Analysis

Description:

This study considers the suitability of composite estimation techniques for the Canadian Labour Force Survey. The performance of a class of AK composite estimators introduced initially by Gurney and Daly is investigated for several characteristics. While the ordinary composite estimate has a large bias, the AK composite estimate is capable of reducing the bias. Composite estimates having minimum variance and minimum mean square error are compared.

Description:

The oil crisis of the mid-1970’s triggered a new awareness among Canadians of the importance of energy conservation. The resulting government programs in the transportation sector demanded basic data about on-the-road fuel consumption by motor vehicles operating in Canadian conditions. This paper describes the Passenger Car Fuel Consumption Survey which was developed jointly by Statistics Canada and Transport Canada to meet this need. The methodology of the survey is described and some examples of the results are presented. The paper concludes with some speculation about future directions for the survey and for vehicle-usage statistics in general.

Description:

In order to improve the timeliness, accuracy and consistency of population estimates for different geographic areas, Statistics Canada has developed new methods of estimation for sub-provincial areas (census divisions and census metropolitan areas). Beginning with 1982, two sets of population estimates (regression and component based) will be published yearly, appearing 3-4 months and 12-15 months, respectively, from the reference date.

The regression technique uses family allowance recipients as the main symptomatic indicator and where available, additional indicators - reference population from provincial health insurance files and hydro accounts - to derive population change for the current year. The first set is obtained by adding this change to the second set for the previous year produced by the component method, with births and deaths from vital registers, and estimated migration from Revenue Canada taxation files. The two sets were found to be statistically similar with respect to accuracy, though the first set is more timely, and the second provides more details on the components of population change.

Description:

This paper firstly provides an overview of the For-hire Trucking Survey background and of the steps that were involved in the revision that led to its re-design. It secondly describes the general direction of the methodology of the re-designed survey which is being implemented for reference year 1981.

Description:

The Air Scheduled International Passenger Origin and Destination (ASIPOD) estimation system uses the data from two air traffic surveys to produce origin-destination estimates of international passengers. The “assignment technique” is the solution to the problem caused by the non-coverage of non-interlining traffic. The assumptions of the technique are sufficiently questionable to warrant an evaluation of the bias of the estimates. However, major improvements will be made in the new system which will decrease the bias in the estimates. Also, estimates of reliability will be produced. And as a result, knowledge of the strength of the inferences made with respect to air traffic markets from these estimates will be improved in international bilateral air negotiations.

Description:

Statistics Canada, Canada’s central statistical agency, has been compiling national mortality statistics, including those on cancer mortality since 1921. Also, cancer incidence data are available from 1969.

The data quality of these files may be assessed in a variety of ways. Ratios of cancer mortality to incidence give some information on coverage errors. Micro-data matches between incidence and mortality files give an indication of misclassifications. As well, multiple registrations for cancer incidence may be duplicates. Completeness and availability of data items are also important for special studies.

In this paper, the feasibility of using these measures of data quality and the implications of these measures are discussed.

Description:

The Canadian Labour Force Survey is a household survey conducted each month for the purpose of producing point-in-time estimates of the number of persons employed, unemployed and not in the labor force. The survey has a rotating panel design in which all individuals in a sampled household location are interviewed each month, for six consecutive months. In the past, little use has been made of this longitudinal structure, although considerable interest has been expressed in the month-to-month gross flows (transitions) amongst the labour force status categories. In this paper we discuss methods being considered by Statistics Canada for the production of gross flow estimates, but from a model-based perspective.

Description:

The peach, sour cherry and the grape objective yield surveys have been carried out annually in the Niagara Peninsula since 1964 in order to forecast the magnitude of change in marketable fruit production from the previous year. Timeliness of the estimates is essential in order to enable the Ontario Tender Fruit Growers Marketing Board (OTFGMB) and the Ontario Grape Growers Marketing Board (OGGMB) to establish the marketing strategies well ahead of the harvest. This paper summarizes the major changes due to the second redesign initiated in 1982. In particular, the sample design, data collection operation and modifications of the estimation procedures are elaborated upon.

Description:

This paper describes the procedures used and results of a joint Canada Centre for Remote Sensing (CCRS) and Statistics Canada project to provide a timely potato acreage estimate for New Brunswick, a major potato producing province in Canada. The project has demonstrated that satellite imagery combined with more traditional potato area estimation procedures can lower respondent burden, produce timely crop distribution maps and produce reliable estimates for subregions.

Description:

A theory of sampling on two occasions with unequal probabilities and without replacement is presented. Fellegi’s (1963) method, which yields the same selection probabilities for a given unit on each occasion, is used to select the units for the rotation sample. The variances of composite estimators of the population total on the second occasion are developed. Numerical results are presented for small sample sizes and efficiency comparisons are made with a competing strategy.

Description:

The statistics presented in this bulletin are derived from our latest survey of industrial research and development activities in Canada.

Description:

This document provides recent information on the performance and funding of Federal Government Expenditures on Scientific Activities, 1997-98.

Description:

Statistics presented are derived from a survey of eight provincial research organizations: the InNOVAcorp (formerly the Nova Scotia Research Foundation Corporation), the New Brunswick Research and Productivity Council, the "Centre de recherche industrielle du Québec", ORTECH Corporation (Ontario), the Economic Innovation and Technology Council (Manitoba), the Saskatchewan Research Council, the Alberta Research Council and the NUNAVUT Research Institute (formerly the Science Institute of the Northwest Territories).

Description:

The size of spending on research and development performed by a firm may be influenced by the size of the firm, the country of control, or the industry in which the firm operates.

Description:

The Traveller Accommodation Survey is by far the largest and most comprehensive survey of the traveller accommodation industry service industries. Since the redesign in 1992, the survey has continued to be expanded to include a collection of other business operating characteristics and marketing information to meet the needs of increased interests from outside users.

Description:

This release provides data on the research and development activities of the private non-profit sector. Although the contribution of this sector to the national R&D effort is small in dollar terms, its impact, particularly in the university sector, is significant.

Description:

The data presented here are likely to understate the total research and development expenditures that have a positive impact on the environment since efforts to find better and more efficient solutions are not generally considered in the narrower light of pollution abatement.

Description:

This service bulletin presents federal government personnel (Full-Time Equivalent - FTE*) engaged in S&T activities.

Description:

This release provides a provincial distribution of the research and development activity in the ten provinces.

Description:

This service bulletin presents the geographic distribution of federal government science and technology expenditures. The distribution is done every two years and the previous data available are for the period 1992-93.

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: This article explores results from the survey related to the use of AI in producing goods and delivering services. Furthermore, this article explains the specific types of AI being used, such as machine learning, virtual agents and voice recognition, as well as the impact of AI adoption on tasks performed by employees and on employment levels. It involves an examination of the data produced by the Canadian Survey on Business Conditions.

Description: Extreme heat has significant impacts on mortality. In Canada, past research has analyzed the degree to which non-accidental mortality increases during single extreme heat events; however, few studies have considered multiple causes of death and the impacts of extreme heat events on mortality over longer time periods. This study analyzes the impacts of extreme heat events on nonaccidental, cardiovascular, and respiratory deaths from 2000 to 2020 in 12 of the largest cities in Canada.

Description: Optimal oral health is an essential element of healthy aging. Oral health problems such as tooth loss, periodontal disease, and dry mouth accumulate throughout adult life and worsen with increasing age. Using data from the 2019/2020 Canadian Health Survey on Seniors, this study explores the link between dental insurance, income, and oral health care access among seniors (aged 65 and over) in Canada. It contributes to the understanding of oral health care among seniors before the implementation of the Canadian Dental Care Plan.

Description: This paper describes the composition of the Consumer Price Index (CPI) basket and the changes introduced with the 2024 basket update, based on 2023 expenditure weights.

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: Statistics Canada's Quality of Employment in Canada publication is intended to provide Canadians and Canadian organizations with a better understanding of quality of employment using an internationally-supported statistical framework. Quality of employment is approached as a multidimensional concept, characterized by different elements, which relate to human needs in various ways. To cover all relevant aspects, the framework identified seven dimensions and twelve sub-dimensions of quality of employment.

Description: Statistics Canada regularly prepares presentations with statistical findings about the country’s economy, society and environment. These presentations may be intended for conferences, meetings with stakeholders, or other events held throughout the year to provide Statistics Canada with an opportunity to promote the role of official statistics and to better understand data users’ needs. This series provides online access to these presentations as well as new presentations created to help communicate research findings on a wide range of subjects to a broad audience.

Description: Economic and Social Reports includes in-depth research, brief analyses, and current economic updates on a variety of topics, such as labour, immigration, education and skills, income mobility, well-being, aging, firm dynamics, productivity, economic transitions, and economic geography. All the papers are institutionally reviewed and the research and analytical papers undergo peer review to ensure that they conform to Statistics Canada's mandate as a governmental statistical agency and adhere to generally accepted standards of good professional practice.

Description: The newsletter offers information aimed at three main groups, businesses (small to medium), communities and ethno-cultural groups/communities. Articles and outreach materials will assist their understanding of national and local data from the many relevant sources found on the Statistics Canada website.

Description:

Health Reports, published by the Health Analysis Division of Statistics Canada, is a peer-reviewed journal of population health and health services research. It is designed for a broad audience that includes health professionals, researchers, policymakers, and the general public. The journal publishes articles of wide interest that contain original and timely analyses of national or provincial/territorial surveys or administrative databases. New articles are published electronically each month.

Health Reports had an impact factor of 5.0 for 2022 and a five-year impact factor of 5.6. All articles are indexed in PubMed. Our online catalogue is free and receives more than 700,000 visits per year. External submissions are welcome.

Description: Statistics Canada is committed to sharing our knowledge and expertise to help all Canadians develop their data literacy skills by developing a series of data literacy training resources. Data literacy is a key skill needed in the 21st century. It is generally described as the ability to derive meaning from data. Data literacy focuses on the competencies or skills involved in working with data, including the ability to read, analyze, interpret, visualize data, as well as to drive good decision-making.

Description: Once every five years, the Census of Population provides a detailed and comprehensive statistical portrait of Canada that is vital to our country. It is the primary source of sociodemographic data for specific population groups such as lone-parent families, Indigenous peoples, immigrants, seniors and language groups.

In order to help users of census products to better understand the various Census of Population concepts, Statistics Canada has developed, in the context of the activities of the 2021 Census and previous censuses, a collection of short videos. These videos are a reference source for users who are new to census concepts or those who have some experience with these concepts, but may need a refresher or would like to expand their knowledge.

Description: The Canadian Survey on Disability (CSD) is a national survey of Canadians aged 15 and over whose everyday activities are limited because of a long-term condition or health-related problem.

Description: This bulletin presents the most up-to-date available information extracted from all of the Aviation Statistics Centre's surveys. Regular features include releases on principal statistics for Canada's major air carriers, airport data, fare basis statistics and traffic data for Canada's most important markets.