Keyword search
Filter results by
Search HelpKeyword(s)
Type
Year of publication
Survey or statistical program
Results
All (57)
All (57) (0 to 10 of 57 results)
- Stats in brief: 11-627-M2022016Description:
This infographic explains the steps involved in collecting data for all Statistics Canada household and business surveys. The responses are compiled, analyzed and used to make important decisions and are kept strictly confidential.
Release date: 2022-02-28 - Stats in brief: 11-627-M2015005Description:
This infographic demonstrates the journey of data and how respondents' answers to our surveys become useful data used to make informed decisions. The infographic highlights the Labour Force Survey (LFS), the Survey of Household Spending (SHS), and the Canadian Community Health Survey (CCHS).
Release date: 2015-11-23 - 3. Does the first impression count? Examining the effect of the welcome screen design on the response rate ArchivedArticles and reports: 12-001-X201300211885Description:
Web surveys are generally connected with low response rates. Common suggestions in textbooks on Web survey research highlight the importance of the welcome screen in encouraging respondents to take part. The importance of this screen has been empirically proven in research, showing that most respondents breakoff at the welcome screen. However, there has been little research on the effect of the design of this screen on the level of the breakoff rate. In a study conducted at the University of Konstanz, three experimental treatments were added to a survey of the first-year student population (2,629 students) to assess the impact of different design features of this screen on the breakoff rates. The methodological experiments included varying the background color of the welcome screen, varying the promised task duration on this first screen, and varying the length of the information provided on the welcome screen explaining the privacy rights of the respondents. The analyses show that the longer stated length and the more attention given to explaining privacy rights on the welcome screen, the fewer respondents started and completed the survey. However, the use of a different background color does not result in the expected significant difference.
Release date: 2014-01-15 - Articles and reports: 12-001-X201200211752Description:
Coca is a native bush from the Amazon rainforest from which cocaine, an illegal alkaloid, is extracted. Asking farmers about the extent of their coca cultivation areas is considered a sensitive question in remote coca growing regions in Peru. As a consequence, farmers tend not to participate in surveys, do not respond to the sensitive question(s), or underreport their individual coca cultivation areas. There is a political and policy concern in accurately and reliably measuring coca growing areas, therefore survey methodologists need to determine how to encourage response and truthful reporting of sensitive questions related to coca growing. Specific survey strategies applied in our case study included establishment of trust with farmers, confidentiality assurance, matching interviewer-respondent characteristics, changing the format of the sensitive question(s), and non enforcement of absolute isolation of respondents during the survey. The survey results were validated using satellite data. They suggest that farmers tend to underreport their coca areas to 35 to 40% of their true extent.
Release date: 2012-12-19 - Articles and reports: 89-648-X2011001Geography: CanadaDescription:
In January 2006, a conference on longitudinal surveys hosted by Statistics Canada, the Social and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC) and the Canadian Institute of Health Research (CIHR) concluded that Canada lacks a longitudinal survey which collects information on multiple subjects such as family, human capital, labour health and follows respondents for a long period of time. Following this conference, funds were received from the Policy Research Data Gaps fund (PRDG) to support a pilot survey for a new Canadian Household Panel Survey (CHPS-Pilot). Consultations on the design and content were held with academic and policy experts in 2007 and 2008, and a pilot survey was conducted in the fall of 2008. The objectives of the pilot survey were to (1) test a questionnaire, evaluate interview length and measure the quality of data collected, (2) evaluate several design features; and (3) test reactions to the survey from respondents and field workers. The pilot survey achieved a response rate of 76%, with a median household interview time of 64 minutes. Several innovative design features were tested, and found to be viable. Response to the survey, whether from respondents or interviewers, was generally positive. This paper highlights these and other results from the CHPS-Pilot.
Release date: 2011-09-14 - Articles and reports: 82-003-X201100211437Geography: CanadaDescription:
This article examines the internal consistency of the English and French versions of the Medical Outcomes Study social support scale for a sample of older adults. The second objective is to conduct a confirmatory factor analysis to assess the factor structure of the English and French versions of the scale. A third purpose is to determine if the items comprising the scale operate in the same way for English- and French-speaking respondents.
Release date: 2011-05-18 - 7. Collecting data for poverty and vulnerability assessment in remote areas in Sub-Saharan Africa ArchivedArticles and reports: 12-001-X201000211383Description:
Data collection for poverty assessments in Africa is time consuming, expensive and can be subject to numerous constraints. In this paper we present a procedure to collect data from poor households involved in small-scale inland fisheries as well as agricultural activities. A sampling scheme has been developed that captures the heterogeneity in ecological conditions and the seasonality of livelihood options. Sampling includes a three point panel survey of 300 households. The respondents belong to four different ethnic groups randomly chosen from three strata, each representing a different ecological zone. In the first part of the paper some background information is given on the objectives of the research, the study site and survey design, which were guiding the data collection process. The second part of the paper discusses the typical constraints that are hampering empirical work in Sub-Saharan Africa, and shows how different challenges have been resolved. These lessons could guide researchers in designing appropriate socio-economic surveys in comparable settings.
Release date: 2010-12-21 - 8. Opening remarks of the Symposium 2008: Data Collection: Challenges, Achievements and New Directions ArchivedArticles and reports: 11-522-X200800010920Description:
On behalf of Statistics Canada, I would like to welcome you all, friends and colleagues, to Symposium 2008. This the 24th International Symposium organized by Statistics Canada on survey methodology.
Release date: 2009-12-03 - Articles and reports: 11-522-X200800010947Description:
This paper addresses the efforts of the U.S. Energy Information Administration to design, test and implement new and substantially redesigned surveys. The need to change EIA's surveys has become increasingly important, as U.S. energy industries have moved from highly regulated to deregulated business. This has substantially affected both their ability and willingness to report data. The paper focuses on how EIA has deployed current tools for designing and testing surveys and the reasons that these methods have not always yielded the desired results. It suggests some new tools and methods that we would like to try to improve the quality of our data.
Release date: 2009-12-03 - Articles and reports: 11-522-X200800010958Description:
Telephone Data Entry (TDE) is a system by which survey respondents can return their data to the Office for National Statistics (ONS) using the keypad on their telephone and currently accounts for approximately 12% of total responses to ONS business surveys. ONS is currently increasing the number of surveys which use TDE as the primary mode of response and this paper gives an overview of the redevelopment project covering; the redevelopment of the paper questionnaire, enhancements made to the TDE system and the results from piloting these changes. Improvements to the quality of the data received and increased response via TDE as a result of these developments suggest that data quality improvements and cost savings are possible as a result of promoting TDE as the primary mode of response to short term surveys.
Release date: 2009-12-03
Data (0)
Data (0) (0 results)
No content available at this time.
Analysis (42)
Analysis (42) (10 to 20 of 42 results)
- 11. Off-line questionnaires at Statistics Netherlands: The Annual Structural Business Survey example ArchivedArticles and reports: 11-522-X200800010964Description:
Statistics Netherlands (SN) has been using electronic questionnaires for Business surveys since the early nineties. Some years ago SN decided to invest in a large scale use of electronic questionnaires. The big yearly production survey of about 80 000 forms, divided over many different economical activity areas, was redesigned using a meta database driven approach. The resulting system is able to generate non-intelligent personalized PDF forms and intelligent personalized Blaise forms. The Blaise forms are used by a new tool in the Blaise system which can be downloaded by the respondents from the SN web site to run the questionnaire off-line. Essential to the system is the SN house style for paper and electronic forms. The flexibility of the new tool offered the questionnaire designers the possibility to implement a user friendly form according to this house style.
Part of the implementation is an audit trail that offers insight in the way respondents operate the questionnaire program. The entered data including the audit trail can be transferred via encrypted e-mail or through the internet to SN. The paper will give an outline of the overall system architecture and the role of Blaise in the system. It will also describe the results of using the system for several years now and some results of the analysis of the audit trail.
Release date: 2009-12-03 - Articles and reports: 11-522-X200800010969Description:
In a multi-divisional initiative within the U. S. Census Bureau, a highly sophisticated and innovative system was developed and implemented for the capturing, tracking, and scanning of respondent data that implements Intelligent Character Recognition (ICR), Optical Character Recognition (OCR), Optical Mark Recognition (OMR), and keying technology with heavy emphasis on error detection and control. The system, known as the integrated Computer Assisted Data Entry (iCADE) System, provides digital imaging of respondent questionnaires which are then processed by a combination of imaging algorithms, sent through Optical Mark Recognition (OMR) to collect check box data, and automatically collect and send only write-in areas to data-keying staff for the data capture process. These capabilities have produced great efficiencies in the data capture process and have led to a novel and efficient approach to post-collection activities.
Release date: 2009-12-03 - Articles and reports: 11-522-X200800010979Description:
Prior to 2006, the Canadian Census of Population relied on field staff to deliver questionnaires to all dwellings in Canada. For the 2006 Census, an address frame was created to cover almost 70% of dwellings in Canada, and these questionnaires were delivered by Canada Post. For the 2011 Census, Statistics Canada aims to expand this frame further, with a target of delivering questionnaires by mail to between 80% and 85% of dwellings. Mailing questionnaires for the Census raises a number of issues, among them: ensuring returned questionnaires are counted in the right area, creating an up to date address frame that includes all new growth, and determining which areas are unsuitable for having questionnaires delivered by mail. Changes to the address frame update procedures for 2011, most notably the decision to use purely administrative data as the frame wherever possible and conduct field update exercises only where deemed necessary, provide a new set of challenges for the 2011 Census.
Release date: 2009-12-03 - Articles and reports: 11-522-X200800010983Description:
The US Census Bureau conducts monthly, quarterly, and annual surveys of the American economy and a census every 5 years. These programs require significant business effort. New technologies, new forms of organization, and scarce resources affect the ability of businesses to respond. Changes also affect what businesses expect from the Census Bureau, the Census Bureau's internal systems, and the way businesses interact with the Census Bureau.
For several years, the Census Bureau has provided a special relationship to help large companies prepare for the census. We also have worked toward company-centric communication across all programs. A relationship model has emerged that focuses on infrastructure and business practices, and allows the Census Bureau to be more responsive.
This paper focuses on the Census Bureau's company-centric communications and systems. We describe important initiatives and challenges, and we review their impact on Census Bureau practices and respondent behavior.
Release date: 2009-12-03 - 15. The Internet: A new collection method for the Census ArchivedArticles and reports: 11-522-X200800010986Description:
Major changes were made to the data collection process for the 2006 Census. One of those changes was the Internet response option, which was offered to all private households in Canada. Nearly one in five households chose to complete and return the questionnaire on-line. In addition, a new method of promoting Internet response was tested via the Internet Response Promotion (IRP) Study. The new approach proved very effective at increasing the on-line response rate. Planning for the 2011 Census, which is under way, calls for the use of a wave collection strategy, and wave 1 would be the IRP method. This paper provides an overview of Internet data collection in the 2006 Census - evaluations, results, lessons learned - and the methodology that will be used in the next census in 2011.
Release date: 2009-12-03 - Articles and reports: 11-522-X200800010987Description:
Over the last few years, there have been large progress in the web data collection area. Today, many statistical offices offer a web alternative in many different types of surveys. It is widely believed that web data collection may raise data quality while lowering data collection costs. Experience has shown that, offered web as a second alternative to paper questionnaires; enterprises have been slow to embrace the web alternative. On the other hand, experiments have also shown that by promoting web over paper, it is possible to raise the web take up rates. However, there are still few studies on what happens when the contact strategy is changed radically and the web option is the only option given in a complex enterprise survey. In 2008, Statistics Sweden took the step of using more or less a web-only strategy in the survey of industrial production (PRODCOM). The web questionnaire was developed in the generalised tool for web surveys used by Statistics Sweden. The paper presents the web solution and some experiences from the 2008 PRODCOM survey, including process data on response rates and error ratios as well as the results of a cognitive follow-up of the survey. Some important lessons learned are also presented.
Release date: 2009-12-03 - Articles and reports: 11-522-X200800010992Geography: CanadaDescription:
The Canadian Community Health Survey (CCHS) was redesigned in 2007 so that it could use the continuous data collection method. Since then, a new sample has been selected every two months, and the data have also been collected over a two-month period. The survey uses two collection techniques: computer-assisted personal interviewing (CAPI) for the sample drawn from an area frame, and computer-assisted telephone interviewing (CATI) for the sample selected from a telephone list frame. Statistics Canada has recently implemented some data collection initiatives to reduce the response burden and survey costs while maintaining or improving data quality. The new measures include the use of a call management tool in the CATI system and a limit on the number of calls. They help manage telephone calls and limit the number of attempts made to contact a respondent. In addition, with the paradata that became available very recently, reports are now being generated to assist in evaluating and monitoring collection procedures and efficiency in real time. The CCHS has also been selected to implement further collection initiatives in the future. This paper provides a brief description of the survey, explains the advantages of continuous collection and outlines the impact that the new initiatives have had on the survey.
Release date: 2009-12-03 - Articles and reports: 11-522-X200800010993Description:
Until now, years of experience in questionnaire design were required to estimate how long it would take a respondent, on the average, to complete a CATI questionnaire for a new survey. This presentation focuses on a new method which produces interview time estimates for questionnaires at the development stage. The method uses Blaise Audit Trail data and previous surveys. It was developed, tested and verified for accuracy on some large scale surveys.
First, audit trail data was used to determine the average time previous respondents have taken to answer specific types of questions. These would include questions that require a yes/no answer, scaled questions, "mark all that apply" questions, etc. Second, for any given questionnaire, the paths taken by population sub-groups were mapped to identify the series of questions answered by different types of respondents, and timed to determine what the longest possible interview time would be. Finally, the overall expected time it takes to complete the questionnaire is calculated using estimated proportions of the population expected to answer each question.
So far, we used paradata to accurately estimate average respondent interview completion times. We note that the method that we developed could also be used to estimate specific respondent interview completion times.
Release date: 2009-12-03 - 19. Non-response in a random digit dialling survey: The experience of the General Social Survey's Cycle 21 (2007) ArchivedArticles and reports: 11-522-X200800010994Description:
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 - 20. Identification of optimal call patterns for intensive follow-up in business surveys using paradata ArchivedArticles and reports: 11-522-X200800010998Description:
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
Reference (15)
Reference (15) (0 to 10 of 15 results)
- Surveys and statistical programs – Documentation: 75F0002M1992002Description:
When a survey respondent is asked to recall various events, it is known that the quality of the responses diminishes as the length of recall increases. On the other hand, increasing the frequency of data collection increases both the costs of collection and the burden on the respondents. The paper examines options which attempt to strike a reasonable balance between these factors. As it relates to this decision, the paper also describes how the sample has been designed to ensure that it remains representative of the target population, both for a given year and over time.
The conclusion is that, at this time, SLID should collect labour data in January to cover the previous calendar year and to collect income data in May, again to cover the previous calendar year.
Release date: 2008-02-29 - Surveys and statistical programs – Documentation: 82-003-X20010036099Description:
Cycle 1.1 of the Canadian Community Health Survey (CCHS) will provide information for 136 health regions. A brief overview of the CCHS design, sampling strategy, interviewing procedures, data collection and processing is presented.
Release date: 2002-03-13 - Surveys and statistical programs – Documentation: 75F0002M2000005Description:
This paper describes the collection method and content of the 1999 Survey of Labour and Income Dynamics (SLID) income interview.
Release date: 2000-10-05 - 4. 1999 Preliminary Interview Questionnaire ArchivedSurveys and statistical programs – Documentation: 75F0002M1999004Description:
This paper presents the questions, possible responses and question flows for the 1999 Survey of Labour and Income Dynamics (SLID) preliminary questionnaire.
Release date: 1999-09-27 - Notices and consultations: 13F0026M1999004Description:
During September and October 1997, the Questionnaire Design Resource Centre (QDRC) completed 10 focus groups and 4 in-depth interviews with respondents and 6 debriefing sessions with interviewers in a test of the proposed questionnaires and data collection methodology for the 1998 Asset and Debt Survey (now called the Survey of Financial Security, to be done in 1999).
The main goals of the testing were: to evaluate the data collection methodology and survey instruments (including the introductory materials [guide] and questionnaires [Part 1: background information about family members, Part 2: questions on assets and debts]); to identify problem areas; to make recommendations to ensure that the final survey instruments are respondent-friendly and interview-friendly, that the questionnaires can be easily understood and accurately completed; and finally, to investigate how respondents recall information.
This report summarizes the highlights of the study, including the recommendations based on the findings of the focus groups, in-depth interviews and debriefing sessions, as well as those from the experience of the QDRC in carrying out similar studies for other household surveys.
Release date: 1999-03-23 - Surveys and statistical programs – Documentation: 71F0023X1999001Description:
This paper is an overview of the activities undertaken by Statistics Canada over the past several decades in the field of measuring and valuing unpaid work in all of its many forms. It was first prepared in the early 1990s when the Agency's accomplishments in the field of unpaid work were not as widely known as Statistics Canada would have liked. With each significant new achievement of the Agency, this note has been updated and further updates will be produced in step with the Agency's continuing outputs in this important area.
Release date: 1999-01-28 - 7. 1998 Preliminary Interview Questionnaire ArchivedSurveys and statistical programs – Documentation: 75F0002M1998004Description:
This paper presents the questions, possible responses and question flows for the 1998 Survey of Labour and Income Dynamics (SLID) preliminary questionnaire.
Release date: 1998-12-30 - Surveys and statistical programs – Documentation: 75F0002M1998006Description:
This paper describes the collection method and content of the 1999 Survey of Labour and Income Dynamics (SLID) income interview.
Release date: 1998-12-30 - Surveys and statistical programs – Documentation: 61F0041M1998003Description:
This on-line product describes the personalization of the long-form questionnaires of Canada's Annual Survey of Manufactures (ASM). Personalization was motivated by the desire to reduce respondent burden. Prior to personalization, long-form questionnaires were the same for all the establishments of a given 4-digit SIC industry. Each questionnaire contained a list comprising almost all the commodities likely to be used as inputs or produced as outputs by that industry. For the typical establishment, only a small subset of the commodities listed was applicable. Personalization involved tailoring those lists to each individual establishment, based on the previous reporting of that same establishment.
After first defining terms and then providing some quantification of the need for personalization, the paper details a number of the prerequisites - an algorithm for commodity selection, a set of stand-alone commodity descriptions, and an automated questionnaire production system. The paper next details a number of the impacts of personalization - and does so in terms of response burden, loss of information, and automation. The paper concludes with a summary and some recommendations.
Release date: 1998-04-03 - Surveys and statistical programs – Documentation: 75F0002M1997013Description:
This paper describes the collection method and content of the 1997 Survey of Labour and Income Dynamics (SLID) income interview.
Release date: 1997-12-31
- Date modified: