Analysis

Description:

In the U.S. Census of Population and Housing, a sample of about one-in-six of the households receives a longer version of the census questionnaire called the long form. All others receive a version called the short form. Raking, using selected control totals from the short form, has been used to create two sets of weights for long form estimation; one for individuals and one for households. We describe a weight construction method based on quadratic programming that produces household weights such that the weighted sum for individual characteristics and for household characteristics agree closely with selected short form totals. The method is broadly applicable to situations where weights are to be constructed to meet both size bounds and sum-to-control restrictions. Application to the situation where the controls are estimates with an estimated covariance matrix is described.

Description:

The weighting cell estimator corrects for unit nonresponse by dividing the sample into homogeneous groups (cells) and applying a ratio correction to the respondents within each cell. Previous studies of the statistical properties of weighting cell estimators have assumed that these cells correspond to known population cells with homogeneous characteristics. In this article, we study the properties of the weighting cell estimator under a response probability model that does not require correct specification of homogeneous population cells. Instead, we assume that the response probabilities are a smooth but otherwise unspecified function of a known auxiliary variable. Under this more general model, we study the robustness of the weighting cell estimator against model misspecification. We show that, even when the population cells are unknown, the estimator is consistent with respect to the sampling design and the response model. We describe the effect of the number of weighting cells on the asymptotic properties of the estimator. Simulation experiments explore the finite sample properties of the estimator. We conclude with some guidance on how to select the size and number of cells for practical implementation of weighting cell estimation when those cells cannot be specified a priori.

Description:

When imputation is used to assign values for missing items in sample surveys, naïve methods of estimating the variances of survey estimates that treat the imputed values as if they were observed give biased variance estimates. This article addresses the problem of variance estimation for a linear estimator in which missing values are assigned by a single hot deck imputation (a form of imputation that is widely used in practice). We propose estimators of the variance of a linear hot deck imputed estimator using a decomposition of the total variance suggested by Särndal (1992). A conditional approach to variance estimation is developed that is applicable to both weighted and unweighted hot deck imputation. Estimation of the variance of a domain estimator is also examined.

Description:

One of the main objectives of a sample survey is the computation of estimates of means and totals for specific domains of interest. Domains are determined either before the survey is carried out (primary domains) or after it has been carried out (secondary domains). The reliability of the associated estimates depends on the variability of the sample size as well as on the y-variables of interest. This variability cannot be controlled in the absence of auxiliary information for subgroups of the population. However, if auxiliary information is available, the estimated reliability of the resulting estimates can be controlled to some extent. In this paper, we study the potential improvements in terms of the reliability of domain estimates that use auxiliary information. The properties (bias, coverage, efficiency) of various estimators that use auxiliary information are compared using a conditional approach.

Description:

This article studies the use of the sample distribution for the prediction of finite population totals under single-stage sampling. The proposed predictors employ the sample values of the target study variable, the sampling weights of the sample units and possibly known population values of auxiliary variables. The prediction problem is solved by estimating the expectation of the study values for units outside the sample as a function of the corresponding expectation under the sample distribution and the sampling weights. The prediction mean square error is estimated by a combination of an inverse sampling procedure and a re-sampling method. An interesting outcome of the present analysis is that several familiar estimators in common use are shown to be special cases of the proposed approach, thus providing them a new interpretation. The performance of the new and some old predictors in common use is evaluated and compared by a Monte Carlo simulation study using a real data set.

Description:

Multilevel models are often fitted to survey data gathered with a complex multistage sampling design. However, if such a design is informative, in the sense that the inclusion probabilities depend on the response variable even after conditioning on the covariates, then standard maximum likelihood estimators are biased. In this paper, following the Pseudo Maximum Likelihood (PML) approach of Skinner (1989), we propose a probability weighted estimation procedure for multilevel ordinal and binary models which eliminates the bias generated by the informativeness of the design. The reciprocals of the inclusion probabilities at each sampling stage are used to weight the log likelihood function and the weighted estimators obtained in this way are tested by means of a simulation study for the simple case of a binary random intercept model with and without covariates. The variance estimators are obtained by a bootstrap procedure. The maximization of the weighted log likelihood of the model is done by the NLMIXED procedure of the SAS, which is based on adaptive Gaussian quadrature. Also the bootstrap estimation of variances is implemented in the SAS environment.

Description:

The Canadian 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 micro-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, 25 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 employed respondents, and on the date last worked, for those not employed - together with the date of survey responses - allow the construction of models that include terms reflecting seasonality and macro-economic cycles as well as the duration dependence of each type of transition. In addition, the LFS data permits 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 incorporated in the LifePaths microsimulation model. In that setting, the equations have been used to simulate lifetime employment activity from past, present and future birth cohorts. Simulation results have been validated by comparison with the age profiles of LFS employment/population ratios for the period 1976 to 2001.

Description:

Combining response data from the Belgian Fertility and Family Survey with individual level and municipality level data from the 1991 Census for both nonrespondents and respondents, multilevel logistic regression models for contact and cooperation propensity are estimated. The covariates introduced are a selection of indirect features, all out of the researchers' direct control. Contrary to previous research, Socio Economic Status is found to be positively related to cooperation. Another unexpected result is the absence of any considerable impact of ecological correlates such as urbanity.

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:

This study examines variation among Canadian schools and provinces in their reading performance. It uses data from the 2000 Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development's (OECD).

Description: This infographic presents data on the gender representation of Federal Members of Parliament from 1997 to 2023 and Federal Members of Cabinet from 2002 to 2023 in Canada’s provinces and territories.

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 infographic presents alcohol and cannabis sales in Canada for the period from April 1, 2022, to March 31, 2023. It gives a breakdown of sales by type of alcoholic beverage and cannabis product. It also shows the revenue governments earned from the control and sale of alcoholic beverages and cannabis products.

Description: This infographic focuses on sports participation, based on data from the Survey Series on People and their Communities - Sport, Workplace Culture, Political Engagement and Shared Values collected from May to July 2023. The infographic presents data for the population aged 15 years and older on sport participation rates, the most popular sports, barriers to sport participation and reasons to participate in sports. This project falls under the Disaggregated Data Action Plan (DDAP) and aims to showcase data on sports participation among racialized individuals and immigrants.

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: The following presentation uses recently disaggregated macroeconomic accounts data to explore the contribution of housing to the accumulation of wealth and debt for Canadian families.

Description: From 2010 to 2019, the Labour Force Survey (LFS) response rate – or the proportion of selected households who complete an LFS interview – had been on a slow downward trend, due to a range of social and technological changes which have made it more challenging to contact selected households and to persuade Canadians to participate when they are contacted. These factors were exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, which resulted in the suspension of face-to-face interviewing between April 2020 and fall 2022. Statistics Canada is committed to restoring LFS response rates to the greatest extent possible. This technical paper discusses two initiatives that are underway to ensure that the LFS estimates continue to provide an accurate and representative portrait of the Canadian labour market.

Description: This research paper examines shelter and transportation costs within census metropolitan areas (CMAs). The paper begins by describing a proposed methodology for delineating urban and suburban sub-regions within CMA Market Basket Measure (MBM) regions. It then presents new shelter and transportation costs based on the new delineations and assesses the extent to which differences in costs between urban and suburban sub-regions differ. The analysis concludes by examining how the new delineations would impact the estimation of poverty rates had they been implemented. This paper also provides an opportunity for the public and stakeholders to provide feedback and comments.

Description: This study examines enrolment in French-language elementary schools in the Maritime provinces—i.e., New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island—according to the distance between children’s homes and French- and English-language schools. The study is based on data from the 2021 Census of Population and on data from the 2022 Open Database on Educational Facilities.

Description: This document describes the methodology, concepts and data sources used in the compilation of statistics on the underground economy in Canada, which provide information on the extent of underground economic activity in Canada and its provinces and territories.

Description: This discussion paper describes considerations for applying the Market Basket Measure (MBM) methodology onto a purely administrative data source. The paper will begin by outlining a rationale for estimating MBM poverty statistics using administrative income data sources. It then explains a proposal for creating annual samples along with the caveats of creating these samples, followed by a brief analysis using the proposed samples. The paper concludes with potential future improvements to the samples and provides the opportunity for reader’s feedback.

Description: This paper examines the emigration of immigrants using the Longitudinal Immigration Database (IMDB). An indirect definition of emigration is proposed that leverages the information available in the IMDB. This study found that emigration of immigrants is a significant phenomenon. Certain characteristics of immigrants, such as having children, admission category and country of birth, have a strong correlation with emigration.

Description: Using 2021 Census data, this article examines the link between working from home and the languages used at work. It focuses on three Census metropolitan areas (CMAs) of Moncton, Montréal and Ottawa–Gatineau—three regions where both English and French are used widely at work.

Description: This article provides an in-depth look at trends in fertility in Canada from 1921 to 2022. The evolution of the total fertility rate (TFR) over time is examined, with a special focus on shifts that have occurred following the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. The shifts observed in Canada's TFR from 2019 to 2022 are situated in an international context, and differences among the provincial and territories are explored. Also, year-over-year changes in the monthly number of births are analyzed and contrasted with the experience of other countries. Lastly, trends in age-specific fertility rates and the average age of childbearing in Canada are described, as well the cumulated fertility of different cohorts of women to date.

Description: This Juristat article examines the nature and prevalence of firearm-related violent crime in Canada. Recent trends in firearm-related violent crime are presented at the national, provincial/territorial and census metropolitan area levels as well as for urban and rural regions.

Description: Goats are raised to produce dairy, meat, fibre and skin products. The demand for these products has risen over time in Canada. Results from the Census of Agriculture show that despite a decline in the number of farms reporting goats, the overall number of goats reported on farms in Canada has significantly increased over the last 30 years—largely because of increases in Ontario, where the greatest share of goats has been reported.

Description: The series covers environment accounts and indicators, environmental surveys, spatial environmental information and other research related to environmental statistics. The technical paper series is intended to stimulate discussion on a range of environmental topics.

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.

Description: This series of analytical articles provides insights on the socio-economic environment in rural communities in Canada. New articles will be released periodically.

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: Reports on Special Business Projects is an occasional series that focuses primarily on the results of special surveys or special projects conducted by the Centre for Special Business Projects. The reports cover a wide range of topics, which include business performance and trends, custom tabulations of business data, economic impact studies, new measurement frameworks and indicators to support program development, monitoring and performance assessment, territorial economic indicators and other special studies.

Description: The fact sheets in this series provide an "at-a-glance" overview of particular aspects of education in Canada and summarize key data trends in selected tables published as part of the Pan-Canadian Education Indicators Program (PCEIP).

The PCEIP mission is to publish a set of statistical measures on education systems in Canada for policy makers, practitioners and the general public to monitor the performance of education systems across jurisdictions and over time. PCEIP is a joint venture of Statistics Canada and the Council of Ministers of Education, Canada (CMEC).

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:

The articles published in EnviroStats use statistics to illustrate topical environmental issues. The publication is intended for a general readership rather than an expert audience.

Description:

This publication presents annual estimates of population for subprovincial areas of Canada, such as census metropolitan areas (CMAs), census agglomerations (CAs), economic regions (ERs) and census divisions (CDs). The following components of population change are also presented: births, deaths, immigration, emigration, returning emigration, net temporary emigration, net non-permanent residents and interprovincial and intraprovincial migration. The estimates are based on the most recent census of population results available at the time of publication, which have been adjusted for census net undercoverage (including adjustment for incompletely enumerated Indian reserves). This publication also contains highlights and an analysis of the most recent demographic trends, as well as a description of the concepts, methods and data quality of the estimates.

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.