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Description: The Longitudinal Immigration Database (IMDB) is a comprehensive source of data that plays a key role in the understanding of the economic behaviour of immigrants. It is the only annual Canadian dataset that allows users to study the characteristics of immigrants to Canada at the time of admission and their economic outcomes and regional (inter-provincial) mobility over a time span of more than 40 years.

Description: Since 1984, an annual international symposium on methodological issues has been sponsored by Statistics Canada. Proceedings have been available since 1987.

Description: BigData users and the BigData research community are expanding rapidly, while statisticians at large are seemingly becoming divided between those who are enthusiastic and those who are concerned, if not downright hostile. Is BigData also a big step ahead, truly advancing our ability to extract meaningful information and actual knowledge from data? Is BigData underplaying traditional statistical inference as we know it, supplanting survey methodology as a low-cost futuristic option? In this paper I will attempt to unravel the multifaceted relationship bridging BigData to sampling methodology. Starting by reasoning why it should be interesting to look at BigData from a sampling statistician’s perspective, I will delve deeper into the somewhat ambiguous definition of BigData and share some very personal considerations and views on the matter. In the process, several open questions will arise while discussing a personal selection of insights that are traceable through the vast body of statistical literature around BigData and sampling methodology. The discussion will take various angles explored across nine key points, and it will conclude with a forward-looking perspective on a main challenge for future research: addressing the strong assumptions needed to manage deviations from purely randomized data collection.

Description: In his article, Professor Carl-Erik Särndal presents for sample-based statistics a new conceptual framework with only a few key assumptions. Selected aspects of the research tradition in Survey Science are briefly discussed in my comments.

Description: This reference guide is intended for users of the Census Subdivisions Boundary File. The guide provides an overview of the file, the general methodology used to create it, and important technical information for users.

Description: The Census Subdivision Boundary File contains the boundaries of all census subdivisions which combined cover all of Canada. A census subdivision is a municipality or an area treated as an equivalent to a municipality for statistical purposes (for example, unorganized territories). The file provides a framework for mapping and spatial analysis using commercially available geographic information systems (GIS) or other mapping software.

The Census Subdivision Boundary File is portrayed in Lambert conformal conic projection and is based on the North American Datum of 1983 (NAD83). A reference guide is available (92-162-G).

Description: This reference guide is intended for users of the Census of Population Road Network File (92-500-X). It provides an overview of the general methodology used to create this file, as well as important technical information.

Description:

This geographical file represents Canada's national road network, containing information such as street names, types, directions and address ranges.

A reference guide is available (Road Network File, Reference Guide, 92-500-G).

Description: The Guide to the Labour Force Survey contains a dictionary of concepts and definitions and covers topics such as survey methodology, data collection, data processing and data quality. It also contains information on products and services, sub-provincial geography descriptions as well as the survey questionnaire.

Description: The Guide to the Survey of Employment, Payrolls and Hours contains a dictionary of concepts and definitions and covers topics such as survey methodology, data collection and processing, and data quality. It also provides information on products and services, as well as the survey questionnaire.

Description: The public use microdata file from the 2010 Canada Survey of Giving, Volunteering and Participating is now available. This file contains information collected from nearly 15,000 respondents aged 15 and over residing in private households in the provinces. The public use microdata file provides provincial-level information about the ways in which Canadians donate money and in-kind gifts to charitable and nonprofit organizations; volunteer their time to these organizations; provide help directly to others. Socio-demographic, income and labour force data are also included on the file.

Description: Microdata files are unique among census products in that they give users access to unaggregated data. This makes the public use microdata files (PUMFs) powerful research tools. Each file contains anonymous individual responses on a large number of variables. The PUMF user can group and manipulate these variables to suit his/her own data and research requirements. Tabulations not included in other census products can be created or relationships between variables can be analysed by using different statistical tests. PUMFs provide quick access to a comprehensive social and economic database about Canada and its people. All subject-matter covered by the census is included in the microdata files. However, to ensure the anonymity of the respondents, geographic identifiers have been restricted to the provinces/territories and large metropolitan areas. Microdata files have traditionally been disseminated on magnetic tape, which required access to a mainframe computer. For the first time, the 1991 PUMFs will also be available on CD-ROM for microcomputer applications. This file contains data based on a 3% of the population enumerated in the 1991 Census. It provides information on the demographic, social and economic characteristics of the Canadian population. The Individual File allows users to return to the base unit of the census, enabling them to group and manipulate the data to suit their own data and research requirements.

This product provides two basic tools to assist users in accessing and using the 1991 Census Public Use Microdata File - Individuals CD-ROM.

Description: Microdata files are unique among census products in that they give users access to unaggregated data. This makes the public use microdata files (PUMFs) powerful research tools. Each file contains anonymous individual responses on a large number of variables. The PUMF user can group and manipulate these variables to suit his/her own data and research requirements. Tabulations not included in other census products can be created or relationships between variables can be analysed by using different statistical tests. PUMFs provide quick access to a comprehensive social and economic database about Canada and its people. All subject-matter covered by the census is included in the microdata files. However, to ensure the anonymity of the respondents, geographic identifiers have been restricted to the provinces/territories and large metropolitan areas. Microdata files have traditionally been disseminated on magnetic tape, which required access to a mainframe computer. For the first time, the 1991 PUMFs will also be available on CD-ROM for microcomputer applications. This file contains data based on a 3% of the population enumerated in the 1991 Census. It provides information on the demographic, social and economic characteristics of the Canadian population. The Households and Housing File allows users to return to the base unit of the census, enabling them to group and manipulate the data to suit their own data and research requirements.

This product provides two basic tools to assist users in accessing and using the 1991 Census Public Use Microdata File - Households and Housing CD-ROM.

Description: This publication presents quarterly estimates of population for Canada, provinces and territories as well as statistics on the following components of population change: births, deaths, immigration, emigration, returning emigration, net temporary emigration, net non-permanent residents and interprovincial migration, the latter by origin and destination. The Quarterly Demographic Estimates publication contains the most recent estimates as well as a quarterly historical series. It also contains highlights and analysis of the most current demographic trends, as well as a brief description of the concepts, methods and data quality of the estimates.

Description:

This public use microdata file is from the fourth survey in the Canadian Perspectives Survey Series and includes information about the source and quality of COVID-19 information that Canadians are accessing. Also covered are the ongoing impacts of COVID-19 on the physical and mental health of individuals, and on their social and employment circumstances. This product is provided using Statistics Canada's electronic file transfer service.

Description: The Canadian Tobacco, Alcohol and Drugs Survey (CTADS) is a biennial general population survey of tobacco, alcohol and drug use among Canadians aged 15 years and older, with the primary focus on 15- to 24-year-olds. The CTADS is a telephone survey conducted by Statistics Canada on behalf of Health Canada.

Description:

Statistics Canada was approached by Stentor Resource Centre Incorporated to conduct a survey to monitor the telephone penetration rates across Canada. The survey determines if the respondents have a telephone line in their residence. If they do not have a telephone line, information is collected as to the reasons why. Information is also collected on the income characteristics of the selected households.

The management of the survey was transferred from Stentor to Bell Canada in the Fall of 1998.

The Labour Force Survey (LFS) supplementary capacity is used to conduct this biannual survey. A sample of approximately 44,000 respondents is used for this survey (five out of six rotation groups). The survey data are collected using Computer Assisted Interviewing (CAI). The first data collection procedure took place during November's LFS week in 1996.

This microdata file is prepared biannually and contains the variables from the survey, plus geographical variables from the LFS (province, census metropolitan area, urban/rural breakdown). No other variables from the LFS are added to the file.

Description:

The International Adult Literacy Survey (IALS) was a collaborative effort by twenty governments and three intergovernmental organizations. The countries of Australia, Belgium/Flanders, Canada, Germany, Ireland, Netherlands, New Zealand, Poland, Sweden, Switzerland (French, German and Italian), United Kingdom, United States, Chile, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, Hungary, Italy, Norway, and Slovenia participated in the IALS.

The Canadian IALS survey had a number of objectives. These were: a) to provide an updated profile of adult literacy abilities for Canada for comparison to that provided by the 1989 Survey of Literacy Skills Used in Daily Activities (LSUDA); b) to provide sufficiently large numbers of Franco-Ontarians, seniors, social assistance recipients, unemployment insurance recipients and out-of-school youth to profile their skill levels; c) to shed light on the relationship between performance, educational attainment, labour market participation and employment for those at certain literacy levels; and d) to compare Canadian literacy levels with those in other countries.

Description:

This report presents estimates of national and provincial economic activity of the environment industry in Canada, including the revenues earned from the production of environmental goods, the provision of environmental services and the undertaking of environment-related construction activities.

The environment industry is composed of establishments operating in a variety of industries that produce environmental goods and services. Environmental goods and services are goods and services that are used, or can potentially be used to measure, prevent, limit or correct environmental damage (both natural or by human activity) to water, air, soil as well as problems related to waste, noise and ecosystems. They also include clean or resource-efficient (eco-efficient) technologies that decrease material inputs, reduce energy consumption, recover valuable by-products, reduce emissions and/or minimise waste disposal problems.

Description: This publication contains population estimates by age and sex for Canada, provinces, territories, census divisions, census metropolitan areas and economic regions. It also includes, for provinces and territories, estimates by age, sex and marital status as well as estimates for census families.

The estimates are based on the 2001 Census results, which have been adjusted for net census undercoverage. The publication also includes statistics for the demographic components that were used to produce the population estimates (births, deaths, marriages, divorces, immigration, emigration, net temporary emigration, returning emigration, internal migration and non-permanent residents) by age and sex. In addition, the publication contains highlights of current demographic trends and a description of the methodology.

The print version of the publication includes a CD-ROM that provides additional data such as a chronological series of estimates by various levels of geography. With regard to provinces and territories, the estimates date back to 1971 (tables and animated age pyramid), 1986 for census divisions, census metropolitan areas and economic regions as well as census families.

The time series available on the CD-ROM can be easily captured and manipulated by analysts who want to create customized demographic analyses in any spreadsheet program. The population figures can be used, for example, to calculate per-capita rates required for market research, quantitative analysis and planning.

Description:

Data Collection Methodology (DCM) enable the collection of good quality data by providing expert advice and assistance on questionnaire design, methods of evaluation and respondent engagement. DCM assist in the development of client skills, undertake research and lead innovation in data collection methods. This is done in a challenging environment of organisational change and limited resources. This paper will cover 'how DCM do business' with clients and the wider methodological community to achieve our goals.

Description:

Over the past year, Statistics Canada has been developing and testing a new way to monitor the performance of interviewers conducting computer-assisted personal interviews (CAPI). A formal process already exists for monitoring centralized telephone interviews. Monitors listen to telephone interviews as they take place to assess the interviewer's performance using pre-defined criteria and provide feedback to the interviewer on what was well done and what needs improvement. For the CAPI program, we have developed and are testing a pilot approach whereby interviews are digitally recorded and later a monitor listens to these recordings to assess the field interviewer's performance and provide feedback in order to help improve the quality of the data. In this paper, we will present an overview of the CAPI monitoring project at Statistics Canada by describing the CAPI monitoring methodology and the plans for implementation.

Description:

The use of Computer Audio-Recorded Interviewing (CARI) as a tool to identify interview falsification is quickly growing in survey research (Biemer, 2000, 2003; Thissen, 2007). Similarly, survey researchers are starting to expand the usefulness of CARI by combining recordings with coding to address data quality (Herget, 2001; Hansen, 2005; McGee, 2007). This paper presents results from a study included as part of the establishment-based National Center for Health Statistics' National Home and Hospice Care Survey (NHHCS) which used CARI behavior coding and CARI-specific paradata to: 1) identify and correct problematic interviewer behavior or question issues early in the data collection period before either negatively impact data quality, and; 2) identify ways to diminish measurement error in future implementations of the NHHCS. During the first 9 weeks of the 30-week field period, CARI recorded a subset of questions from the NHHCS application for all interviewers. Recordings were linked with the interview application and output and then coded in one of two modes: Code by Interviewer or Code by Question. The Code by Interviewer method provided visibility into problems specific to an interviewer as well as more generalized problems potentially applicable to all interviewers. The Code by Question method yielded data that spoke to understandability of the questions and other response problems. In this mode, coders coded multiple implementations of the same question across multiple interviewers. Using the Code by Question approach, researchers identified issues with three key survey questions in the first few weeks of data collection and provided guidance to interviewers in how to handle those questions as data collection continued. Results from coding the audio recordings (which were linked with the survey application and output) will inform question wording and interviewer training in the next implementation of the NHHCS, and guide future enhancement of CARI and the coding system.

Description:

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.

Description:

Blaise has been in development in Statistics Canada since 1997. Over the years, the complexity of applications that have been deployed using this software is constantly increasing. Last year a very interesting approach has been developed to read bio-metrics directly from medical instruments, and input them into the Blaise software. This presentation will elaborate on this new usage of the software that just opens the door to an infinity of different applications and the added data quality of performing collection in this manner.

Description:

This paper will focus on establishment survey questionnaire design guidelines. More specifically, it will discuss the process involved in transitioning a set of guidelines written for a broad, survey methodological audience to a more narrow, agency-specific audience of survey managers and analysts. The process involved the work of a team comprised of individuals from across the Census Bureau's Economic Directorate, working in a cooperative and collaborative manner. The team decided what needed to be added, modified, and deleted from the broad starting point, and determined how much of the theory and experimental evidence found in the literature was necessary to include in the guidelines. In addition to discussing the process, the paper will also describe the end result: a set of questionnaire design guidelines for the Economic Directorate.

Description:

Many survey organizations use the response rate as an indicator for the quality of survey data. As a consequence, a variety of measures are implemented to reduce non-response or to maintain response at an acceptable level. However, the response rate is not necessarily a good indicator of non-response bias. A higher response rate does not imply smaller non-response bias. What matters is how the composition of the response differs from the composition of the sample as a whole. This paper describes the concept of R-indicators to assess potential differences between the sample and the response. Such indicators may facilitate analysis of survey response over time, between various fieldwork strategies or data collection modes. Some practical examples are given.

Description:

Census developers and social researchers are at a critical juncture in determining collection modes of the future. Internet data collection is technically feasible, but the initial investment in hardware and software is costly. Given the great divide in computer knowledge and access, internet data collection is viable for some, but not for all. Therefore internet cannot fully replace the existing paper questionnaire - at least not in the near future.

Canada, Australia and New Zealand are pioneers in internet data collection as an option for completing the census. This paper studies four driving forces behind this collection mode: 1) responding to social/public expectations; 2) longer term economic benefits; 3) improved data quality; and 4) improved coverage.

Issues currently being faced are: 1) estimating internet uptake and maximizing benefits without undue risk; 2) designing a questionnaire for multiple modes; 3) producing multiple public communication approaches; and 4) gaining positive public reaction and trust in using the internet.

This paper summarizes the countries' collective thinking and experiences on the benefits and limitation of internet data collection for a census of population and dwellings. It also provides an outline of where countries are heading in terms of internet data collection in the future.

Description:

In Canada, although complex businesses represent less than 1% of the total number of businesses, they contribute more than 45% of the total revenue. Statistics Canada recognized that the quality of the data collected from them is of great importance and has adopted several initiatives to improve the quality. One of the initiatives is the evaluation of the coherence of the data collected from large, complex enterprises. The findings of these recent coherence analyses have been instrumental in identifying areas for improvement. These, once addressed and improved, would be increasing the quality of the data collected from the large, complex enterprises while reducing the response burden imposed on them.

Description:

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.

Description: The Longitudinal Immigration Database (IMDB) is a comprehensive source of data that plays a key role in the understanding of the economic behaviour of immigrants. It is the only annual Canadian dataset that allows users to study the characteristics of immigrants to Canada at the time of admission and their economic outcomes and regional (inter-provincial) mobility over a time span of more than 40 years.

Description: This reference guide is intended for users of the Census Subdivisions Boundary File. The guide provides an overview of the file, the general methodology used to create it, and important technical information for users.

Description: The Census Subdivision Boundary File contains the boundaries of all census subdivisions which combined cover all of Canada. A census subdivision is a municipality or an area treated as an equivalent to a municipality for statistical purposes (for example, unorganized territories). The file provides a framework for mapping and spatial analysis using commercially available geographic information systems (GIS) or other mapping software.

The Census Subdivision Boundary File is portrayed in Lambert conformal conic projection and is based on the North American Datum of 1983 (NAD83). A reference guide is available (92-162-G).

Description: This reference guide is intended for users of the Census of Population Road Network File (92-500-X). It provides an overview of the general methodology used to create this file, as well as important technical information.

Description:

This geographical file represents Canada's national road network, containing information such as street names, types, directions and address ranges.

A reference guide is available (Road Network File, Reference Guide, 92-500-G).

Description: The Guide to the Labour Force Survey contains a dictionary of concepts and definitions and covers topics such as survey methodology, data collection, data processing and data quality. It also contains information on products and services, sub-provincial geography descriptions as well as the survey questionnaire.

Description: The Guide to the Survey of Employment, Payrolls and Hours contains a dictionary of concepts and definitions and covers topics such as survey methodology, data collection and processing, and data quality. It also provides information on products and services, as well as the survey questionnaire.

Description: This paper introduces and explains modifications made to the Labour Force Survey estimates.

Description: The Coverage Technical Report will present the errors included in census data that result from persons who are either missed (not enumerated) or enumerated more than once. The population coverage error is one of the most important types of errors because it affects the accuracy of not only population counts, but also all the census data results that describe the characteristics of the population universe.

Description: The Guide to the Job Vacancy and Wage Survey contains a dictionary of concepts and definitions, and covers topics such as survey methodology, data collection, processing, and data quality.