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Sampling errors
Nonresponse
Coverage errors
Response errors
Processing errors related to imputation

Sampling errors

• The coefficients of variation (CVs) of the average estimates of total expenditure per household vary between 1.3% and 1.9% for the provinces. The CV at the national level is 0.7%.
• The coefficients of variation (CVs) of the average estimates for the different summary level expenditure categories are in most cases less than or equal to 1.9% at the national level and are generally lower than 5.0% at the provincial level. The results for dwelling and household equipment characteristics are similar. Since the sample size is smaller in Prince Edward Island, the CVs tend to be higher than those of the other provinces.

Nonresponse

• The final response rate is 71.6%. Provincial response rates range from 68.0% in British Columbia to 75.9% in Newfoundland and Labrador.
• The nonresponse rate is 28.4%. Nonresponse is due to refusals (19.9%), to households that could not be contacted (6.5%), and to households with data that were considered unusable (2.0%).
• The nonresponse rate tends to increase with the urbanization level. The nonresponse rate is 24.2% in rural areas and 31.3% in urban centres with a population of one million or more.
• According to an analysis of nonresponse rates in the strata consisting of the high-income geographic areas created under the sample design, the rate in high-income strata (37.8%) is higher than the rate observed in other strata (27.4%). The refusal rate for high-income strata (28.0%) is higher than the rate observed for other strata (19.1%).

Coverage errors

• Undercoverage of households is 9.6% at the national level. Undercoverage of households is also observed for all provinces, with rates varying from 6.0% to 12.4%. Ontario has the highest undercoverage of households.
• Undercoverage of persons is 11.0% at the national level. Undercoverage of persons is observed for all provinces and territories, with rates varying from 6.2% to 14.8%. Newfoundland and Labrador has the highest undercoverage of persons.
• The national slippage rate for children (aged 0 to 17) is very different from the rates for other age groups. For children, the undercoverage rate is a modest 4.6%, whereas for adults, undercoverage is much higher at 12.7%.

Response errors

• Response errors include recall errors, telescopic error and errors due to proxy response. Because the Survey of Household Spending (SHS) interview is lengthy, the response burden can lead to respondent fatigue and have an impact on the data quality. Total interview time varies depending on household characteristics. The average interview time was one hour and thirty-seven minutes. For approximately 5% of households, the interview time exceeded two hours and fifty-five minutes.

Processing errors related to imputation

a) Expenditure variables

• It was necessary to impute at least one expenditure variable¹ for 61.6% of households nationally. Contributing strongly to this rate is the section of the questionnaire dealing with expenditures related to communications services in the home (telephone, cell phone and Internet access), cable television services and satellite distribution services. Since 2004, it has been accepted that for these services, a respondent household can provide only total expenditure for a package (bundled services), indicating which services are included. Approximately 48.9% of usable households required imputation for at least one of these five services.
• The overall imputation rate excluding these five services is 26.9% at the national level. For these expenditures, most households required imputation for one or two of the 243 expenditure variables. Provincially, imputation rates range from a low of 21.0% for Newfoundland and Labrador to a high of 30.7% for Quebec.
• Imputed values account for 44.5% of the estimate of total expenditure on cable television services and 63.2% of the estimate of total expenditure on Internet access services. Imputation rates for households reporting expenditures on one or the other of these two services are respectively 43.6% and 73.1%. These higher rates are mainly due to the fact that among households that reported paying for a package, a large proportion of packages included these two services.
• About 9% of individuals required imputation for clothing variables, but in the vast majority of such cases, the respondents provided the totals and only the components were imputed.
• About 17% of individuals aged 15 and over required imputation on at least one variable in the Personal Taxes, Security and Money Gifts section.

b) Income variables

• Imputation for at least one income variable was required for 8% of individuals aged 15 and over.

c) Categorical variables

• For 6.6% of households, it was necessary to impute at least one categorical variable. Approximately 70% of them had only one variable imputed. Provincially, imputation rates range from a low of 1.7% for Newfoundland and Labrador to a high of 10.8% for Ontario. Categorical variables that required imputation can be found in the following sections of the questionnaire: Dwelling Characteristics; Facilities Associated with the Dwelling; Tenure; and Tobacco and Miscellaneous, for variables pertaining to purchases through direct sales.

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Note

1. Excluding the Clothing section and Personal Taxes, Security and Money Gifts section, which are collected at the individual level and not the household level.