Analysis

Description:

In the 2001 Canadian Census of Population, calibration or regression estimation was used to calculate a single set of household level weights to be used for all census estimates based on a one in five national sample of more than two million households. Because many auxiliary variables were available, only a subset of them could be used. Otherwise, some of the weights would have been smaller than the number one or even negative. In this technical paper, a forward selection procedure was used to discard auxiliary variables that caused weights to be smaller than one or that caused a large condition number for the calibration weight matrix being inverted. Also, two calibration adjustments were done to achieve close agreement between auxiliary population counts and estimates for small areas. Prior to 2001, the projection generalized regression (GREG) estimator was used and the weights were required to be greater than zero. For the 2001 Census, a switch was made to a pseudo-optimal regression estimator that kept more auxiliary variables and, at the same time, required that the weights be one or more.

Description:

The US Census Bureau supports research into an optimal design program as an alternative to its current decennial redesign of demographic surveys. The optimal design program seeks to optimize redesign samples annually and reduce deterioration of the precision of survey estimates.

Initial research has focussed on the use of multi-agent systems (also known as distributed artificial intelligence) to produce optimal annual samples for all demographic surveys. The first multi-agent system optimizes redesign inputs. It represents each housing unit as an autonomous agent and solves the distributed constrain satisfaction problem (DCSP) to forecast household characteristics that are consistent with recent survey data and estimates. The second multi-agent system selects optimal samples for all demographic surveys. It represents each survey-state pair as a deliberative agent and applies the Bayesian optimization algorithm (BOA) at each design stage to partition the sampling units into sample and non-sample subsets. Thus, sampling units are selected directly, without the need for initial stratification.

Description:

If the dataset available to machine learning results from cluster sampling (e.g., patients from a sample of hospital wards), the usual cross-validation error rate estimate can lead to biased and misleading results. In this technical paper, an adapted cross-validation is described for this case. Using a simulation, the sampling distribution of the generalization error rate estimate, under cluster or simple random sampling hypothesis, is compared with the true value. The results highlight the impact of the sampling design on inference: clearly, clustering has a significant impact; the repartition between learning set and test set should result from a random partition of the clusters, not from a random partition of the examples. With cluster sampling, standard cross-validation underestimates the generalization error rate, and is deficient for model selection. These results are illustrated with a real application of automatic identification of spoken language.

Description:

Parental union dissolution has been on the rise in Canada for the last 30 years and the nature and intensity of the fact that children stay with their parents after the family has broken up is now an important issue. Until now, most research on this topic has been done using cross-sectional data. However, the arrangements that separating parents make concerning the physical and financial care of their children are far from static, evolving in response to a variety of changes in the lives of both biological parents, including those occurring as a result of the new conjugal unions mothers and fathers enter into.

In this paper, we first determine how custody arrangements evolve through time and then examine changes in the frequency of contact that non-resident fathers maintain with their children. In both analyses, particular attention is given to the effect that a new union in the mother's or father's life has on the level of contact that children maintain with the non-custodial parent. We also examine how this varies depending on whether or not the new partner had children from a previous union, and on whether the mother's or father's new union is fertile. Prospective data from the two first waves of the National Longitudinal Survey of Children and Youth (NLSCY) will enable us to compare levels of contact both before and after family recomposition.

Analyses are conducted using multinomial logit and probit models, and ordered logit and probit models according to the nature of the dependent variables. The observation of some of our dependent variables (e.g., the levels of contact between non-residing fathers and their child) is dependent on a selection process (e.g., that a father not residing with his child at Time 1 does not reside with the child at Time 2). In such cases, analyses are conducted using ordered probit models with selectivity. In all analyses, standard errors are adjusted to account for the sample design.

Description:

The Labour Force Survey (LFS) was not designed to be a longitudinal survey. However, given that respondent households typically remain in the sample for six consecutive months, it is possible to reconstruct six-month fragments of longitudinal data from the monthly records of household members. Such longitudinal data (altogether consisting of millions of person-months of individual- and family-level data) is useful for analyses of monthly labour market dynamics over relatively long periods of time, 20 years and more.

We make use of these data to estimate hazard functions describing transitions among the labour market states: self-employed, paid employee and not employed. Data on job tenure for the employed, and data on the date last worked for the not employed - together with the date of survey responses - permit the estimated models to include terms reflecting seasonality and macro-economic cycles, as well as the duration dependence of each type of transition. In addition, the LFS data permit spouse labour market activity and family composition variables to be included in the hazard models as time-varying covariates. The estimated hazard equations have been included in the LifePaths socio-economic microsimulation model. In this setting, the equations may be used to simulate lifetime employment activity from past, present and future birth cohorts. Cross-sectional simulation results have been used to validate these models by comparisons with census data from the period 1971 to 1996.

Description:

Controlling for differences in student populations, we examine the contribution of schools to provincial differences in the reading, math and science achievement of 15-year-olds in this paper. Using a semi-parametric decomposition technique developed by DiNardo, Fortin and Lemieux (1996) for differences in distributions, we find that school differences contribute to provincial differences in different parts of the achievement distribution and that the effect varies by province and by type of skill, even within province. For example, school differences account for about 32% of the difference in mean reading achievement between New Brunswick and Alberta, but reduce the difference in the proportion of students performing at the lowest reading proficiency level. By contrast, school differences account for 94% of the New Brunswick-Alberta gap in the 10th percentile of the science distribution. Our results demonstrate that school effectiveness studies that focus on the first moment of the achievement distribution miss potentially important impacts for specific students.

Description:

Linearization and the jack-knife method are widely used to estimate standard errors for the coefficients of linear regression models fit to multi-stage samples. With few primary sampling units (PSUs) or when a few PSUs have high leverage, linearization estimators can have large negative bias, while the jack-knife method has a correspondingly large positive bias. We characterize the design factors that produce large biases in these standard error estimators. In this technical paper, we propose an alternative estimator, bias reduced linearization (BRL), based on residuals adjusted to better approximate the covariance of the true errors.

When errors are independently and identically distributed (iid), the BRL estimator is unbiased. The BRL method applies to stratified samples with non-constant selection weights and to generalized linear models such as logistic regression. We also discuss BRL standard error estimators for generalized estimating equation models that explicitly model the dependence among observations from the same PSU in data from complex sample designs. Simulation study results show that BRL standard errors are combined with the Satterthwaite approximation to determine the reference distribution yield tests with Type I error rates near nominal values. We contrast our method with alternatives proposed by Kott (1994 and 1996) and Mancl and DeRouen (2001).

Description:

One of the most important advances brought about by life course and event history studies is the use of parallel or interdependent processes as explaining factors in transition rate models. The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate a causal approach to the study of interrelated family events. Various types of interdependent processes are described first, followed by two event history perspectives: the 'system' and 'causal' approaches. The authors assert that the causal approach is more appropriate from an analytical point of view as it provides a straightforward solution to simultaneity, cause-effect lags, and temporal shapes of effects. Based on comparative cross-national applications in West and East Germany, Canada, Latvia and the Netherlands, the usefulness of the causal approach is demonstrated by analysing two highly interdependent family processes: entry into marriage (for individuals who are in a consensual union) as the dependent process, and first pregnancy/childbirth as the explaining one. Both statistical and theoretical explanations are explored emphasizing the need for conceptual reasoning.

Description:

There is much interest in using data from longitudinal surveys to help understand life history processes such as education, employment, fertility, health and marriage. The analysis of data on the durations of spells or sojourns that individuals spend in certain states (e.g., employment, marriage) is a primary tool in studying such processes. This paper examines methods for analysing duration data that address important features associated with longitudinal surveys: the use of complex survey designs in heterogeneous populations; missing or inaccurate information about the timing of events; and the possibility of non-ignorable dropout or censoring mechanisms. Parametric and non-parametric techniques for estimation and for model checking are considered. Both new and existing methodology are proposed and applied to duration data from Canada's Survey of Labour and Income Dynamics (SLID).

Description:

A developmental trajectory describes the course of a behaviour over age or time. This technical paper provides an overview of a semi-parametric, group-based method for analysing developmental trajectories. This methodology provides an alternative to assuming a homogenous population of trajectories as is done in standard growth modelling.

Four capabilities are described: (1) the capability to identify, rather than assume, distinctive groups of trajectories; (2) the capability to estimate the proportion of the population following each such trajectory group; (3) the capability to relate group membership probability to individual characteristics and circumstances; and (4) the capability to use the group membership probabilities for various other purposes, such as creating profiles of group members.

In addition, two important extensions of the method are described: the capability to add time-varying covariates to trajectory models and the capability to estimate joint trajectory models of distinct but related behaviours. The former provides the statistical capacity for testing if a contemporary factor, such as an experimental intervention or a non-experimental event like pregnancy, deflects a pre-existing trajectory. The latter provides the capability to study the unfolding of distinct but related behaviours such as problematic childhood behaviour and adolescent drug abuse.

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

Description: This article provides an integrated summary of recent changes in output, consumer prices, employment, and household finances. It highlights changes in the economic data during the second half of 2023 and into the winter months. The article also examines how economic conditions have changed as borrowing costs have risen.

Description: The participation of women-owned businesses in exports is important for policies aiming to ensure that the benefits of international trade reach all groups. Women-owned small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Canada are as likely to export as those owned by men, and their export intensity (exports as a share of total sales) was not significantly different. This article examines factors related to the exporting success of women-owned small and medium-sized enterprises in Canada.

Description: Social connections and relationships are important, yet often overlooked, indicators of well-being. For immigrants, these networks are also important for integration. This study examines how immigrant women’s sociodemographic characteristics and life-course circumstances are associated with the size and composition of their personal networks and provides comparisons with Canadian-born women.

Description: This study applies small area estimation (SAE) and a new geographic concept called Self-contained Labor Area (SLA) to the Canadian Survey on Business Conditions (CSBC) with a focus on remote work opportunities in rural labor markets. Through SAE modelling, we estimate the proportions of businesses, classified by general industrial sector (service providers and goods producers), that would primarily offer remote work opportunities to their workforce.

Description: The current study uses the 2011 National Household Survey and the 2016 and 2021 Censuses to provide data on the number of Indigenous foster children in private households, foster child rates, and disparity between Indigenous and non-Indigenous foster care rates between 2011 and 2021. Subsequently, select sociodemographic characteristics of Indigenous children in foster care and household characteristics are explored using the 2021 Census.

Description: Oral health is a crucial component of overall health, influencing both physical and mental well-being. Yet, despite the important role that access to and use of oral health care services play in maintaining optimal oral health, substantial disparities remain in access to oral health care services across population groups in Canada. Using data from the 2022 Canadian Community Health Survey, this study examines the association of dental insurance with oral health care access and use in Canada while accounting for income and sociodemographic factors. It contributes to a baseline of oral health care disparities before the implementation of the Canadian Dental Care Plan.

Description: Children’s oral health can affect functional capacities, psychological well-being, and social integration. Additionally, health behaviours established in childhood extend into adulthood and can influence oral health outcomes later in life. Using data from the 2019 Canadian Health Survey on Children and Youth, this study investigates the association between dental insurance, income, and dental care access for Canadian children and youth aged 1 to 17 years. It contributes to a baseline understanding of oral health care use before the implementation of the Canadian Dental Care Plan.

Description: This guide is for users of the Education and Labour Market Longitudinal Platform (ELMLP). The data for the products associated with this issue are derived from integrating Postsecondary Student Information System (PSIS) administrative data with other administrative data on earnings. Statistics Canada has derived a series of annual indicators on the labour market outcomes of public postsecondary graduates including median employment income by educational qualification, field of study, age group, gender and status of student in Canada for Canada, the provinces and the territories combined.

Description: This Juristat article uses data from the 2022/2023 Survey of Residential Facilities for Victims of Abuse (SRFVA) to present results on residential facilities in Canada that are primarily mandated to serve victims of abuse. Results presented in this article refer to two distinct time periods. The first focuses on a 12-month period within 2022/2023, and provides an overview of facility characteristics, touching on shelter admissions, availability of accommodations, and general services provided. The second focuses on information for a predetermined snapshot date of April 13, 2023, and presents a profile of residents using residential facilities on this date.

Description: Using British Columbia Ministry of Education administrative school data within the Education and Labour Market Longitudinal Platform, this study compared the proportions of high school graduates among Grade 12 students with and without special needs across nine cohorts from 2010/2011 to 2018/2019 before and after controlling for several sociodemographic characteristics.

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: The Prices Analytical Series provides research and analysis pertaining to price indices. The Analytical series is intended to stimulate discussion on a variety of topics related to the analysis of the evolution of prices through time or space.

Description: The papers published in the Analysis in Brief analytical series shed light on current economic issues. Aimed at a general audience, they cover a wide range of topics including National Accounts, business enterprises, trade, transportation, agriculture, the environment, manufacturing, science and technology, services, etc.

Description: Labour Statistics at a Glance features short analytical articles on specific topics of interest related to Canada's labour market. The studies examine recent or historical trends using data produced by the Centre for Labour Market Information, i.e., the Labour Force Survey, the Survey of Employment Payrolls and Hours, the Job Vacancy and Wage Survey, the Employment Insurance Coverage Survey and the Employment Insurance Statistics Program.

Description: The Health Research Working Paper Series publishes: analytical work-in-progress; background documentation for specific research projects (e.g methodological papers); lengthy reports intended for specific clients, and; compendiums of data tables. Publication in this series does not preclude publication of specific aspects of the work in a peer-reviewed journal.

Description: Environment fact sheets will include short, focused, single-theme analysis on key issues within the changing environment with regards to all Canadians. Over the course of the series, analysis will include topics on: air and climate, pollution and waste, environmental protection and quality, and natural resources.

Description: The ‘Eh Sayers’ podcast explores data of interest to Canadians, like social or news-worthy topics. It also aims to foster data literacy and deliver insight into the lives of Canadians by exploring the data the agency produces and tying it to real life situations through storytelling.

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: This publication presents key highlights and results from the General Social Survey on the topics of caregiving and care receiving; social identity; giving, volunteering and participating; victimization; time use; and family.

Description: Statistics Canada produces videos that present key communications messages to multiple publics in an easy-to-understand way. As a communications tool, they make complex information and ideas easy to interpret by telling a visual story. Statistics Canada has videos on a variety of topics.