Keyword search

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: The Canadian Income Survey (CIS) has introduced improvements to the methods and data sources used to produce income and poverty estimates with the release of its 2022 reference year estimates. Foremost among these improvements is a significant increase in the sample size for a large subset of the CIS content. The weighting methodology was also improved and the target population of the CIS was changed from persons aged 16 years and over to persons aged 15 years and over. This paper describes the changes made and presents the approximate net result of these changes on the income estimates and data quality of the CIS using 2021 data. The changes described in this paper highlight the ways in which data quality has been improved while having little impact on key CIS estimates and trends.

Description: Estimation at fine levels of aggregation is necessary to better describe society. Small area estimation model-based approaches that combine sparse survey data with rich data from auxiliary sources have been proven useful to improve the reliability of estimates for small domains. Considered here is a scenario where small area model-based estimates, produced at a given aggregation level, needed to be disaggregated to better describe the social structure at finer levels. For this scenario, an allocation method was developed to implement the disaggregation, overcoming challenges associated with data availability and model development at such fine levels. The method is applied to adult literacy and numeracy estimation at the county-by-group-level, using data from the U.S. Program for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies. In this application the groups are defined in terms of age or education, but the method could be applied to estimation of other equity-deserving groups.

Description: In accordance with Statistics Canada’s long-term Disaggregated Data Action Plan (DDAP), several initiatives have been implemented into the Labour Force Survey (LFS). One of the more direct initiatives was a targeted increase in the size of the monthly LFS sample. Furthermore, a regular Supplement program was introduced, where an additional series of questions are asked to a subset of LFS respondents and analyzed in a monthly or quarterly production cycle. Finally, the production of modelled estimates based on Small Area Estimation (SAE) methodologies resumed for the LFS and will include a wider scope with more analytical value than what had existed in the past. This paper will give an overview of these three initiatives.

Description: Sampling variance smoothing is an important topic in small area estimation. In this paper, we propose sampling variance smoothing methods for small area proportion estimation. In particular, we consider the generalized variance function and design effect methods for sampling variance smoothing. We evaluate and compare the smoothed sampling variances and small area estimates based on the smoothed variance estimates through analysis of survey data from Statistics Canada. The results from real data analysis indicate that the proposed sampling variance smoothing methods work very well for small area estimation.

Description: We present design-based Horvitz-Thompson and multiplicity estimators of the population size, as well as of the total and mean of a response variable associated with the elements of a hidden population to be used with the link-tracing sampling variant proposed by Félix-Medina and Thompson (2004). Since the computation of the estimators requires to know the inclusion probabilities of the sampled people, but they are unknown, we propose a Bayesian model which allows us to estimate them, and consequently to compute the estimators of the population parameters. The results of a small numeric study indicate that the performance of the proposed estimators is acceptable.

Description: The Longitudinal Social Data Development Program (LSDDP) is a social data integration approach aimed at providing longitudinal analytical opportunities without imposing additional burden on respondents. The LSDDP uses a multitude of signals from different data sources for the same individual, which helps to better understand their interactions and track changes over time. This article looks at how the ethnicity status of people in Canada can be estimated at the most detailed disaggregated level possible using the results from a variety of business rules applied to linked data and to the LSDDP denominator. It will then show how improvements were obtained using machine learning methods, such as decision trees and random forest techniques.

Description: The validity of survival estimates from cancer registry data depends, in part, on the identification of the deaths of deceased cancer patients. People whose deaths are missed seemingly live on forever and are informally referred to as “immortals”, and their presence in registry data can result in inflated survival estimates. This study assesses the issue of immortals in the Canadian Cancer Registry (CCR) using a recently proposed method that compares the survival of long-term survivors of cancers for which “statistical” cure has been reported with that of similar people from the general population.

Description:

This report describes sampling, weighting and estimation procedures used in the Census of Population. It provides operational and theoretical justifications for them, and presents the results of the evaluations of these procedures.

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: 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: 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:

This package was designed to enable users to access and manipulate the microdata file for Cycle 22 (2008) of the General Social Survey (GSS). It contains information on the objectives, methodology and estimation procedures, as well as guidelines for releasing estimates based on the survey. Cycle 22 collected data from persons 15 years and over living in private households in Canada, excluding residents of the Yukon, Northwest Territories and Nunavut; and full-time residents of institutions. The survey covered a range of topics such as social networks, and social and civic participation. Information was also collected on major changes in respondents' lives in the last 12 months, the resources they used during these transitions and unmet needs for help. Questions were also asked on trust, sense of belonging, volunteering and unpaid work.

Description: The Participation and Activity Limitation Survey (PALS) is a post-censal survey of adults with disabilities, including any person whose everyday activities are limited because of a physical condition or health problem.

The survey covers themes such as activity limitations, help with everyday activities, education, employment status, social participation and economic characteristics.

Description:

This package was designed to enable users to access and manipulate the microdata file for the 21st cycle (2007) of the General Social Survey (GSS). It contains information on the objectives, methodology and estimation procedures, as well as guidelines for releasing estimates based on the survey. Cycle 21 of the GSS collected data from persons aged 45 years and over living in private households in the 10 provinces of Canada. The survey covered a wide range of topics such as well-being, family composition, retirement decisions and plans, care giving and care receiving experiences, social networks and housing.

Description:

The Aboriginal Peoples Survey (APS) provides data on the social and economic conditions of Aboriginal people in Canada. Its specific purpose was to identify the needs of Aboriginal people focusing on issues such as health, schooling and language. The survey was designed and implemented in partnership with national Aboriginal organizations.

This product contains information for the Aboriginal child and youth population (under 15 years) living in off-reserve areas.

Description:

Cycle 16 of the GSS is the second cycle (after cycle 11) to collect information social support for older Canadians, introducing modules on preparations for retirement and retirement experience. The GSS is an annual telephone survey covering the non-institutionalized population in the 10 provinces. Respondents were randomly selected from a list of individuals aged 45 and over who had responded to another Statistics Canada survey. Data were collected over an 11-month period from February to December 2002. The representative sample had about 25,000 respondents. The response rate was almost 84%.

The main objective of the 2002 GSS was to provide data on the aging population. However, the survey allows detailed analysis of characteristics of family and friends who provide care to seniors; characteristics of seniors receiving formal and informal care; links to broader determinants of health (such as income, education and social networks); and people's retirement plans and experiences.

Description:

Topics covered include social contact with friends and relatives, unpaid help given and received, volunteering and charitable giving, civic engagement, political engagement, religious participation, trust and reciprocity. Cycle 17 of the General Social Survey is the first cycle to collect detailed information on social engagement in Canada.

The target population for Cycle 17 is all persons 15 years of age and older in Canada, excluding residents of the Yukon, Northwest Territories and Nunavut, and full-time residents of institutions.

Description:

This document briefly describes the assumptions and scenarios that were selected for the population projections for Canada and its regions on the themes of immigration and diversity for the period 2016 to 2041, produced using the Demosim microsimulation projection model.

Description:

Periodically, income statistics are updated to reflect the most recent population estimates derived after the census. Accordingly, with the release of the 2020 data from the Canadian Income Survey (CIS), Statistics Canada has revised estimates for 2012 to 2019 using totals from population estimates based on the 2016 Census. This paper presents a comparison between revised and unrevised estimates for key income series, and describes other modifications made to CIS variables.

Description:

Use of auxiliary data to improve the efficiency of estimators of totals and means through model-assisted survey regression estimation has received considerable attention in recent years. Generalized regression (GREG) estimators, based on a working linear regression model, are currently used in establishment surveys at Statistics Canada and several other statistical agencies.  GREG estimators use common survey weights for all study variables and calibrate to known population totals of auxiliary variables. Increasingly, many auxiliary variables are available, some of which may be extraneous. This leads to unstable GREG weights when all the available auxiliary variables, including interactions among categorical variables, are used in the working linear regression model. On the other hand, new machine learning methods, such as regression trees and lasso, automatically select significant auxiliary variables and lead to stable nonnegative weights and possible efficiency gains over GREG.  In this paper, a simulation study, based on a real business survey sample data set treated as the target population, is conducted to study the relative performance of GREG, regression trees and lasso in terms of efficiency of the estimators.

Key Words: Model assisted inference; calibration estimation; model selection; generalized regression estimator.

Description:

This document briefly describes the methods and data sources used in the preparation of the projections of the Indigenous populations and households in Canada for the period 2016 to 2041, produced using the Demosim microsimulation projection model. It also includes a description of the assumptions and scenarios that were selected for this projection exercise.

Description:

We combine weighting and Bayesian prediction in a unified approach to survey inference. The general principles of Bayesian analysis imply that models for survey outcomes should be conditional on all variables that affect the probability of inclusion. We incorporate all the variables that are used in the weighting adjustment under the framework of multilevel regression and poststratification, as a byproduct generating model-based weights after smoothing. We improve small area estimation by dealing with different complex issues caused by real-life applications to obtain robust inference at finer levels for subdomains of interest. We investigate deep interactions and introduce structured prior distributions for smoothing and stability of estimates. The computation is done via Stan and is implemented in the open-source R package rstanarm and available for public use. We evaluate the design-based properties of the Bayesian procedure. Simulation studies illustrate how the model-based prediction and weighting inference can outperform classical weighting. We apply the method to the New York Longitudinal Study of Wellbeing. The new approach generates smoothed weights and increases efficiency for robust finite population inference, especially for subsets of the population.

Description:

In this short article, I will attempt to provide some highlights of my chancy life as a Statistician in chronological order spanning over sixty years, 1954 to present.

Description:

This paper describes a new methodology that Statistics Canada has adopted to measure the rent index.

Description:

Sample coordination seeks to create a probabilistic dependence between the selection of two or more samples drawn from the same population or from overlapping populations. Positive coordination increases the expected sample overlap, while negative coordination decreases it. There are numerous applications for sample coordination with varying objectives. A spatially balanced sample is a sample that is well-spread in some space. Forcing a spread within the selected samples is a general and very efficient variance reduction technique for the Horvitz-Thompson estimator. The local pivotal method and the spatially correlated Poisson sampling are two general schemes for achieving well-spread samples. We aim to introduce coordination for these sampling methods based on the concept of permanent random numbers. The goal is to coordinate such samples while preserving spatial balance. The proposed methods are motivated by examples from forestry, environmental studies, and official statistics.

Description:

Domains (or subpopulations) with small sample sizes are called small areas. Traditional direct estimators for small areas do not provide adequate precision because the area-specific sample sizes are small. On the other hand, demand for reliable small area statistics has greatly increased. Model-based indirect estimators of small area means or totals are currently used to address difficulties with direct estimation. These estimators are based on linking models that borrow information across areas to increase the efficiency. In particular, empirical best (EB) estimators under area level and unit level linear regression models with random small area effects have received a lot of attention in the literature. Model mean squared error (MSE) of EB estimators is often used to measure the variability of the estimators. Linearization-based estimators of model MSE as well as jackknife and bootstrap estimators are widely used. On the other hand, National Statistical Agencies are often interested in estimating the design MSE of EB estimators in line with traditional design MSE estimators associated with direct estimators for large areas with adequate sample sizes. Estimators of design MSE of EB estimators can be obtained for area level models but they tend to be unstable when the area sample size is small. Composite MSE estimators are proposed in this paper and they are obtained by taking a weighted sum of the design MSE estimator and the model MSE estimator. Properties of the MSE estimators under the area level model are studied in terms of design bias, relative root mean squared error and coverage rate of confidence intervals. The case of a unit level model is also examined under simple random sampling within each area. Results of a simulation study show that the proposed composite MSE estimators provide a good compromise in estimating the design MSE.

Description:

This paper develops statistical inference based on super population model in a finite population setting using ranked set samples (RSS). The samples are constructed without replacement. It is shown that the sample mean of RSS is model unbiased and has smaller mean square prediction error (MSPE) than the MSPE of a simple random sample mean. Using an unbiased estimator of MSPE, the paper also constructs a prediction confidence interval for the population mean. A small scale simulation study shows that estimator is as good as a simple random sample (SRS) estimator for poor ranking information. On the other hand it has higher efficiency than SRS estimator when the quality of ranking information is good, and the cost ratio of obtaining a single unit in RSS and SRS is not very high. Simulation study also indicates that coverage probabilities of prediction intervals are very close to the nominal coverage probabilities. Proposed inferential procedure is applied to a real data set.

Description:

This report describes sampling, weighting and estimation procedures used in the Census of Population. It provides operational and theoretical justifications for them, and presents the results of the evaluations of these procedures.

Description: This electronic publication presents the methodology underlying the production of the life tables for Canada, provinces and territories.

Description:

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

Description: This document introduces and describes updates to the Labour Force Survey estimates in January 2023. These updates include the transition to National Occupational Classification (NOC) 2021 as well as enhancements to the LFS data processing system.

Description:

This paper introduces and explains modifications made to the Labour Force Survey estimates in January 2021. Some of these modifications include the adjustment of all LFS estimates to reflect population counts based on the 2016 Census and includes updates to 2016 Geography classification system.

Description:

This document brings together guidelines and checklists on many issues that need to be considered in the pursuit of quality objectives in the execution of statistical activities. Its focus is on how to assure quality through effective and appropriate design or redesign of a statistical project or program from inception through to data evaluation, dissemination and documentation. These guidelines draw on the collective knowledge and experience of many Statistics Canada employees. It is expected that Quality Guidelines will be useful to staff engaged in the planning and design of surveys and other statistical projects, as well as to those who evaluate and analyze the outputs of these projects.

Description:

This manual provides detailed descriptions of the data sources and methods used by Statistics Canada to estimate population. They comprise Postcensal and intercensal population estimates; base population; births and deaths; immigration; emigration; non-permanent residents; interprovincial migration; subprovincial estimates of population; population estimates by age, sex and marital status; and census family estimates. A glossary of principal terms is contained at the end of the manual, followed by the standard notation used.

Until now, literature on the methodological changes for estimates calculations has always been spread throughout various Statistics Canada publications and background papers. This manual provides users of demographic statistics with a comprehensive compilation of the current procedures used by Statistics Canada to prepare population and family estimates.

Description:

This report describes sampling and weighting procedures used in the 2011 National Household Survey. It provides operational and theoretical justifications for them, and presents the results of the evaluation studies of these procedures.

Description:

This paper introduces and explains modifications made to the Labour Force Survey estimates in January 2015. Some of these modifications include the adjustment of all LFS estimates to reflect population counts based on the 2011 Census and includes updates to 2011 Geography classification system.

Description: Quantifying how Canada's water yield has changed over time is an important component of the water accounts maintained by Statistics Canada. This study evaluates the movement in the series of annual water yield estimates for Southern Canada from 1971 to 2004. We estimated the movement in the series using a trend-cycle approach and found that water yield for southern Canada has generally decreased over the period of observation.