2. Understanding the Aboriginal Peoples Survey of 2001:
The Process, Content and Geographic Coverage
Andy Siggner & Vivian O’Donnell,
Statistics Canada
Presented at the Joint Session of Canadian Population Society, Canadian Association of Geographers, Canadian Indigenous Native Studies Association
University of Toronto,
May 30, 2002
Introductions
As you may know, Statistics Canada has been undertaking an Aboriginal Peoples Survey. We are currently in the process of completing our second round of collection, and the initial release of data is set for July 2003.
The purpose of this presentation is to present researchers information on the Aboriginal peoples survey that may prove useful for planning their research in anticipation of the availability of the survey’s data. We will review the process of developing the content, including an innovative step that Statistics Canada has made to include Aboriginal people through an Implementation Committee. We will also review the range of subject areas that have been covered by the survey, and the geography areas for which the data will be available.

3. Aboriginal Peoples Survey
First conducted in 1991
Key source of data for the Royal Commission on Aboriginal People
Included in RCAP recommendations
Statistics Canada mandated to complete a second APS in Gathering Strength, the federal government’s Aboriginal Action Plan
This is the second time that the Aboriginal Peoples Survey has been conducted by Statistics Canada -- the last APS was last carried out in the fall of 1991.
The data from the 1991 APS were widely used at that time. Statistics Canada produced several overview reports and created statistical profiles for 600 Aboriginal communities. Other federal departments and Aboriginal organizations were able to utilize data for a variety of purpose including health reports and needs assessments.
An extremely important user of 1991 APS data was the Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples. RCAP used 1991 APS data as a primary source of demographic, social and economic data for its final report and many related research studies.
The Commission’s final report recommended that the APS be conducted on a regular basis.
When the federal government replied to the RCAP report through its Aboriginal Action Plan “Gathering Strength”, Statistics Canada was mandated to conduct a second Aboriginal Peoples Survey shortly after the 2001 Census.

4. APS Implementation Committee
Consultation with Aboriginal organizations on the APS led to the creation of an Implementation Committee
Established to direct the APS in April 1999
Meets monthly
Makes decisions regarding the content of the survey, geographic areas, testing strategies, and output formulas
In a notable departure from the process directing the Aboriginal Peoples Survey of 1991, Statistics Canada invited representatives of national Aboriginal organizations to participate in developing the content and process of the survey.
In April 1999, an Implementation Committee was established.
This committee meets monthly, and makes decisions regarding the content of the survey, availability of geographic areas, testing strategies, and output formulas.

5. APS Implementation Committee
Assembly of First Nations (active member until spring 2001)
Congress of Aboriginal Peoples
Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami
Métis National Council
National Association of Friendship Centres
Native Women’s Association of Canada
Two federal government representatives in addition to two Statistics Canada representatives
A provincial/territorial representative (ex-officio)
An Elder/facilitator
Who is on the Implementation Committee?
The following organizations have sent representatives to the planning table of the APS to participate as members of the Implementation Committee. (Refer to list provided on slide).
The Assembly of First Nations did participate in the development of the adult core questionnaire, however …
The committee also includes representation of other federal departments -- two representatives fulfil this role.
A provincial/territorial representative is also present.
Statistics Canada has two representatives.
An elder is also included on the Committee.

6. Aboriginal Peoples Survey
The Aboriginal Peoples Survey (APS) is a post-censal survey
A selection of people who reported on the census having at least one of the following:
Aboriginal identity
Aboriginal ancestry
Registered or treaty Indian status
Band membership
Who was surveyed and how were they chosen?
APS is a post-censal survey -- meaning, it is done after the census. The pool of people from which to choose to interview is created based upon responses to the census.
As you may know, the majority of Canadians receive the “short form” of the census. 20%, or every fifth household, receives the “long form” -- the long form contains questions on ethnic origin, labour activity, housing information and so on. We have used 4 questions from the Census long form to determine our universe for sample selection.
For the APS, we have selected from a group of people who reported Aboriginal identity, ancestry, registered or treaty Indian status, or band membership. I will explain these concepts in more detail because they are important.
Approximately 120, 000 respondents were selected.

7. Collection
Phase 1, which was completed October to December 2001, covered the population that identified as Aboriginal on their census form, and/or reported registered or treaty Indian status and/or reported band membership. Sample size was approximately 108,000.
Phase 2, which is currently being collected, covers the population that reported Aboriginal ancestry but no identity on their census form. Sample size is approximately 14,000.
The total sample is approximately 12% of the Aboriginal population
Remember that you can have several combinations of responses to these questions -- one may have Aboriginal ancestry, but may answer “No” to the identity question. In other words, one may report that they have Cree ancestry, however when they are asked if they are an Aboriginal person, they may answer “No”. It could occur the other way around -- one may not report Aboriginal ancestry, but they could report Aboriginal identity.
In 1991, the Aboriginal Peoples Survey concentrated only on the Identity population, this time we have also included a sample of the ancestry, with no identity population.
Collection was be done on these two populations separately.
Phase 1 --was completed before Christmas, was done on the Identity pop. This includes the population who reported that reported Aboriginal identity and/or registered or treaty Indian status, and/or band membership. Sample Size was approximately 108,000
Phase 2 - currently in the field. This phase of collection samples the part of the population with Aboriginal Origin but who were not included in the identity population. Sample size is approximately 14,000.

8. What type of data will be available?
The Aboriginal Peoples Survey is comprised of different questionnaires:
Adult Core Questionnaire
Children and Youth Questionnaire
Métis Supplement
Arctic Supplement
What did we ask about? And therefore, what information will be available from the survey?
The survey is actually made up of several different questionnaires. The content of the questionnaires was developed through a consultation process, some research, and testing. The implementation committee had the final say on what would be included in the survey.
There are several questionnaires:
The Adult Core questionnaire -- this questionnaire is delivered to people aged 15 and over.
There is also a Children and Youth Questionnaire -- this questionnaire targets people from age The adult most knowledgeable about the child or youth answers the questions.
The Métis Supplement, which was developed jointly between STC and the MNC, is delivered in addition to the Core Questionnaire. It is not delivered to people who report Métis ancestry or identity. It is not delivered on-reserve or in Inuit communities.
The Arctic Supplement is delivered in Inuit communities.

9. Adult Core Questionnaire
The Adult Core Questionnaire contains the following sections:
Education
Language
Labour
Income
Health
Communication Technology
Mobility
Housing
This is a list of the sections that appear in the Adult Core questionnaire. I will not go through each question on the survey, but I will instead highlight the main topics that are covered in each section.

10. Children and Youth Questionnaire
The Children & Youth Questionnaire contains the following sections:
Dental Care
Nutrition
Education
Social Activities & Relationships
Language
Child Care Arrangements
Household Data
Demographics
General Health
Health Care Utilization
Activities of Daily Living and Medical Conditions
Physical Injuries

11. Métis Supplement
The Métis Supplement is administered to respondents who report Métis identity or ancestry. It contains the following sections (in addition to the Core components):
Family Background
Household Information
Cultural Background
Health

12. Arctic Supplement
The Arctic Supplement is administered to respondents residing in northern communities. It contains the following sections (in addition to the Core components):
Household and Harvesting Activities
Personal Wellness
Community Wellness and Social Participation

13. Outputs
There will be an enormous amount of information, and there are many options as to how to produce and distribute the information so that it is useful
Planning for dissemination is underway

14. Step-by-Step Timeline
September, 2003
Initial Release

15. Product possibilities...
User’s Guide: This guide will provide information related to the development of the survey, the methodology that was used to choose the sample, the questionnaires and the various data products.
Tables series: Simple tables could be provided in paper form but the larger, more complex tables would be provided in an electronic format.
Fact Sheets and Backgrounders: These 2–3 page information sheets could provide a snapshot of a particular theme or Aboriginal group at various levels of geography.
When Statscan releases results from a survey or the census, they do it in “The Daily” -- it is generally a press release providing the highlights of the data.
We will do a release for the Daily for the APS -- as I said it is generally highlight of information, a few small tables.
SHOW the example

16. More products…
Community Profiles: Profiles could include data highlights of the community accompanied by some basic charts and graphs. This information could be enhanced with Census data. These would most likely be in paper and electronic formats.
Public Use Microdata File - an electronic product (CD-ROM) of micro data produced from the 2001 APS. Data manipulation can be performed with statistical software such as SAS or SPSS or a database or spreadsheet software.
When Statscan releases results from a survey or the census, they do it in “The Daily” -- it is generally a press release providing the highlights of the data.
We will do a release for the Daily for the APS -- as I said it is generally highlight of information, a few small tables.
SHOW the example

17. Geography Off reserve population On reserve population
Aboriginal origin-only population
Publishing on and off reserve data
I will complete the presentation by briefly discussing the levels of geography for which APS data can be compiled -- in particular, I would like to point out some things about the coverage of the on-reserve population and the ancestry-only population.

18. Off Reserve Population
Data will be available for the Aboriginal population residing off-reserve at the following geographic areas:
NATIONAL
PROVINCIAL (Note: Atlantic provinces will be grouped)
SUB-PROVINCIAL (for example, rural and urban breakdowns)
COMMUNITY LEVEL
25 Métis Communities
50 Inuit Communities
10 selected large urban centres
15 communities that had 40% or more Aboriginal population and at least 250 Aboriginal people

19. On-Reserve Population
The sample selection process focussed on large reserve communities
Community-level data for approximately 120 First Nations who participated will be available, and are of very good quality
Potential problems in aggregating data to the provincial or national level
Census will remain a key source of data for the Aboriginal population residing on reserve
Due to a variety of factors, including the notice that Statistics Canada received during the planning stages of the APS that several regional organizations within the AFN were recommending to chiefs of member First Nations NOT participate in the APS, along with budgetary concerns, the decision was taken to focus on the larger reserve communities in each province.
Population thresholds were set for each province -- these ranged from 87 in the Yukon to 1,219 in Manitoba. This would make it easier and more cost-efficient to collect information from a large number of people -- larger communities are generally more accessible.
This focus on large communities would also ensure that data could be published for EACH community that participated, according to confidentiality and data quality standards. Difficulties arise when trying to publish sample survey data from small communities.
As a result, community level data will be available for approximately 120 First Nation communities.

20. Aboriginal “Origin-only” Population
A portion of the population to be surveyed by the APS did not report Aboriginal identity on the census, but did report some Aboriginal origin
Data for this population will be available at the national and provincial levels

21. For more information:
www. apsurvey.ca

22. APPENDIX

23. Ancestry/Origin Population
This is the question that appears on the census regarding ethnic origin.
The questions asks about the “ethnic origin” of your ancestors -- respondents can fill in as many responses as they want.
Some people write down several different origins -- some write only one. If a person wrote down an Aboriginal group -- at least one -- then they are included in the population of interest for our survey. This is referred to as the “ancestry” or “origin” population.

24. Identity Population
Question 18 on the census asked: Is this person an Aboriginal Person?
If the respondent answered yes to any part of this question, Yes, North American Indian, Yes, Métis, or Yes, Inuit, then they are included in the population of interest for our survey.
We refer to this as the “identity population”.

25. Identity Population
Also included in the Identity population are the people who reported Band membership in Question 20, and treaty or registered Indian status in Question 21.
Therefore, if a respondent answered Yes to at least one of these questions, that they identify as an Aboriginal person and/or that they are members of a First Nation and/or that they are a treaty or registered Indian, then they are included in the “Identity” population.
In 1996 census (2001 census numbers aren’t out yet) -- approximately 799,000 people made up the IDENTITY population, and about 1.1 million people made up the ORIGIN population.

26. Adult Core Questionnaire
The Adult Core Questionnaire contains the following sections:
Education
Language
Labour
Income
Health
Communication Technology
Mobility
Housing
This is a list of the sections that appear in the Adult Core questionnaire. I will not go through each question on the survey, but I will instead highlight the main topics that are covered in each section.

27. Adult Core Questionnaire
Education Section
Highest level of schooling
Reasons for not completing high school/post secondary schooling
Currently attending school
Aboriginal content in schooling (Aboriginal teachers, use of Aboriginal language, taught an Aboriginal language, accuracy of Aboriginal content in curriculum)
Location of schools (within or outside community)
Financial Assistance to attend post-secondary
Distance education
Residential School

28. Adult Core Questionnaire
Language Section
Aboriginal Languages understood or spoken
Level of ability to understand, speak, read and write
Extent of use of Aboriginal languages at home, school, work and other places
Availability of services (for example, health, education, justice) in Aboriginal languages
Importance to keep, learn or re-learn Aboriginal languages

29. Adult Core Questionnaire
Labour Activity
Currently working
Occupation and industry
More than one job
Reasons for not currently working, not working full-time
Harvesting activities (hunting, fishing, gathering wild plants, trapping)

30. Adult Core Questionnaire
Income
Source of income (such as paid employment, employment insurance, pensions, social assistance, other sources)

31. Adult Core Questionnaire
Health
Self-rated health
Contact with health professionals (for example, family doctor, nurse)
Access to Aboriginal healing practices
Activity limitations (difficulties with activity because of health problems)
Chronic conditions (for example, diabetes, arthritis, bronchitis, cancer, high blood pressure, hepatitis, kidney disease, tuberculosis)
HIV/AIDS (testing, treatment)
Fertility/pregnancy (Number of children)
Height and Weight
Smoking Activity
Alcohol consumption
Social support
Opinions about social problems

32. Adult Core Questionnaire
Communication Technology
Technology use (satellite dish, cable TV, cell phone, ATM, debit card)
Use of computer
Location of computer use (for example, at home, work, at library)
Internet use
Location of Internet use

33. Adult Core Questionnaire
Mobility
Number of moves in the past 5 years
Reasons for moving
How long been in present location
Number of temporary absences
Reasons for temporary absences (for example, work, school, illness)

34. Adult Core Questionnaire
Housing
Features in the home (telephone, running water, smoke detector etc.)
Water available safe for drinking
Source of heat in the home
Special features to assist with a health condition
In need of major repairs
Rented/owned
Social housing waiting list
Home insurance coverage

35. Children and Youth Questionnaire
The Children & Youth Questionnaire contains the following sections:
Dental Care
Nutrition
Education
Social Activities & Relationships
Language
Child Care Arrangements
Household Data
Identification
Demographics
General Health
Health Care Utilization
Activities of Daily Living and Medical Conditions
Physical Injuries

36. Children and Youth Questionnaire
Demographic Section
Relationship of respondent to child
Aboriginal ancestry
Origin through father, mother, grandfathers, grandmothers

37. Children and Youth Questionnaire
General Health Section
General health status
Height and weight
BMI
Level of physical activity
Birth Weight
Breast fed

38. Children and Youth Questionnaire
Health Care Utilization Section
Contact with pediatrician, general practitioner, medical specialist, and public health nurse
Seen or talked with
Where contact took place
Type of care needed
Overnight stays in a hospital
Contact with traditional healer, psychologist, child welfare or aid worker, and/or other trained person

39. Children and Youth Questionnaire
Activities of Daily Living and Medical Conditions Section
Limitation of Activity at home, school and other places
Chronic conditions (allergies, bronchitis, T.B., diabetes, ear infections, F.A.S./F.A.E., asthma)
Medications taken (traditional medicines, inhalers, ritalin or any other medication)

40. Children and Youth Questionnaire
Physical Injuries Section
Presence of injury
Injured in the past 12 months
Type of injury, most serious injury and cause of injury

41. Children and Youth Questionnaire
Dental Care Section
Occurrence of last dental care
Type of care required
Received required dental care
If did not receive dental care, why not (wait time, transportation, cost, etc.)

42. Children and Youth Questionnaire
Nutrition Section
How often breakfast is eaten per week
Quality of nutrition
Variety/frequency of food consumed (wild meat, processed meat, milk, eggs, vegetables, potatoes, breads, candy, etc.)

43. Children and Youth Questionnaire
Education Section
School attendance (currently or not currently attending school)
Attendance at early education development
Current Grade level
School history (advanced/repeated a grade, received awards, suspended/expelled from school)
Types of schools Attended (Preschool, Aboriginal specific programs)
Reasons why not attending
Limitations at school (factors, help received)

44. Children and Youth Questionnaire
Social Activities and Relationships Section
Leisure activities (sports, music lessons, clubs, cultural activities, job, t.v., computer, video games, etc.)
Quality of relationships (parents, siblings, teachers, and other kids)
Types of worries and causes

45. Children and Youth Questionnaire
Language Section
Importance of Aboriginal language
Ability to speak and understand an Aboriginal language
Who provides help in learning language

46. Children and Youth Questionnaire
Childcare Arrangements Section
Main child care arrangement
Time spent per week in main type of childcare

47. Children and Youth Questionnaire
Household Data Section
Socio-Demographic information (age and sex)
Highest level of schooling
Relative’s Attendance at Residential Schools
Number of persons in household
Siblings living in/out of household
One or two parent household
Type of household income (Paid Employment, Self Employment, E.I., Canada Pension, Social Assistance)
Number of household members receiving income

48. Métis Supplement
The Métis Supplement is administered to respondents who report Métis identity or ancestry. It contains the following sections (in addition to the Core components):
Family Background
Household Information
Cultural Background
Health

49. Métis Supplement Family Background Section
Community of birth of respondent, mother and father
Use of French and Aboriginal languages in the household
Aboriginal ancestry of mother and father
Bill C-31
Removal of children
Childcare arrangements

50. Métis Supplement Household Information Section Marital status
Ancestry of spouse/partner
Use of Aboriginal languages in the home

51. Métis Supplement Cultural Background Section Métis cultural activities
Traditional activities (hunting, fishing, gathering, trapping, outfitting)

52. Métis Supplement Health Section Physical check-up
Testing for diabetes, high blood pressure, mammogram
Leisure activities
Physical activities (walking, bicycling, etc.)
Non-physical activities (watching television, playing video games)
Depression
Spirituality
Health Care Use

53. Arctic Supplement
The Arctic Supplement is administered to respondents residing in northern communities. It contains the following sections (in addition to the Core components):
Household and Harvesting Activities
Personal Wellness
Community Wellness and Social Participation

54. Arctic Supplement Household and Harvesting Activities
Paid work (full-time/part-time employment, self employment)
Unpaid work (taking care of children, cooking meals, etc.)
Harvesting country food
Equipment for harvesting activities
Use of country food (eaten, shared, sold, etc.)
Household income from harvesting activities

55. Arctic Supplement Personal Wellness Section
Social support (in times of need, for advice, etc.)
Community ties

56. Arctic Supplement Community Wellness and Social Participation Section
Degree of satisfaction with conditions in community (such as job opportunities, quality of education, quality of housing, etc.)
Participation in community (volunteer work, attendance at public meetings)
Vote in recent elections