Analysis

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This document describes the process of commissioning market research at Imperial Oil Limited. It outlines the management processes that precede commissioning and defines the expectations of a typical buyer of research work. It also examines the need to have a satisfactory business relationship between the buyer and the seller, and it provides a list of the attributes most often considered by a company seeking a supplier for a particular research project.

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This paper provides a summary description of some of the characteristics of the proposals for new surveys submitted to Statistics Canada for review and consultation by other federal government departments. It describes which departments have been involved, gives details of the types of studies proposed and methodologies used, and deals briefly with some of the problems which the review process has uncovered.

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This paper examines the effects of fertility, mortality and migration on the age profile of the Canadian population, particularly the effect of fluctuating fertility patterns which have occurred since the second World War. The author analyses the impact on social services and the economy as the shifting requirements of the “Baby Boom” cohorts move through their life cycle.

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A major packaged goods manufacturer details his firm’s assemblage and application of market understanding information, impact information, market tracking, share/volume forecasting and documentation procedure.

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Increasing costs without a concomitant increase in research budgets are putting severe strains on research quality. Improvements in technology, however, both in the physical domain and in the conceptual domain are sufficient to maintain research productivity at least at its prior level.

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Due to the absence of hard data and the lack of standardization with respect to nonresponse terminology and reporting procedures, U.S. commercial survey researchers have been unable to obtain an accurate assessment of the nature and extent of the nonresponse problem. However, the results of two recent studies conducted by the author among leading U.S. based market and public opinion research firms revealed that nonresponse is one of the major problems now confronting the commercial survey research industry. This paper discusses the results of the two studies and their implications.

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The article provides a general overview of the concepts of incomplete data and non-response. It is recognized that non-response is an important indicator of data quality, as it affects the estimators by introducing bias and increasing variance due to a reduction in the effective sample size. The relationship between bias and the non-response rate is less obvious, since it depends on the extent of non-response and on the difference in the various characteristics between respondents and non-respondents.

The most effective way of dealing with the effects of non-response is to minimize its extent. However, any attempt to control the extent of non-response must be based on a good understanding of its origins. The causes and extent of non-response are fundamentally related to (i) the type of survey, (ii) the data capture methods, and (iii) the sample design. However, given a sample design, the extent of non-response will be influenced by factors such as the type of region and the type of non-response.

There are several ways to handle incomplete data. Each one, in the end, assigns a value to the missing or incorrect data, unless it is decided to publish “raw” data. The procedure for assigning values is called imputation and such an imputed value presumably describes the characteristic of the non-respondent.

The article provides a brief philosophical explanation about validation and imputation and their applications in the methodology of the various imputation procedures. These include weighting, replication, hot deck imputation using previous data and substitution by a zero value. The using of imputation compared with the methods used in the Canadian Labour Force Survey (LFS) is also discussed. A decision table is provided indicating the various steps to follow for a particular case of a partially completed LFS questionnaire.

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This presentation focuses on the present and future social needs of the public, and tracking these needs by surveys. It is divided into two parts. First, the writer gives some history of the tracking systems. Then, he speaks about the future and his forecasts for the new tracking systems.

Description: This paper makes a proposal to create a new type of information bank, the “Synthetic Data Bank”. This type of bank would involve linking information from two data banks to create a third. The result would be that much greater use could be made of existing data banks in conjunction with new data collection activities. This would mean a significant reduction in the amount of data to be collected which, in effect, could potentially reduce both data collection costs and response burden. The paper suggests a number of considerations in developing statistical techniques to facilitate the creation of such an information linkage concept. Some of these techniques are to be found in modern literature’ others may well have to be developed.

Description: My brief as a speaker was to comment on points raised in the opening session, within the general theme of serving the needs of research users in the 1980’s. This scheme did not allow a prepared paper, and my impromptu comments tended to be discussive. Below is a summary of my main points, leaving out anecdotes and examples used in the actual talk.

Description: Are you feeling like it's a little bit harder to bring home the bacon... from the grocery store? The latest data indicate that food prices have mostly stabilized... but why does it feel like the cost of feeding your family is still going up? Today, we're talking food inflation with StatCan's resident smart cookie Taylor Mitchell.

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 infographic uses data from the 2018 and 2022 Canadian Internet Use Survey to examine patterns and trends in online banking by population groups.

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

Description: From January 2nd to February 5th, 2024, Statistics Canada conducted the Canadian Survey on Business Conditions. The purpose of this survey is to collect information on businesses in Canada related to emerging issues. This iteration of the survey focuses on business expectations and business conditions in Canada. In addition, the questionnaire for the first quarter of 2024 includes a component specifically for non-profit organizations (NPOs). The intent of this set of questions is to address a present data gap and to provide a better understanding of the non-profit sector. This infographic presents key results from this.

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

Description: This infographic presents some highlights from the 2022 Canadian Income Survey data.

Description: Canada’s Poverty Reduction Strategy introduced the Official Poverty Line for Canada and a dashboard of 12 indicators to track progress on poverty reduction for Canadians and their households. This infographic presents trend information for Canada's official poverty rate and the associated 12 indicators.

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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.

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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.

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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?

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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).

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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).

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This report presents results from the Survey of 1995 Graduates Who Moved to the United States. Both the survey and this report were conducted in partnership between Human Resources Development Canada (HRDC) and Statistics Canada. The survey covered post-secondary graduates from the class of '95 who moved to the U.S. between graduation and the summer of 1997. These graduates were surveyed to obtain information on their characteristics, reasons for relocating to the U.S., education and work experiences, and plans for the future.

This report is also available on HRDC's web site at: www.hrdc-drhc.gc.ca/arb. Additional reports on the experience of post-secondary graduates are also available on the same web site.

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This document is an examination of the present use of two case management tools in the Canadian civil courts: time limits and formal notification requirements. Time limits refer to the established time periods outlined for the conclusion of critical steps in the litigation process. These address individual case movement in the court system. Formal notification requirements relate to an obligation by the parties to notify the court when an action has terminated. These requirements serve to inform overall case disposition irrespective of any target disposition dates that may be in effect.

The current study examines the situation in Canadian provinces and territories with respect to the existence and observance of time limits and formal notification requirements. This examination is timely because a number of jurisdictions are presently engaged in building or modifying automated case management systems. As well, many jurisdictions are re-examining case management in an attempt to increase the speed of case processing and lessen backlog in the courts.

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This publication presents data from four special studies conducted in Canadian civil courts by Statistics Canada's Canadian Centre for Justice Statistics.

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The second edition of Historical statistics of Canada was jointly produced by the Social Science Federation of Canada and Statistics Canada in 1983. This volume contains about 1,088 statistical tables on the social, economic and institutional conditions of Canada from the start of Confederation in 1867 to the mid-1970s. The tables are arranged in sections with an introduction explaining the content of each section, the principal sources of data for each table, and general explanatory notes regarding the statistics. In most cases, there is sufficient description of the individual series to enable the reader to use them without consulting the numerous basic sources referenced in the publication.

The electronic version of this historical publication is accessible on the Internet site of Statistics Canada as a free downloadable document: text as HTML pages and all tables as individual spreadsheets in a comma delimited format (CSV) (which allows online viewing or downloading).

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The Employment Insurance Coverage Survey was conducted during 4 months of 1998 to provide information on the ceverage of the jobless and part-time worker population by Employment Insurance. It is a survey of individuals sampled from Labour Force Survey participants; these were interviewed by telephone. The report attempts to answer the following questions: How many unemployed persons has insurable employment? How many have access to the benefits provided by EI? How many are eligible for benefits? Those not covered or not receiving benefits are identified. Finally, what are the alternative sources of revenue of the unemployed? This report analyses the main findings from the survey for Canada. It compares outcomes to the previous years' results. It also presents some beneficiary/unemployed ratio data to put the results in a historical context.

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The results of special business surveys conducted on a cost-recovery basis on behalf of clients outside Statistics Canada are published in this series, one issue per survey. The first issue presents the results of the 1995 Survey of Practices in Support of Quality Services in the Federal Public Service.

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The leather and allied products major group includes four industries, the most important of which is the footwear industry. These industries have experienced problems causing a steady shrinkage, which began in the 1960s and continued up to 1996. In 1997, shipments of manufactured goods increased by 6% compared to a 4% drop the previous year. This paper, based mainly on the results of the 1996 Annual Survey of Manufactures (ASM), examines some of the factors affecting these industries and compares their performance with that of the manufacturing sector overall.

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The Youth Custody and Community Services (YCCS) Survey is a micro-data survey, conducted annually since 1992. The YCCS survey collects data from jurisdictional operational systems via electronic interfaces. Data are forwarded to the Centre, processed, and returned to jurisdictions as aggregate data tables for verification and sign-off. The survey collects a wide array of information on young offender admissions to custody and community services (e.g., custody type, crime committed, sentence length, age, gender, Aboriginal/non-Aboriginal). The YCCS annual report is the primary vehicle for disseminating young offender information on prison populations and the use of community sanctions. To date, there have been four releases (Initiative only) of the YCCS annual report. Jurisdictional coverage varied from report to report since YCCS interfaces were phased-in over several years.

Interface projects have been completed, and data are being collected from Newfoundland, Prince Edward Island, New Brunswick, Manitoba, Alberta, British Columbia, and Yukon. In addition, the interface project for Nova Scotia is nearing completion. Together, these jurisdictions represent 47% of the national coverage of youth corrections. While the development of an electronic interface is presently not feasible in some jurisdictions, Ontario and Quebec are able to provide some of the aggregate data required to populate the tables contained in the annual report. With the addition of Ontario and Quebec in 1998-99, only data from Saskatchewan and the Northwest Territories would be missing from the annual report.

Further, in preparation for the proposed release of YCCS data, and as part of Statistics Canada's ongoing survey review process, the YCCS survey is currently undergoing a detailed methodological review, with particular attention to data quality issues and output.

The inclusion of aggregate data from Ontario and Quebec will increase the coverage of the YCCS significantly. Also, the methodological review of the YCCS will assess the reliability of the data elements covered in the annual report. Since the survey has been in operation since 1992 and since the YCCS is the primary source of young offender information on prison populations and the use of community sanctions.

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This report, revised in May 1999, describes the Electronic Publications Pilot (EPP) which was conducted to gather knowledge on how library staff and their clients are adjusting to the Internet. The pilot was conducted from September 1996 to September 1997 as a joint initiative of Statistics Canada and the Depository Services Program (DSP), in partnership with the depository library community. The objective of the pilot was to assess the impact of replacing print publications with electronic equivalents via the Internet in DSP libraries. This objective was based on an assumption that the electronic medium will complement print rather than replace it entirely and that departments will continue to produce some print publications in the future. The major conclusions of the pilot cover resources and training, web site feedback, selection of publications for conversion to electronic format, web site access and security, publication functionality and access and archiving.