Analysis

Description:

Canadians were early adopters of broadband Internet services, and Canada continues to lead the G7 group of industrialized countries in broadband penetration. In 2003, approximately 65% of Canadian households with home Internet connections had broadband connections, a number that increased to 81% in 2005. It is assumed that the high adoption rates reflect a population that is well-prepared to use the Internet to access education, health, government, business and entertainment services. However, the adoption of broadband alone is not a panacea for users. How the broadband connection is used is critical to understanding impacts. By analyzing Statistics Canada's Household Internet Use Survey (HIUS) data, this paper makes the case that not all broadband households are the same. It demonstrates that understanding how often and for what purposes Canadian households are using their broadband connections allows for a fuller examination of Internet usage than simply measuring broadband access rates. As the data will show, broadband access does not imply full usage of broadband services. This study identifies differences within broadband households, and explains why it is important to recognize the differences in their usage behaviours.

Description:

In Canada, there has been growing discussion over the aging of the population and other socio-demographic trends which affect the availability of the informal support network of the elderly population. Noting the lower fertility rates of baby boomers, the increased participation of women in the labour force and changing family structure in terms of increased divorce and reconstituted families, assumptions of continued high level assistance from informal support networks - family and friends - are often criticized.

The main objective of this research is to project the future availability of informal support network to meet the need for assistance in performing everyday activities among the disabled elderly population for the period 2001 to 2031. The research examined both sides - supply and demand - of the projected increases in need for assistance for disabled older persons. Future trends are analyzed in terms of demand for support, (that is, changes in the rates of disability among the elderly population), and supply of informal support, (which is largely related to the extent and composition of the family network). Data from two national surveys, the 1996 National Population Health Survey (NPHS) and the 1996 General Social Survey (GSS), are used to identify factors associated with disability and sources of assistance among the elderly population. These results were entered into Statistics Canada's LifePaths microsimulation model to project the use of informal and formal networks in the future. The model also incorporates three disability scenarios to test the sensitivity of the projections when different assumptions are considered. The implications of these trends on the future need for chronic home care services are discussed.

The results show that for the period 2001 to 2031, the average annual growth rate of the number of disabled elderly needing assistance could be about 2.5%. However, the sensitivity analysis shows that an improvement in the health of the population could reduce in a non negligible way this growth rate.

The results also show that, all things being equal, a greater proportion of elderly persons living with a spouse would relieve some of the pressure on the formal network. This positive effect could be dampened in part when joint survivorship is also meaning joint disability.

Description:

This article investigates associations that may underlie the blurred or positive gradient between socio-economic status (SES) and overweight, and also gender differences, by assessing the distribution of risk factors for overweight across SES groups.

Description:

A selective approach may be used in an ecological study where the aim is to choose a subset of units of analysis (UAs) and produce interpretations about a population of interest (PI) based solely on those UAs. The results for the PI will be reliable if that population is concentrated in the selected UAs and rare in other UAs. This article presents a graphical tool that helps determine whether these conditions are satisfied.

Description:

This article uses data from the Youth in Transition Survey (YITS) to link the self-rated ability of youth to converse in both English and French at age 21 to the type of language schooling they had received in elementary and high school. YITS collected information on mother tongue, language of school system (at age 15) as well as information (from parents) on whether and when students had been enrolled in some form of immersion, extended or intensive language program. Information was also collected on self-rated ability to converse in French and English. It is therefore possible to look at rates of bilingualism for youth with varying amounts of second-language schooling.

Description:

The past 25 years has seen a more or less continuous deterioration in the economic outcomes for immigrants entering Canada. However, economic outcomes for second-generation Canadians (children of immigrants) are more positive, and in spite of the economic difficulties, after four years in Canada most immigrants entering in 2000 remained positive regarding their immigration decision, citing the freedom, safety, rights, security and prospects for the future as the aspects they appreciate most in Canada. This paper reviews what we know about the economic deterioration, and the possible reasons behind it, in particular based on the research conducted at Statistics Canada. It also outlines the data development undertaken by Statistics Canada and its policy department partners to support increased research of this topic. From 2002 to 2008, Statistics Canada released 64 research articles on the above topics, and others related to immigration. The research suggests that through the 1980s and 1990s three factors were associated with the deterioration in economic outcomes: (1) the changing mix of source regions and related issues such as language and school quality, (2) declining returns to foreign experience, and (3) the deterioration in economic outcomes for all new labour market entrants, of which immigrants are a special case. After 2000, the reasons appear to be different, and are associated more with the dramatic increase in the number of engineers and information technology (IT) workers entering Canada, and the IT economic downturn. Data also suggest that, by and large, Canadians continue to see immigration as an important part of the development of Canada and that they continue to support it. The paper reviews Statistics Canada research that indicates that economic outcomes for most second-generation Canadians remain very positive. Finally, there is a discussion of the interaction between immigration and social cohesion in Canada, and possible reasons as to why we have not seen the discontent with immigration policy in Canada that has been observed in some European countries.

Description:

This Juristat presents a socio-demographic profile of police officers and individuals working in private security occupations. Using the Census of Population and Housing from 1991, 1996, 2001, and 2006 as the primary data sources, employment figures for those working in private security and public policing occupations are provided. Other characteristics of these occupational groups such as gender, age, education, visible minority and Aboriginal status as well as income are also included. The traditional and emerging roles of public police and private security personnel, as well as the systems of governance under which each operates are also discussed.

Description:

This Juristat article describes changes in the characteristics of adults admitted to custody between 2001/2002 and 2006/2007. These characteristics include median age of adults, gender, Aboriginal identity and type of offence. This report also details the short-term and long-term changes in the number of adults admitted to custody, as well as the treatment requirements of adults admitted to custody in 2006/2007.

Description:

This article analyses data on police-reported motor vehicle thefts in Canada. It examines the long and short-term trends at the national, provincial/territorial and census metropolitan levels. The primary motivations for motor vehicle theft, namely "joy-riding" and organized crime, are discussed. Various auto theft prevention strategies, including youth-focused programs and the installation of electronic immobilizers, are highlighted.

Description:

In 2004/2005, the International Crime Victimization Survey (ICVS) was conducted for a fifth time. The purpose of the ICVS is to provide comparable international information on the nature and extent of crime using a standard questionnaire, survey procedures and techniques. The international survey measures the prevalence of victimization among people aged 16 and over, based on a series of ten offences. It also covers the reporting of criminal victimization incidents to the police, satisfaction with the police response, victim support, fear of crime, use of crime prevention measures and attitudes toward sentences.

This article is an adaptation of the publication Criminal Victimisation in International Perspective Key findings from the 2004-2005 ICVS and EU ICS. It compares Canada's results with those of other countries who participated in the 2004/2005 survey, focusing on several aspects: victimization prevalence rates, the rates of reporting to the police, and respondents' satisfaction with the police.

Canada participated in the most recent cycle of the survey conducted by Léger Marketing through the Department of Justice of Canada. It is one of the 30 countries that participated in the 2004/2005 cycle, and one of five industrialized countries to have participated in all cycles of the survey.

Description:

This is one of three fact sheets in the series using information from the 2006 Aboriginal Peoples Survey (APS) and 2006 Census. The purpose of this fact sheet is to provide information on the topics of access to health professionals, chronic conditions, smoking rates, dental care, barriers to school completion, food insecurity, harvesting country food and country food consumption and sharing. Results are presented for Inuit children aged six to 14 and Inuit aged 15 and over. Findings are for Inuit at the national level, for those in each of the four Inuit regions (Nunatsiavut, Nunavik, Nunavut and the Inuvialuit region) and in some cases, for those outside the Inuit regions.

Description:

This publication presents recent information on the performance and funding of Federal government expenditures on scientific activities, 2008/2009 (intentions). The statistics presented are derived from the survey of science and technology (S&T) activities of federal departments and agencies.

Description:

This is one of three fact sheets in the series using information from the 2006 Aboriginal Children's Survey (ACS) and 2006 Census. The purpose of this fact sheet is to provide information on the topics of family (persons involved in raising children, size of families, age of parents, lone parent families), socio-economic status (low-income economic families), feelings about community (as a place to raise children), and cultural activities (participation in traditional activities, having someone to help the child understand Métis history and culture, cultural activities in child care) for Métis children under six years of age.

Description:

This is one of three fact sheets in the series using information from the 2006 Aboriginal Children's Survey (ACS) and 2006 Census. The purpose of this fact sheet is to provide information on the topics of family (persons involved in raising children, size of families, age of parents, lone parent families, living with grandparents), socio-economic status (low-income economic families), feelings about community (as a place to raise children), and cultural activities (participation in traditional activities, having someone to help the child understand First Nations history and culture, cultural activities in child care) for First Nations children under 6 years of age living off reserve.

Description:

This is one of three fact sheets in the series using information from the 2006 Aboriginal Children's Survey (ACS) and 2006 Census. The purpose of this fact sheet is to provide information on the topics of family (persons involved in raising children, size of families, age of parents, adoption, living with grandparents), housing conditions (crowding, dwellings in need of major repairs, levels of satisfaction with housing conditions), feelings about community (facilities), and cultural activities (participation in traditional activities, having someone to help the child understand Inuit history and culture, cultural activities in child care). Results are presented for all Inuit children. Some results are also presented for those in Inuit Nunaat (meaning Inuit homeland): Nunatsiavut in northern Labrador, the territory of Nunavut, Nunavik in northern Quebec, and the Inuvialuit Settlement Region in the Northwest Territories.

Description:

This is one of three fact sheets in the series using information from the 2006 Aboriginal Children's Survey (ACS) and 2006 Census. The purpose of this fact sheet is to provide information on the topics of family (persons involved in raising children, size of families, age of parents, lone parent families), socio-economic status (low-income economic families), feelings about community (as a place to raise children), and cultural activities (participation in traditional activities, having someone to help the child understand Métis history and culture, cultural activities in child care) for Métis children under six years of age.

Description:

This is one of three fact sheets in the series using information from the 2006 Aboriginal Children's Survey (ACS) and 2006 Census. The purpose of this fact sheet is to provide information on the topics of family (persons involved in raising children, size of families, age of parents, lone parent families, living with grandparents), socio-economic status (low-income economic families), feelings about community (as a place to raise children), and cultural activities (participation in traditional activities, having someone to help the child understand First Nations history and culture, cultural activities in child care) for First Nations children under six years of age living off reserve.

Description:

This is one of three fact sheets in the series using information from the 2006 Aboriginal Children's Survey (ACS) and 2006 Census. The purpose of this fact sheet is to provide information on the topics of family (persons involved in raising children, size of families, age of parents, adoption, living with grandparents), housing conditions (crowding, dwellings in need of major repairs, levels of satisfaction with housing conditions), feelings about community (facilities), and cultural activities (participation in traditional activities, having someone to help the child understand Inuit history and culture, cultural activities in child care). Results are presented for all Inuit children. Some results are also presented for those in Inuit Nunaat (meaning Inuit homeland): Nunatsiavut in northern Labrador, the territory of Nunavut, Nunavik in northern Quebec, and the Inuvialuit Settlement Region in the Northwest Territories.

Description:

The information in this document is intended primarily to be used by scientific and technological (S&T) policy makers, both federal and provincial, largely as a basis for inter-provincial and inter-sectoral comparisons. The statistics are aggregates of the provincial government and provincial research organization science surveys conducted by Statistics Canada under contract with the provinces, and cover the period 2002/2003 to 2006/2007.

Description:

This service bulletin contains historical and current data on research and development (R&D) expenditures and personnel in Canada, by industry. In Canada, the industrial or business enterprise sector is the largest R&D performer.

Description:

The context of the discussion is the increasing incidence of international surveys, of which one is the International Tobacco Control (ITC) Policy Evaluation Project, which began in 2002. The ITC country surveys are longitudinal, and their aim is to evaluate the effects of policy measures being introduced in various countries under the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control. The challenges of organization, data collection and analysis in international surveys are reviewed and illustrated. Analysis is an increasingly important part of the motivation for large scale cross-cultural surveys. The fundamental challenge for analysis is to discern the real response (or lack of response) to policy change, separating it from the effects of data collection mode, differential non-response, external events, time-in-sample, culture, and language. Two problems relevant to statistical analysis are discussed. The first problem is the question of when and how to analyze pooled data from several countries, in order to strengthen conclusions which might be generally valid. While in some cases this seems to be straightforward, there are differing opinions on the extent to which pooling is possible and reasonable. It is suggested that for formal comparisons, random effects models are of conceptual use. The second problem is to find models of measurement across cultures and data collection modes which will enable calibration of continuous, binary and ordinal responses, and produce comparisons from which extraneous effects have been removed. It is noted that hierarchical models provide a natural way of relaxing requirements of model invariance across groups.

Description:

Dependent interviewing (DI) is used in many longitudinal surveys to "feed forward" data from one wave to the next. Though it is a promising technique which has been demonstrated to enhance data quality in certain respects, relatively little is known about how it is actually administered in the field. This research seeks to address this issue through behavior coding. Various styles of DI were employed in the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing (ELSA) in January, 2006, and recordings were made of pilot field interviews. These recordings were analysed to determine whether the questions (particularly the DI aspects) were administered appropriately and to explore the respondent's reaction to the fed-forward data. Of particular interest was whether respondents confirmed or challenged the previously-reported information, whether the prior wave data came into play when respondents were providing their current-wave answers, and how any discrepancies were negotiated by the interviewer and respondent. Also of interest was to examine the effectiveness of various styles of DI. For example, in some cases the prior wave data was brought forward and respondents were asked to explicitly confirm it; in other cases the previous data was read and respondents were asked if the situation was still the same. Results indicate varying levels of compliance in terms of initial question-reading, and suggest that some styles of DI may be more effective than others.

Description:

In longitudinal surveys nonresponse often occurs in a pattern that is not monotone. We consider estimation of time-dependent means under the assumption that the nonresponse mechanism is last-value-dependent. Since the last value itself may be missing when nonresponse is nonmonotone, the nonresponse mechanism under consideration is nonignorable. We propose an imputation method by first deriving some regression imputation models according to the nonresponse mechanism and then applying nonparametric regression imputation. We assume that the longitudinal data follow a Markov chain with finite second-order moments. No other assumption is imposed on the joint distribution of longitudinal data and their nonresponse indicators. A bootstrap method is applied for variance estimation. Some simulation results and an example concerning the Current Employment Survey are presented.

Description:

Sample weights can be calibrated to reflect the known population totals of a set of auxiliary variables. Predictors of finite population totals calculated using these weights have low bias if these variables are related to the variable of interest, but can have high variance if too many auxiliary variables are used. This article develops an "adaptive calibration" approach, where the auxiliary variables to be used in weighting are selected using sample data. Adaptively calibrated estimators are shown to have lower mean squared error and better coverage properties than non-adaptive estimators in many cases.

Description:

We propose a method for estimating the variance of estimators of changes over time, a method that takes account of all the components of these estimators: the sampling design, treatment of non-response, treatment of large companies, correlation of non-response from one wave to another, the effect of using a panel, robustification, and calibration using a ratio estimator. This method, which serves to determine the confidence intervals of changes over time, is then applied to the Swiss survey of value added.

Description:

The analysis of stratified multistage sample data requires the use of design information such as stratum and primary sampling unit (PSU) identifiers, or associated replicate weights, in variance estimation. In some public release data files, such design information is masked as an effort to avoid their disclosure risk and yet to allow the user to obtain valid variance estimation. For example, in area surveys with a limited number of PSUs, the original PSUs are split or/and recombined to construct pseudo-PSUs with swapped second or subsequent stage sampling units. Such PSU masking methods, however, obviously distort the clustering structure of the sample design, yielding biased variance estimates possibly with certain systematic patterns between two variance estimates from the unmasked and masked PSU identifiers. Some of the previous work observed patterns in the ratio of the masked and unmasked variance estimates when plotted against the unmasked design effect. This paper investigates the effect of PSU masking on variance estimates under cluster sampling regarding various aspects including the clustering structure and the degree of masking. Also, we seek a PSU masking strategy through swapping of subsequent stage sampling units that helps reduce the resulting biases of the variance estimates. For illustration, we used data from the National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) with some artificial modification. The proposed strategy performs very well in reducing the biases of variance estimates. Both theory and empirical results indicate that the effect of PSU masking on variance estimates is modest with minimal swapping of subsequent stage sampling units. The proposed masking strategy has been applied to the 2003-2004 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) data release.

Description:

The design of a stratified simple random sample without replacement from a finite population deals with two main issues: the definition of a rule to partition the population into strata, and the allocation of sampling units in the selected strata. This article examines a tree-based strategy which plans to approach jointly these issues when the survey is multipurpose and multivariate information, quantitative or qualitative, is available. Strata are formed through a hierarchical divisive algorithm that selects finer and finer partitions by minimizing, at each step, the sample allocation required to achieve the precision levels set for each surveyed variable. In this way, large numbers of constraints can be satisfied without drastically increasing the sample size, and also without discarding variables selected for stratification or diminishing the number of their class intervals. Furthermore, the algorithm tends not to define empty or almost empty strata, thus avoiding the need for strata collapsing aggregations. The procedure was applied to redesign the Italian Farm Structure Survey. The results indicate that the gain in efficiency held using our strategy is nontrivial. For a given sample size, this procedure achieves the required precision by exploiting a number of strata which is usually a very small fraction of the number of strata available when combining all possible classes from any of the covariates.

Description:

Optimum stratification is the method of choosing the best boundaries that make strata internally homogeneous, given some sample allocation. In order to make the strata internally homogenous, the strata should be constructed in such a way that the strata variances for the characteristic under study be as small as possible. This could be achieved effectively by having the distribution of the main study variable known and create strata by cutting the range of the distribution at suitable points. If the frequency distribution of the study variable is unknown, it may be approximated from the past experience or some prior knowledge obtained at a recent study. In this paper the problem of finding Optimum Strata Boundaries (OSB) is considered as the problem of determining Optimum Strata Widths (OSW). The problem is formulated as a Mathematical Programming Problem (MPP), which minimizes the variance of the estimated population parameter under Neyman allocation subject to the restriction that sum of the widths of all the strata is equal to the total range of the distribution. The distributions of the study variable are considered as continuous with Triangular and Standard Normal density functions. The formulated MPPs, which turn out to be multistage decision problems, can then be solved using dynamic programming technique proposed by Bühler and Deutler (1975). Numerical examples are presented to illustrate the computational details. The results obtained are also compared with the method of Dalenius and Hodges (1959) with an example of normal distribution.

Description:

This paper considers the optimum allocation in multivariate stratified sampling as a nonlinear matrix optimisation of integers. As a particular case, a nonlinear problem of the multi-objective optimisation of integers is studied. A full detailed example including some of proposed techniques is provided at the end of the work.

Description:

The present work illustrates a sampling strategy useful for obtaining planned sample size for domains belonging to different partitions of the population and in order to guarantee the sampling errors of domain estimates be lower than given thresholds. The sampling strategy that covers the multivariate multi-domain case is useful when the overall sample size is bounded and consequently the standard solution of using a stratified sample with the strata given by cross-classification of variables defining the different partitions is not feasible since the number of strata is larger than the overall sample size. The proposed sampling strategy is based on the use of balanced sampling selection technique and on a GREG-type estimation. The main advantages of the solution is the computational feasibility which allows one to easily implement an overall small area strategy considering jointly the sampling design and the estimator and improving the efficiency of the direct domain estimators. An empirical simulation on real population data and different domain estimators shows the empirical properties of the examined sample strategy.

Description: The Connectedness series publishes analytical studies as well as research reports in the broad area of connectedness. This includes the industrial areas of telecommunications, broadcasting, computer services and Internet Service Providers as well as cross economy activities such as the Internet and electronic commerce. It offers a statistical perspective in these emerging phenomena that are changing the economic and societal landscape of the country.

All papers are subject to peer and institutional review as well as review by subject matter experts, as necessary.

Description:

Matter of Fact is an analytic series highlighting what the General Social Survey (GSS) has contributed to understanding Canadian society over the last 20 years.

The 20 years of GSS data is an opportunity to look back over our years of data and ask: What have we learned about Canadian society over those 20 years?

This series will include short, focused, single-theme analysis documents. Over the course of the series analysis will include topics on: How satisfied are Canadians with their life in general? What is the relationship between education, work and retirement? What motivates people to retire or to continue working? How do people prepare for retirement? How is the Internet changing the way Canadians live? How are Canadians using their time? What do Canadian families look like? How have they changed in recent years? How are Canadians engaged with their families, neighbours, communities and coworkers? Which Canadians are caring for others? What is the impact of care-giving on people's work, families, leisure time and health? What are the victimization rates for Canadians, and who is most at risk of victimization? How have housing trends changed over the past 20 years? And how have religious practices changed over the past 20 years?

Description:

This book is designed to contribute to the foundation of basic information that leaders and researchers will need when they begin to devote much more time and resources to the institutional adjustments that the up-coming wave of retirements among baby boomers will require. Its contents deal with aspects of retirement that have been outside the main focus in the research literature, but which will likely receive much greater attention in the future. These aspects include social issues arising from the emergence of a large number of people who form a substantial proportion of the adult population and whose length of time in retirement will be as long as that of a generation, roughly 25 years; women's retirement; family dynamics and retirement; and retirement processes among people with no career job as conventionally defined. A large part of the book is devoted to scientific papers that are based upon Statistics Canada's data and which require substantial innovations of useful concepts and data series that serve to illustrate the potentials of our data.

Description:

The International Adult Literacy Survey (IALS) was a seven-country initiative conducted in the fall of 1994. Its goal was to create comparable literacy profiles across national, linguistic and cultural boundaries. Successive waves of the survey now encompass close to 30 countries around the world. This monograph series features detailed studies from the IALS database by literacy scholars and experts in Canada and the United States. The research is primarily funded by Human Resources Development Canada. Monographs focus on current policy issues and cover topics such as adult training, literacy skill match and mismatch in the workplace, seniors' literacy skills and health, literacy and economic security, and many others.

Description:

This report presents details on the data sources and methods underlying the air quality indicators as they were reported in Canadian Environmental Sustainability Indicators, 2007 (16-251-XWE). The air quality indicators focus on human exposure to ground-level ozone and fine particulate matter.

Details on the indicators reported after 2007 can be found on Environment Canada's site: &&www.ec.gc.ca/indicateurs-indicators/

Description:

This report presents details on the data sources and methods underlying the greenhouse gas emissions indicator as it was reported in Canadian Environmental Sustainability Indicators, 2007 (16-251-XWE). The greenhouse gas indicator describes the trend in emissions and the contribution to the trend by energy production, energy consumption and other factors.

Details on this indicator reported after 2007 can be found on Environment Canada's site: www.ec.gc.ca/indicateurs-indicators/

Description:

This report presents details on the data sources and methods underlying the freshwater quality indicator as it was reported in the Canadian Environmental Sustainability Indicators, 2007 (16-251-XWE). The national freshwater quality indicator provides an overall measure of the suitability of water bodies to support aquatic life in selected monitoring sites in Canada.

Details on this indicator reported after 2007 can be found on Environment Canada's site: www.ec.gc.ca/indicateurs-indicators/

Description:

This series of fact sheets and accompanying reports examines issues affecting Inuit in Canada. The main focus is on those living in the four Inuit land claim settlement regions in the Arctic: Nunatsiavut in northern Labrador, the territory of Nunavut, Nunavik in northern Quebec, and the Inuvialuit Settlement Region in the Northwest Territories.

Description:

This publication analyzes the sales of alcoholic beverages in Canada. The report also sets out, in detail, government revenue derived from the control and sale of alcoholic beverages. Analytical text, tables and charts are featured as well as information on imports and exports of spirits, wines and beer. Historical data are included. The publication is an excellent source of information on sales patterns of alcoholic beverages in Canada.

This publication is temporarily suspended until 2012. However, the data will continue to be produced and released through CANSIM tables 183-0006 and in 183-0015 to 183-0020. Data Tables on sales of alcoholic beverages are also available free of charge from the National economic accounts module of our website.

Description:

This report summarizes the main issues raised in these meetings. Four questions used to identify Aboriginal people from the Census and surveys were considered in the discussions.Statistics Canada regularly reviews the questions used on the Census and other surveys to ensure that the resulting data are representative of the population. As a first step in the process to review the questions used to produce data about First Nations, Inuit and Métis populations, regional discussions were held with more than 350 users of Aboriginal data in over 40 locations across Canada during the winter, spring and early summer of 2007.

This report summarizes the main issues raised in these meetings. Four questions used to identify Aboriginal people from the Census and surveys were considered in the discussions.