January 20089SOC4112 Getting to Know Data Sources Geographic, Statistical and Government Information Centre GSG Team Susan Mowers

October 2004GEG3104 Outline Data available at your Library! Statistics Canada’s surveys –The Census from questionnaire  to data  to the media –What is special about longitudinal surveys? –Anonymised data (public-use microdata) and confidential data and WHERE to FIND the data Quiz handout Break Lab - Quiz Census of Population – Content and structure

January 20089SOC4112 Data at your library …

October 2004GEG3104 Data Services at GSG G eographic S tatistical and G overnment INFORMATION CENTRE GSG helps students to find, access and use: Survey and related data Technical support and documentation for data Statistical and GIS software Government and public policy information Contact : Morisset Library, Room 308 in person by

January 20089SOC4112 Access to Survey Data !

October 2004GEG3104 Access to Data at uOttawa DATA DATA DATA!! VIA Data Liberation Initiative (DLI) P artnership between 74 Canadian universities + Statistics Canada. … Commercial use of DLI data is strictly prohibited. …also Inter-university Consortium of Political and Social Research DATA

October 2004GEG3104 What DLI data can you get? uOttawa students can access all DLI data from Statistics Canada through GSG (3 rd floor Morisset) and the Web including… - individual-level public-use microdata, - statistics at a detailed level of geography, - geographic data For specific questions, your DLI contact:

October 2004GEG3104 What data can’t you get through DLI/Your Library? uOttawa [graduate] students, in order to access : - confidential data or - longitudinal data … must make an application to the Research Data Centre programme at the University of Ottawa, see the COOL RDC (Research Data Centre) For specific questions about applying, the COOL RDC:

January 20089SOC4112 Where it all starts

October 2004GEG3104 Statistics Canada carries out survey based on defined questions 2006 Census May 16, 2006

October 2004GEG3104 The 2006 Census of Population From the questionnaire: May 16, 2006 … to statistics in the popular media September 13, 2007 Married people now in the minority; for the first time in Canada, most adults are not legally wed, census shows. …more people are choosing common law over marriage. …Public-use microdata to be released this summer (2009)released

October 2004GEG3104 Two Census Questionnaires – SHORT (2A) (100%) and LONG (2B) Questionnaire, (20%) For example, both questionnaires ask common questions, … family/relationship type… SHORT (2A) LONG (2B) Questionnaire, etc.

October 2004GEG Census Public Use Microdata File (PUMF) on Individuals … SAMPLING : The one fifth (2B long questionnaire) sample collected during the 2001 Census. Selecting the sample of individuals from the first- phase sample. The end result is a self-weighting sample, representing 2.8% of the target universe.

October 2004GEG Person “x” Person “y” Statistics in the literature and popular media Aggregate data (Statistics) Raw data (Confidential/Master file) Public-use microdata file (anonymous) Data Liberation Initiative Research Data Centres Publicly available

October 2004GEG3104 In other words, statistics come from… … DATA ! Data are processed to become Statistics Person 1…2 …

January 20089SOC4112 Comparing Longitudinal surveys and Cross- sectional surveys

October 2004GEG3104 Methodology for every Statistics Canada (STC) survey avail from STC Web site at

October 2004GEG3104 Statistics Canada’s “Kids” Survey

October 2004GEG3104 Longitudinal Surveys –The survey follows the same panel or sample of respondents over time. –“By linking records for the same panel of respondents over time, a longitudinal survey permits the study of relationships between factors measured in one period (e.g., aspirations, attitudes, behaviours, and achievement) with outcomes measured in future time periods (e.g., educational attainment, occupational outcomes, earnings). “ Compared to cross-sectional surveys : cross-sectional surveys are snapshot surveys in time, e.g., the Census of Population

October 2004GEG3104 How often is the Census of Population of Canada carried out ? … every ___ years

October 2004GEG3104 Is the Census of Population designed as a longitudinal or cross-sectional survey?

January 20089SOC4112 Other surveys

October 2004GEG3104 Statistics Canada Surveys of Households Census every 5 years General Social Surveys every year Special Surveys, various health, labour force, longitudinal survey of children and youth… Post-censal surveys, every 5 or 10 years : Aboriginal Peoples Survey; Ethnic Diversity Survey; Participation and Activity Limitations Survey

October 2004GEG3104 For example, the General Social Survey (GSS) - Gathers data on social trends to monitor changes in the living conditions and wellbeing over time; - Topics change and repeat …

October 2004GEG3104 General Social Surveys (GSS) CYCLEYEARTHEME Family history Time use Victimization Social engagement Social Support and Aging Family Access to and Use of Information Communication Technology Victimization Time Use Social and Community Support Family Education, Work and Retirement Personal Risk Time Use Health Family and Friends Education and Work Personal Risk Time Use, Social Mobility Health

October 2004GEG3104 Browse surveys available from STC DLI All are DLI surveys comprise cross- sectional survey data Browse collection of surveys from DLI - click here click here

October 2004GEG3104 Other sources, for example… UNdata Comprehensive international statistical database covering all countries and all areas. Includes information from numerous international data sources. Formerly known as UN Common Database. UN Common Database

October 2004GEG3104 Hands-on, we will look at Census data and documentation via the … Statistics Canada Web site data portal

October 2004GEG3104 Now for … quick quiz handout and break

October 2004GEG3104 Match the columns to the right to the columns to the left 1Statistics Canada’s popular news service aPublic-use microdata 2Survey data gathered during one finite time period bCross-sectional data 3Census 2001 public-use microdata cConfidential data 4Anonymized micodata (available through the Library) dThe Daily 5Data available at the COOL RDC eCross-sectional data Quick Quiz

October 2004GEG3104 Match the columns to the right to the columns to the left d 1Statistics Canada’s popular news service aPublic-use microdata b/e 2Survey data gathered during one finite time period bCross-sectional data b/e 3Census 2001 public-use microdata cConfidential data a 4Anonymized micodata (available through the Library) dThe Daily c 5Data available at the COOL RDC eCross-sectional data Quick Quiz

Hands-on In what age group did the numbers of common-law relationships rise the fastest between 2001 and 2006, was it in: - young adults, - middle-aged adults or - seniors?

… comes from this official Statistics Canada source : right click here: eng.htmhttp:// eng.htm Let’s find out what age group did the numbers of common-law relationships rise the fastest was it in: young adults, middle-aged adults or seniors? September 13, 2007 Our news story from the …

Scroll down to browse The Daily article, then click on …

Where would you find more details on common- law couples versus married couples?

Click here for more details on common-law couples versus married couples

October 2004GEG3104 Common-law unions rose fastest among…

October 2004GEG3104 Methodology for every Statistics Canada (STC) survey avail from STC Web site…

October 2004GEG3104

Are these groups represented in the Census of Population ? Right click here: bin/imdb/p2SV.pl?Function=getSurvey&SDDS=3901&lang=en&db=i mdb&adm=8&dis=2 bin/imdb/p2SV.pl?Function=getSurvey&SDDS=3901&lang=en&db=i mdb&adm=8&dis=2 __Canadians posted overseas? __Foreign-students with study visas? __Canadians without a fixed address?

October 2004GEG3104 Its large sample means … … VERY GOOD DETAIL : - detailed data on ethnic groups, immigrants, occupations, single-parent families, language, etc., - fine geographic detail for census statistics, e.g., at the Dissemination Area level: small areas of people, via DLI

January 20089SOC4112 Access Census data

October 2004GEG3104 Two methods of data access Ontario Data Portal has a good selection of DLI data, also of public opinion poll data and ICPSR data Not yet on, GSG data server, e.g., license/census_of_population/2001/eng/pumf_ind license/census_of_population/2001/eng/pumf_ind More information,

Right click here:

Search Census 2001 individuals

Scroll down to: 2001 Census of Population [Canada] Public Use Microdata File (PUMF): Individuals File (revision 2)

Click on View in ODESI

October 2004GEG3104 Note drill-down zone: Metadata and Variable description, and results zone

Click on Metadata, Study Description, Bibliographic citation and scroll all the way down to …

Now click on Study scope, scroll down and note “Universe” …

Click on Other documentation, then on 2001 Census Introduction and Reference Guides

Click on Dictionary

Scroll down and then go to page 306, When was the question on common-law status first asked?

January 20089SOC4112 Access variable-level information Census of Population 2001

Click on Metadata to close, now click on Variable description, noting range of variable categories in the data file…

Click on category, ethnic origin  and second ethnic origin variable … or your choice

Now click on TABULATION and re-click on second ETHNIC ORIGIN variable and select Add to row

Click on Frequency down arrow and select Sort descending

The frequencies are now sorted - which you can cut and paste … supports similar exploratory tabulations and analyses, as well as downloading

October 2004GEG3104 You can access Census PUMF data and documentation via … Ontario Data Portal has a good selection of DLI data, also of public opinion poll data and ICPSR data Not yet on, GSG data server, e.g., license/census_of_population/2001/eng/pumf_ind license/census_of_population/2001/eng/pumf_ind More information,

October 2004GEG3104 Thank you! Geographic, Statistical and Government Information Centre

January 20089SOC4112 Hands-on exercises The Census of Population 2001

October 2004GEG3104 Data versus Statistics * These images were taken from the following website: GEOGRAPHY: CMA and Province: PUMF CT: Master file GEOGRAPHY: Dissemination area for thousands of Census variables/characteristics