Analysis

Description: On average, individuals who own their dwelling report higher satisfaction with their dwelling, neighbourhood and life than renters. These differences may reflect a positive causal impact of ownership on satisfaction. However, these differences could also reflect compositional effects, such as differences in household, dwelling and neighbourhood characteristics. Using the 2021 Canadian Housing Survey, this study provides a comparison of renters’ and owners’ reported dwelling, neighbourhood and life satisfaction accounting for compositional effects.

Description: Approximately one in four individuals in Canada is currently or has been a landed immigrant or permanent resident. From 2016 to 2021, about 1.3 million new immigrants arrived in Canada and accounted for 80% of the growth in the labour force. Alongside increases in immigrants, there has been a rise in same-sex couples within Canada. This study explores select sociodemographic and economic characteristics of immigrants in same-sex couples compared with their counterparts in opposite-sex couples from 2000 to 2020.

Description: This study presents an updated sociodemographic profile of children aged 0 to 14 years with affirmative responses largely based on parent reports to the questions on the 2021 Census long-form questionnaire about difficulties with activities of daily living.

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

Description: Inspired by the two excellent discussions of our paper, we offer some new insights and developments into the problem of estimating participation probabilities for non-probability samples. First, we propose an improvement of the method of Chen, Li and Wu (2020), based on best linear unbiased estimation theory, that more efficiently leverages the available probability and non-probability sample data. We also develop a sample likelihood approach, similar in spirit to the method of Elliott (2009), that properly accounts for the overlap between both samples when it can be identified in at least one of the samples. We use best linear unbiased prediction theory to handle the scenario where the overlap is unknown. Interestingly, our two proposed approaches coincide in the case of unknown overlap. Then, we show that many existing methods can be obtained as a special case of a general unbiased estimating function. Finally, we conclude with some comments on nonparametric estimation of participation probabilities.

Description: We provide comparisons among three parametric methods for the estimation of participation probabilities and some brief comments on homogeneous groups and post-stratification.

Description: Beaumont, Bosa, Brennan, Charlebois and Chu (2024) propose innovative model selection approaches for estimation of participation probabilities for non-probability sample units. We focus our discussion on the choice of a likelihood and parameterization of the model, which are key for the effectiveness of the techniques developed in the paper. We consider alternative likelihood and pseudo-likelihood based methods for estimation of participation probabilities and present simulations implementing and comparing the AIC based variable selection. We demonstrate that, under important practical scenarios, the approach based on a likelihood formulated over the observed pooled non-probability and probability samples performed better than the pseudo-likelihood based alternatives. The contrast in sensitivity of the AIC criteria is especially large for small probability sample sizes and low overlap in covariates domains.

Description: Non-probability samples are being increasingly explored in National Statistical Offices as an alternative to probability samples. However, it is well known that the use of a non-probability sample alone may produce estimates with significant bias due to the unknown nature of the underlying selection mechanism. Bias reduction can be achieved by integrating data from the non-probability sample with data from a probability sample provided that both samples contain auxiliary variables in common. We focus on inverse probability weighting methods, which involve modelling the probability of participation in the non-probability sample. First, we consider the logistic model along with pseudo maximum likelihood estimation. We propose a variable selection procedure based on a modified Akaike Information Criterion (AIC) that properly accounts for the data structure and the probability sampling design. We also propose a simple rank-based method of forming homogeneous post-strata. Then, we extend the Classification and Regression Trees (CART) algorithm to this data integration scenario, while again properly accounting for the probability sampling design. A bootstrap variance estimator is proposed that reflects two sources of variability: the probability sampling design and the participation model. Our methods are illustrated using Statistics Canada’s crowdsourcing and survey data.

Description: In this rejoinder, I address the comments from the discussants, Dr. Takumi Saegusa, Dr. Jae-Kwang Kim and Ms. Yonghyun Kwon. Dr. Saegusa’s comments about the differences between the conditional exchangeability (CE) assumption for causal inferences versus the CE assumption for finite population inferences using nonprobability samples, and the distinction between design-based versus model-based approaches for finite population inference using nonprobability samples, are elaborated and clarified in the context of my paper. Subsequently, I respond to Dr. Kim and Ms. Kwon’s comprehensive framework for categorizing existing approaches for estimating propensity scores (PS) into conditional and unconditional approaches. I expand their simulation studies to vary the sampling weights, allow for misspecified PS models, and include an additional estimator, i.e., scaled adjusted logistic propensity estimator (Wang, Valliant and Li (2021), denoted by sWBS). In my simulations, it is observed that the sWBS estimator consistently outperforms or is comparable to the other estimators under the misspecified PS model. The sWBS, as well as WBS or ABS described in my paper, do not assume that the overlapped units in both the nonprobability and probability reference samples are negligible, nor do they require the identification of overlap units as needed by the estimators proposed by Dr. Kim and Ms. Kwon.

Description: In some of non-probability sample literature, the conditional exchangeability assumption is considered to be necessary for valid statistical inference. This assumption is rooted in causal inference though its potential outcome framework differs greatly from that of non-probability samples. We describe similarities and differences of two frameworks and discuss issues to consider when adopting the conditional exchangeability assumption in non-probability sample setups. We also discuss the role of finite population inference in different approaches of propensity scores and outcome regression modeling to non-probability samples.

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: Canada's workforce is among the most educated in the world. But when it comes to worker productivity, we've seen a real slump over the past few years. The quarterly data published by StatCan in June 2024 confirms Canadian workers are continuing to underperform compared to our neighbours to the south. This comes as no surprise to this episode's guest, Guy Gellatly, Chief Economic Advisor at StatCan. The latest quarterly numbers are a continuation of an ongoing decline in Canada's productivity that economists have been tracking for years. 

But what factors influence worker productivity? And why does it matter if Canadians are less productive? As a matter of face, what even is productivity? In this episode, we asked Guy to help us understand how we got to this point and why it matters for Canadians.

Description: It is well documented that earnings vary considerably by population group (White, Black, Latin American, etc.). One of the possible reasons may be the fact that educational attainment also varies considerably by population group. Currently, there is a lack of information on the educational pathways of individuals from various population groups who began a postsecondary education program. This article fills this gap by documenting various aspects of the postsecondary experience of different population groups with regard to bachelor’s degree programs.

Description: The impact of immigration on the destination country is contingent not only on the number of immigrants admitted but also on how many of them choose to stay and actively engage in the labour market. This article analyzes the active presence of adult immigrants since the 1990s. Active presence refers to the extent to which immigrants who were admitted to Canada during a specific period actively engage in Canadian society within a specific timeframe.

Description: Headline inflation in Canada reached a 40-year high in 2022. Rising prices reduced the purchasing power of people whose incomes were not keeping pace with inflation and the current high inflation in Canada, as well as in many other countries, may be caused by both demand and supply factors. This article examines whether the current high inflation in Canada is demand–pull or supply–push.

Description: The pandemic has had an unprecedented impact on the Canadian economy. This impact was uneven across different workers and businesses. However, there is little information available on how businesses were affected by and survived through the pandemic according to the characteristics of their owners, especially those owned by certain groups such as women and immigrants. This article uses a linkage of the monthly business openings and closures with the Canadian Employer-Employee Dynamics Database and the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy to study the survival rate and employment growth of businesses by gender, and immigrant status of owners.

Description: This article explores trends in patent applications made by Canadian-resident businesses for advanced technologies from 2001 to 2019, drawing on Eurostat's aggregation of high-tech patents. Approximately one-third of applications fall under high-tech categories, the bulk of which were associated with Communication, Computer, and Automated business equipment technologies. While these fields saw growth until 2012, a subsequent decline occurred, notably in Computer and Electronic Product Manufacturing. Biotechnology, Semiconductors, and Lasers showed limited dynamism, while aviation technology applications surged by nearly twentyfold over the period.

Description: This technical paper describes the collection of food price data and the methodologies that are used to provide Canadians with accurate and timely food inflation data in both the CPI and the monthly average retail prices table.

Description: This study compares the Government of Canada’s direct and indirect measures to support R&D, as captured by business innovation and growth support (BIGS) programs and the Scientific Research and Experimental Development (SR&ED) tax incentive program. BIGS and SR&ED are two central instruments that the Canadian government uses to stimulate R&D expenditures in the business sector.

Description: Over the last several years, recreational screen time has been increasing. During the COVID-19 pandemic, recreational screen time rose among Canadian youth and adults, and those who increased screen time had poorer self-reported mental health. Using data from the 2017, 2018, and 2021 Canadian Community Health Survey, the objective of this study was to compare recreational screen time behaviours before (2018) and during (2021) the pandemic, looking at patterns by sociodemographic subgroups of the Canadian population.

Description: The availability of measures to operationalize allostatic load—the cumulative toll on the body of responding to stressor demands—in population health surveys may differ across years or surveys, hampering analyses on the entire sampled population. In this study, the impacts of variable selection and calculation method were evaluated to generate an allostatic load index applicable across all cycles of the Canadian Health Measures Survey (CHMS). CHMS data were used to compare individual and population-level changes in scores for allostatic load indexes in which other commonly used measures were substituted for waist-to-hip ratio. Associations between the various constructs and indicators of socioeconomic position were then assessed to evaluate whether relationships were maintained across indexes.

Description: This series of regional maps shows the number of school-aged children eligible to primary and secondary instruction in English in Quebec by census subdivision, and the proportion of these children who attend or have attended an English-language school in Canada. All the information provided comes from the 2021 Census of Population and the 2022 Open Database of Educational Facilities.

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.

Description:

In 1997, the rubber products industries (Major Group 15) increased the value of its shipments by 7.7% from the previous year. According to the Monthly Survey of Manufacturing (MSM), shipments grew an additional 6.6% in 1998. This strength is largely due to low inflation, low interest rates, increased exports and increased demand for automobiles.

This document presents an overview of rubber products manufacturing in Canada and highlights key factors which have contributed to its improved performance over the last few years. Most of the data presented are based on the 1997 Annual Survey of Manufactures (ASM).