Analysis

Description: Pseudo weight construction for data integration can be understood in the two-phase sampling framework. Using the two-phase sampling framework, we discuss two approaches to the estimation of propensity scores and develop a new way to construct the propensity score function for data integration using the conditional maximum likelihood method. Results from a limited simulation study are also presented.

Description: Nonprobability samples emerge rapidly to address time-sensitive priority topics in different areas. These data are timely but subject to selection bias. To reduce selection bias, there has been wide literature in survey research investigating the use of propensity-score (PS) adjustment methods to improve the population representativeness of nonprobability samples, using probability-based survey samples as external references. Conditional exchangeability (CE) assumption is one of the key assumptions required by PS-based adjustment methods. In this paper, I first explore the validity of the CE assumption conditional on various balancing score estimates that are used in existing PS-based adjustment methods. An adaptive balancing score is proposed for unbiased estimation of population means. The population mean estimators under the three CE assumptions are evaluated via Monte Carlo simulation studies and illustrated using the NIH SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence study to estimate the proportion of U.S. adults with COVID-19 antibodies from April 01-August 04, 2020.

Description: Our comments respond to discussion from Sen, Brick, and Elliott. We weigh the potential upside and downside of Sen’s suggestion of using machine learning to identify bogus respondents through interactions and improbable combinations of variables. We join Brick in reflecting on bogus respondents’ impact on the state of commercial nonprobability surveys. Finally, we consider Elliott’s discussion of solutions to the challenge raised in our study.

Description: This discussion summarizes the interesting new findings around measurement errors in opt-in surveys by Kennedy, Mercer and Lau (KML). While KML enlighten readers about “bogus responding” and possible patterns in them, this discussion suggests combining these new-found results with other avenues of research in nonprobability sampling, such as improvement of representativeness.

Description: Kennedy, Mercer, and Lau explore misreporting by respondents in non-probability samples and discover a new feature, namely that of deliberate misreporting of demographic characteristics. This finding suggests that the “arms race” between researchers and those determined to disrupt the practice of social science is not over and researchers need to account for such respondents if using high-quality probability surveys to help reduce error in non-probability samples.

Description: Nonprobability samples are quick and low-cost and have become popular for some types of survey research. Kennedy, Mercer and Lau examine data quality issues associated with opt-in nonprobability samples frequently used in the United States. They show that the estimates from these samples have serious problems that go beyond representativeness. A total survey error perspective is important for evaluating all types of surveys.

Description: Statistical approaches developed for nonprobability samples generally focus on nonrandom selection as the primary reason survey respondents might differ systematically from the target population. Well-established theory states that in these instances, by conditioning on the necessary auxiliary variables, selection can be rendered ignorable and survey estimates will be free of bias. But this logic rests on the assumption that measurement error is nonexistent or small. In this study we test this assumption in two ways. First, we use a large benchmarking study to identify subgroups for which errors in commercial, online nonprobability samples are especially large in ways that are unlikely due to selection effects. Then we present a follow-up study examining one cause of the large errors: bogus responding (i.e., survey answers that are fraudulent, mischievous or otherwise insincere). We find that bogus responding, particularly among respondents identifying as young or Hispanic, is a significant and widespread problem in commercial, online nonprobability samples, at least in the United States. This research highlights the need for statisticians working with commercial nonprobability samples to address bogus responding and issues of representativeness – not just the latter.

Description: This paper is an introduction to the special issue on the use of nonprobability samples featuring three papers that were presented at the 29^th Morris Hansen Lecture by Courtney Kennedy, Yan Li and Jean-François Beaumont.

Description: Every year, Statistics Canada collects data from hundreds of surveys. As the amount of data gathered increases, Statistics Canada has introduced infographics to help people, business owners, academics, and management at all levels, understand key information derived from the data. Infographics can be used to quickly communicate a message, to simplify the presentation of large amounts of data, to see data patterns and relationships, and to monitor changes in variables over time.

These infographics will provide a quick overview of Statistics Canada survey data.

Description: The journal publishes articles dealing with various aspects of statistical development relevant to a statistical agency, such as design issues in the context of practical constraints, use of different data sources and collection techniques, total survey error, survey evaluation, research in survey methodology, time series analysis, seasonal adjustment, demographic studies, data integration, estimation and data analysis methods, and general survey systems development. The emphasis is placed on the development and evaluation of specific methodologies as applied to data collection or the data themselves.

Description: Release published in The Daily – Statistics Canada’s official release bulletin

Description: Release published in The Daily – Statistics Canada’s official release bulletin

Description: Release published in The Daily – Statistics Canada’s official release bulletin

Description: Release published in The Daily – Statistics Canada’s official release bulletin

Description: Release published in The Daily – Statistics Canada’s official release bulletin

Description: Release published in The Daily – Statistics Canada’s official release bulletin

Description: Release published in The Daily – Statistics Canada’s official release bulletin

Description: Release published in The Daily – Statistics Canada’s official release bulletin

Description: Release published in The Daily – Statistics Canada’s official release bulletin

Description: Using data from the Postsecondary Student Information System (PSIS) and the Census of Population, 2021, this infographic provides information on enrolment in Canadian public postsecondary institutions for transgender and non-binary people.

Description:

The correlation of occupational gender composition and wages is the basis of pay equity/comparable worth legislation. A number of previous studies have examined this correlation in US data, identifying some of the determinants of low wages in "female jobs", as well as important limitations of public policy in this area. There is little evidence, however, from other jurisdictions. This omission is particularly disturbing in the case of Canada, which now has some of the most extensive pay equity legislation in the world. In this paper, we provide a comprehensive picture, circa the late 1980's, of the occupational gender segregation in Canada and its consequences for wages. We also draw explicit comparisons of our findings to evidence for the United States. We find that the link between female wages and gender composition is much stronger in the United States than in Canada, where it is generally small and not statistically significant. The relatively more advantageous position of women in female jobs in Canada is found to be linked to higher unionization rates and the industry-wage effects of "public goods" sectors.

Description:

This paper addresses the topic of inter-provincial migration in terms of the basic question: "who moves?" Panel logit models of the probability of moving from one year to the next are estimated using samples derived from the Longitudinal Administrative Database covering the period 1982-95. Explanatory variables include "environmental" factors, personal characteristics, labour market attributes, and a series of year variables. Separate models are estimated for eight age-sex groups.

The major findings include that: i) migration rates have been inversely related to the size of the province, presumably capturing economic conditions, labour market scale effects, and pure geographical distance, while language has also played an important role; ii) residents of smaller cities, towns, and especially rural areas have been less likely to move than individuals in larger cities; iii) age, marriage, and the presence of children have been negatively related to mobility, for both men and women; iv) migration has been positively related to the provincial unemployment rate, the individuals' receipt of unemployment insurance (except Entry Men), having no market income (except for Entry Men and Entry Women), and the receipt of social assistance (especially for men); v) beyond the zero earnings point, migration has been positively related to earnings levels for prime aged men, but not for others, and these effects are generally small (holding other factors constant); vi) there were no dramatic shifts in migration rates over time, but men's rates dropped off a bit in the 1990s while women's rates (except for the Entry group) generally held steadier or rose slightly, indicating a divergence in trends along gender lines.

Description:

There has been for some time substantial concern regarding the loss of young people in rural communities. There is a sense that most rural communities offer few opportunities for their younger people, requiring them to leave for urban communities, most likely not to return. While there is a considerable body of research on interprovincial migration, relatively little is currently known about migration patterns in rural and urban areas in Canada.

According to our analysis, in virtually all provinces young people 15 to 19 years of age are leaving rural areas in greater proportions than urban areas - in part to pursue post-secondary education. While there are more complex migration patterns affecting the 20-29 age group, the net result of all migration is that the Atlantic provinces - as well as Manitoba and Saskatchewan - are net losers of their rural population aged 15-29. The problem is particularly acute in Newfoundland. In the Atlantic provinces, rural areas which fare worse than the national average - in terms of net gains of youth population - do so not because they have a higher than average percentage of leavers but rather because they are unable to attract a sufficiently high proportion of individuals into their communities.

Of all individuals who move out of their rural community, at most 25% return to this community ten years later. The implication of this result is clear: one cannot count on return migration as a means of preserving the population size of a given cohort. Rather, rural areas must rely on inflows from other (urban) areas to achieve this goal. Some rural communities achieve this; that is, they register positive net in-migration of persons aged 25-29 or older, even though they incur a net loss of younger people.

Individuals who move out of rural areas generally experience higher earnings growth than their counterparts who stay. However, it remains an open question in which direction the causality works: is the higher earnings growth the result of the migration process itself or does it reflect the possibility that people with higher earnings growth potential are more likely to become movers?

Description:

This article explores regional differences among students who drop out of Canadian universities and community colleges.

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This article explores the effects of increasing costs on university attendance and the subsequent labour market outcomes of graduates.

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This paper examines the characteristics of young people who responded to the 1991 School Leavers Survey (SLS), but who subsequently failed to respond to the 1995 School Leavers Follow-up Survey (SLF).

Description:

The Survey of Household Spending (SHS), which replaced the periodic Family Expenditure Survey (FAMEX) in 1997, is an annual survey that collects detailed expenditure information from households for a given calendar year. Due to the heavy response burden placed on respondents of this survey, it was decided for the 1997 survey to perform a test of incentive effect on response rates. Two incentives were used: a one-year subscription to the Statistics Canada publication Canadian Social Trends and a telephone calling card. The response rate data was analysed using Fisher's exact test and some non-parametric methods. After controlling for a discovered interviewer assignment effect, it was found that there was some evidence of a telephone card effect in the western and eastern most regions of Canada, while there was no evidence of any effect for the magazine. These findings were somewhat corroborated by a separate study testing effects of incentives on respondent relations. All these results will be discussed in this paper.

Description:

This paper describes the methodology for the longitudinal and cross-sectional weights produced by the Survey of Labour and Income Dynamics (SLID). It also presents problems the survey has encountered and proposed solutions.

Description:

In this Issue is a column where the Editor biefly presents each paper of the current issue of Survey Methodology. As well, it sometimes contain informations on structure or management changes in the journal.

Description:

In recognition of Survey Methodology's silver anniversary, this paper reviews the major advances in survey research that have taken place in the past 25 years. It provides a gneneral overview of developments in: the survey research profession; survey methodology - questionnaire design, data collection methods, handling missing data, survey sampling, and total survey error; and survey applications - panel surveys, international surveys, and secondary analysis. It also attempts to forecast some future developments in these areas.

Description:

The latest issue contains the article "Has the Clothing Industry adapted to the changing economic environment?" by Yasmin Sheik. The clothing industry consists of establishments engaged in the production of men's, boys', women's, and children's wear as well as furs, foundation garments, hosiery, gloves, sweaters and occupational clothing.

The clothing industry is labour intensive and requires only a limited number of special skills, and therefore it exists in almost every country in the world. In the past, developed countries, including Canada, restricted competition in this sector from low-wage developing countries by the imposition of country-specific import quotas. However, a change in trade policies has resulted in the reduction of trade barriers and increased competition. The Canadian Clothing and Textile industries now fall under the normal trading rules of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) and World Trade Organization (WTO) besides being part of the North American rationalization process under the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with the United States and the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) with the U.S. and Mexico.

Using data from the Annual Survey of Manufactures for 1988 to 1997, this paper will show how the Canadian Clothing Industry has adapted to the changing economic environment. It will also comment on the recent period of growth using the Monthly Survey of Manufacturing and other indicators.

Description:

The most recent issue contains "An update on the paper and allied products industry" by Gilles Simard. After a prosperous 1994 and 1995, and the brutal fall in 1996, the Paper and Allied Products Industry experienced a less turbulent period during the last three years. Prices have been relatively stable reflecting the slack demand for goods produced by this industry. The Asian crisis afflicted the West coast wood pulp producers while the demand for newsprint in the United States helped maintain activities in the East. This article, based on the results of the 1997 Annual Survey of Manufactures, briefly describes changes to the industry in 1997 and 1998, and looks at recent events in 1999.

Description:

The latest issue contains the article "Printing, publishing and allied industries: an overview" by Sharon Boyer. This paper provides highlights and an overview of the economic activity and contribution of the Publishing, Printing and Allied Industries Major Group 28, to the manufacturing sector and to the Canadian economy as a whole. The impact of international trade will also be examined.

Based on the results from the 1997 Annual Survey of Manufactures, but using information from other more current Statistics Canada sources, this article includes data from 1999.

Description:

The latest issue contains the article "The transportation equipment industries in Canada, 1985 - 1997 - A review of change". The transportation equipment industries are the largest industrial manufacturing group in Canada representing more than a quarter of the total value of manufacturing shipments in 1997. They include the manufacturing of a diverse range of products, ranging from aircraft to ships to automobile assembly to vehicle parts and accessories manufacturing. As well, the manufacturing activity also includes repairs to aircrafts, boats and ships.

Since 1985 these industries have experienced sustained growth in terms of total shipments as well as the number of workers employed. The hourly wages paid to workers are much higher than the average hourly wages for all manufacturing. The gap between the hourly wages of the workers in the automotive industry and the rest of the workers in the transportation equipment industry has been widening considerably since 1985.

The auto industry has weathered free trade with the United States without suffering the job losses or decreasing productivity that some analysts predicted before the agreement took effect. In fact, productivity has increased, as have incomes.

Over 70% of the output was exported, mostly to the United States. Given the sustained prosperity that the United States has enjoyed for more than a decade now, it is not surprising that the Canadian transportation equipment industries have also performed well.

Description:

The chemical and chemical products industry is one of the key manufacturing industries in Canada. In 1996, despite an increase in exports and in prices, the growth this industry has known since the beginning of the decade slowed down. This leading-edge industry employs a scientific labour force, which is not always associated with manufacturing.

Description:

The Canadian Centre for Justice Statistics has prepared a report on the use of remand in Canada. Remand refers to persons who have been charged with an offence and ordered by the court to custody while awaiting a further court appearance. This report uses data from the Adult Correctional Services (ACS) survey to assess the trends in remand admissions, sentence lengths, and average daily counts of remand inmates in provincial/territorial correctional facilities between 1988-89 and 1997-98. Characteristics of remand inmates (e.g., age, gender, marital status, level of education, employment), offences and criminal history were studied using data from the One-Day Snapshot report (a census of inmates on-register in adult correctional facilities on midnight Saturday October 5th 1996). Characteristics and offences of youth on remand in 1997-98 were also examined using data from the Youth Custody and Community Services (YCCS) survey. Trends in the average counts of youth on remand between 1988-89 and 1997-98 are presented using data from the Corrections Key Indicator Report. Appendices include graphs of admissions and average daily counts for each province and territory.

Description:

Heart disease and stroke are major causes of illness, disability and death in Canada and they exact high personal, community and health care costs. The goal of The changing face of heart disease and stroke in Canada, the fifth in a series of reports from the Canadian Heart and Stroke Surveillance System (CHSSS), is to provide health professionals and policy makers with an overview of current trends in risk factors, interventions and services, and health outcomes of heart disease and stroke in Canada.

Description:

These highlights provide a brief summary of the report "Inequalities in literacy skills among youth in Canada and the United States", the latest monograph released using data from the International Adult Literacy Survey. This report suggests that youth in North America do not fare as well in their literacy skills as their European counterparts. Variables such as income and education continue to have direct and indirect effects on people's literacy skills.

Description:

This report outlines some initial results from the School Component of the first and second cycles of the National Longitudinal Survey of Children and Youth (NLSCY). It examines the longitudinal influence of Early Childhood Care and Education and literacy activities on young children's future academic and cognitive outcomes. This overview highlights the information newly available from this component of the survey; it is not comprehensive in its coverage or its analysis. Indeed, the information collected by the NLSCY is so rich and detailed that researchers and analysts will be using it to address a variety of important questions concerning the education of children and youth in Canada for many years to come. Here then, we are merely scratching the surface to stimulate awareness of this rich new data source, and to illustrate the kinds of analyses it makes possible.

Description:

This study was initiated to test the validity of probabilistic linkage methods used at Statistics Canada. It compared the results of data linkages on infant deaths in Canada with infant death data from Nova Scotia and Alberta. It also compared the availability of fetal deaths on the national and provincial files.