who, during a face-to-face interview, provided self-reported values for height and weight and were then measured by trained interviewers. Based on self-reported data, a substantial proportion of individuals with excess body weight were erroneously placed in lower BMI categories. This misclassification resulted in elevated associations between overweight/obesity and morbidity.
Release date: 2009-12-03
18. Developing Statistics New Zealand's respondent load strategy Archived
Articles and reports: 11-522-X200800011005
Description:
In 2006 Statistics New Zealand started developing a strategy aimed at coordinating new and existing initiatives focused on respondent load. The development of the strategy lasted more than a year and the resulting commitment to reduce respondent load has meant that the organisation has had to confront a number of issues that impact on the way we conduct our surveys.
The next challenge for Statistics NZ is the transition from the project based initiatives outlined in the strategy to managing load on an ongoing basis.
Release date: 2009-12-03
19. Measuring respondent burden in the UK Office for National Statistics Archived
Articles and reports: 11-522-X200800011006
Description:
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) has an obligation to measure and annually report on the burden that it places on businesses participating in its surveys. There are also targets for reduction of costs to businesses complying with government regulation as part of the 2005 Administrative Burdens Reduction Project (ABRP) coordinated by the Better Regulation Executive (BRE).
Respondent burden is measured by looking at the economic costs to businesses. Over time the methodology for measuring this economic cost has changed with the most recent method being the development and piloting of a Standard Cost Model (SCM) approach.
The SCM is commonly used in Europe and is focused on measuring objective administrative burdens for all government requests for information e.g. tax returns, VAT, as well as survey participation. This method was not therefore specifically developed to measure statistical response burden. The SCM methodology is activity-based, meaning that the costs and time taken to fulfil requirements are broken down by activity.
The SCM approach generally collects data using face-to-face interviews. The approach is therefore labour intensive both from a collection and analysis perspective but provides in depth information. The approach developed and piloted at ONS uses paper self-completion questionnaires.
The objective of this paper is to provide an overview of respondent burden reporting and targets; and to review the different methodologies that ONS has used to measure respondent burden from the perspectives of sampling, data collection, analysis and usability.
Release date: 2009-12-03
20. Reducing the number of cognitive interviews by adding other cognitive methods of testing Archived
Articles and reports: 11-522-X200800011007
Description:
The Questionnaire Design Resource Centre (QDRC) is the focal point of expertise at Statistics Canada for questionnaire design and evaluation. As it stands now, cognitive interviewing to test questionnaires is most often done near the end of the questionnaire development process. By participating earlier in the questionnaire development process, the QDRC could test new survey topics using more adaptive cognitive methods for each step of the questionnaire development process. This would necessitate fewer participants for each phase of testing, thus reducing the cost and the recruitment challenge.
Based on a review of the literature and Statistics Canada's existing questionnaire evaluation projects, this paper will describe how the QDRC could help clients in making appropriate improvements to their questionnaire in a timely manner.
Release date: 2009-12-03

Reference (9)

Reference (9) ((9 results))

1. User Guide for the Survey of Household Spending, 2008 Archived
Surveys and statistical programs – Documentation: 62F0026M2009002
Geography: Province or territory
Description:
This guide presents information of interest to users of data from the Survey of Household Spending, which gathers information on the spending habits, dwelling characteristics and household equipment of Canadian households. The survey covers private households in the 10 provinces. (The territories are surveyed every second year, starting in 1999.)
This guide includes definitions of survey terms and variables, as well as descriptions of survey methodology and data quality. One section describes the various statistics that can be created using expenditure data (e.g., budget share, market share, aggregates and medians).
Release date: 2009-12-18
2. New projection methodology for purchasing power parities Archived
Surveys and statistical programs – Documentation: 13-605-X200900211057
Description:
With the latest release of the bilateral Purchasing Power Parities estimates for Canada and the U.S., an improved projection methodology for the non-benchmark year has been employed. This note summarizes the new methodology and its rationale.
Release date: 2009-12-10
3. Real Import and Export Adjustments to Account for Exchange Rate Fluctuations Archived
Surveys and statistical programs – Documentation: 13-604-M2009062
Description:
Statistics Canada produces monthly import and export merchandise trade price indexes. For the majority of these prices, Statistics Canada uses a variety of proxy measures to derive the price index in lieu of collecting observed import and export prices. The ability of these proxy measures to reflect international trade price movements during times of exchange rate volatility is limited. For this reason, the constant dollar trade estimates derived using these proxy price indexes have been refined with constant dollar adjustments following the appreciation of the Canadian exchange rate beginning at the end of 2002. This paper explains the rational and methodology behind these adjustments, as well as the impact on published trade and GDP estimates.
Release date: 2009-12-04
4. Evaluation of the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire Archived
Surveys and statistical programs – Documentation: 89-634-X2009008
Geography: Canada
Description:
The Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) is a parent-reported instrument designed to provide information on children's behaviours and relationships. The SDQ consists of 25 items which are grouped into five subscales: (1) pro-social, (2) inattention-hyperactivity, (3) emotional symptoms, (4) conduct problems, and (5) peer problems. The SDQ was used to provide information on children aged 2 to 5 years in the 2006 Aboriginal Children's Survey (ACS). Though validated on general populations, the constructs of the SDQ have not been validated for off-reserve First Nations, Métis and Inuit children in Canada. The first objective of this evaluation is to examine if the five subscales of the SDQ demonstrate construct validity and reliability for off-reserve First Nations, Métis and Inuit children. The second objective is to examine if an alternative set of subscales, using the 25 SDQ items, may be more valid and reliable for off-reserve First Nations, Métis and Inuit children.
Release date: 2009-11-25
5. Agricultural Water Use Survey 2007, Methodology Report Archived
Surveys and statistical programs – Documentation: 16-001-M2009008
Description:
In 2008, Statistics Canada conducted the first Agricultural Water Use Survey. This pilot survey is part of the Canadian Environment Sustainability Indicators initiative and collects information on volumes of water used for irrigation, irrigated areas, irrigation practices and the quality of water used for agricultural purposes. This technical paper describes the methodology used for the pilot survey and includes recommendations for future cycles of the survey. The validation process seems to indicate that the method used to estimate the volumes of water used and the irrigated areas calculated underestimates the results. The report gives recommendations to minimize this bias in the next iterations of the survey. First, it is recommended to simplify the level of information collected by the survey; to review the sampling methodology; and to examine other means of collecting information on volumes of water used for irrigation. This pilot version of the survey remains a reliable source for consistent data on agricultural water use.
Release date: 2009-06-26
6. The Water Yield for Canada As a Thirty-year Average (1971 to 2000): Concepts, Methodology and Initial Results Archived
Surveys and statistical programs – Documentation: 16-001-M2009007
Description: In this paper, we present the methodology developed by Statistics Canada to calculate the average annual water yield for Canada. Water yield, for the purposes of this paper, is defined as the amount of freshwater derived from unregulated flow (m³ s^-1) measurements for a given geographic area over a defined period of time. The methodology is applied to the 1971 to 2000 time period.
This research was conducted to fill data gaps in Statistics Canada's water statistics program. These gaps exist because estimates of freshwater flow for Canada have not been calculated regularly and have been produced using a variety of methods that do not necessarily generate comparable results. The methodology developed in this study produced results that are coherent through space and time. These results will be used in the future to investigate changes in water yield on a more disaggregated basis.

To achieve the water yield estimate a database of natural streamflow observations from 1971 to 2000 was compiled. The streamflow values were then converted to a runoff depth and interpolated using ordinary kriging to produce spatial estimates of runoff. The spatial estimates were then scaled to create a National estimate of water yield as a thirty-year average. The methodology and results were then validated using a stability analysis and several techniques involving uncertainty. The result of the methodology indicates that the thirty-year average water yield for Canada is 3435 km³.
Release date: 2009-06-01
7. Multi-year Analytical Plan: 2008/2009 to 2010/2011 Archived
Surveys and statistical programs – Documentation: 82-622-X2008003
Description:
Since 2007/2008, Statistics Canada has centred analysis of data holdings related to health as well as our program of dissemination of health research within the new Health Information and Research Division (HIRD).
The new division has launched a comprehensive approach to analytical planning including environmental scanning and consultation; establishment of strategic multi-year priorities for health research at Statistics Canada; a process of project selection and review that ensures that analytical effort addresses our priorities; metrics to measure our adherence to priorities and the impact of our analytical effort; and communication and dissemination of analytical plans.
This multi-year analytical plan identifies the key high-level priority areas for Statistics Canada's investment in health research for 2008/2009 to 2010/2011, and serves as a blueprint for subsequent operational research planning.
Release date: 2009-01-30
8. Concepts and Methods Guide Archived
Surveys and statistical programs – Documentation: 89-637-X2008003
Geography: Canada
Description:
This guide is intended to help data users understand the concepts and methods used in the 2006 Aboriginal Peoples Survey (APS), which was conducted from October 2006 to March 2007.
Technical details on sampling, processing and data quality are included in this guide. Further, the guide explains the relationship between the APS and the 2006 Census and cautions users as to important differences in the data produced from these two sources. Appendix 1 provides a list of communities for which data are available while Appendix 2 contains a glossary of terms that relate to the APS. Answers to some frequently asked questions are provided in Appendix 3. Links to the 2006 APS questionnaires are found in Appendix 4.
Release date: 2009-01-16
9. Feasibility Study on the Use of Provincial/Territorial Medicare Records for Measuring the Level of Inter-provincial and Inter-territorial Migration Archived
Surveys and statistical programs – Documentation: 91F0015M2008010
Geography: Canada
Description:
The objective of this study is to examine the feasibility of using provincial and territorial health care files of new registrants as an independent measure of preliminary inter-provincial and inter-territorial migration. The study aims at measuring the conceptual and quantifiable differences between this data source and our present source of the Canada Revenue Agency's Canadian Child Tax Benefit.
Criteria were established to assess the quality and appropriateness of these provincial/territorial health care records as a proxy for our migration estimates: coverage, consistency, timeliness, reliability, level of detail, uniformity and accuracy.
Based on the present analysis, the paper finds that these data do not ameliorate the estimates and would not be suitable at this time as a measure of inter-provincial/territorial migration. These Medicare data though are an important independent data source that can be used for quality evaluation.
Release date: 2009-01-13

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Date modified:: 2024-09-23