Wednesday, January 31, 2007

Financial Performance Indicators

Question

Financial Performance Indicators is described as containing up-to-date, reliable and comprehensive data on Canadian businesses. I am having trouble accepting that the sample is truly comprehensive. Does it really include every company in a given sector, or is the sample size just really big?

Answer

It is a Census of all incorporated businesses in Canada. Certain industries are not covered, such as NAICS 55 and all the public institutions under code 9. Additional industries may not be covered as well. Of course, the division only publishes for those industries for which suppression is not an issue.

The methodology is not very clear-cut - I think it has to do with "trade secrets". But they do use the median values to create the quartiles and then calculate averages for the quartile if it does not fall directly on a median point to calculate the value for the quartile.

Mac Version of Beyond 20/20

Question

Does anyone know if there is a Mac version of the Beyond 20/20 browser?

Answer

Beyond 20/20 was never made for Macs, but there is an alternative available:

a) Using a newer MAC, you can install Bootcamp software which will allow you to install a version of Windows, which in turn will allow you to run any software on the windows platform (Beyond 20/20, Microsoft Office, etc).

b) Using older MACs, you can install Virtual PC software which will perform the same function.

Tuesday, January 30, 2007

Homicide Data

Question

I have a feeling that this is not possible to get, but I have a student who wants to research women as murder victims and get data on who they were killed by ? the attacker?s gender and relationship to the victim.

On DLI and IDLS there are some beyond 20/20 tables from the homicide survey which will show either the relationship of victim to killer, but not genders, and then total number of men and women killed and men and women accused of the crime, but not the relationship. I guess what we would like is these two tables put together.

Is this possible or is this where confidentiality comes into play and the info becomes restricted?

Answer

One place to look:

Homicide in Canada 2005:
http://www.statcan.ca/cgi-bin/downpub/listpub.cgi?catno=85-002-XIE2006006
has some discussion of the topic - there's a table giving relationship that has husband as a separate category from wife, further broken down into current, former etc. Boyfriend/girlfriend are grouped, however.

Earlier reports in the series are available from here:
http://www.statcan.ca/bsolc/english/bsolc?catno=85-002-X&CHROPG=1

Another good source is the annual Family Violence in Canada: a Statistical Profile. It includes a chapter on family homicides, with a table showing "family homicides by accused-victim relationship and sex of the victim."

The latest edition is here:
http://www.statcan.ca/bsolc/english/bsolc?catno=85-224-X

Although this covers homicides within families only, it shows more detail about relationships than Homicide in Canada does.

Monday, January 29, 2007

Survey of Information Technology Occupations

Question

Is there any prospect of more recent data from the Survey of Information Technology Occupations in the future? Its frequency is listed as "occasional"; the most recent release was in 2004, of 2002 data.

Answer

When this survey was conceived, the intention was to repeat it periodically. However, in part because of lower than expected response rates achieved during the first iteration of the survey, there are no current plans to repeat this survey.

Revenues by Industry

Question

A student here needs data on Ontario industries by 6-digit NAICS - most recent possible (at the provincial or CD level).

We can get revenues at 5-digit NAICS (which would suffice) for 2003 for the retail sector (through SARTRE) - but this does not include the industries in which he is interested. Where can the data on other industries be obtained?

Answer

There are two possibilities of course neither of which are just right:

Small Business Profiles, 2000 . This product covers small businesses only - (annual revenue between $30,000 and $5,000,000).

Quarterly Financial Statistics for Enterprises, but note "no NAICS or provincial breakdown just a breakdown of industries by name". The level of detail varies between 2 and 4 digit NAICS depending on industry.

Thursday, January 25, 2007

Bootstrap Weights List

Question

Is there a list anywhere of surveys that have bootstrap weights available or is this something I can find out from the files available
(documentation etc)?

Answer

I have a list of files with bootstrap, jackknife and BRR weights at:
http://www.chass.utoronto.ca/datalib/major/bootstrap.htm

Updated Products - CTUMS

Canadian Tobacco Use Monitoring Survey - February to June 2006

The CTUMS, conducted since 1999 by Statistics Canada on behalf of Health Canada, provides timely, reliable and continuous data on tobacco use and related issues. Its objective is to track changes in smoking status and amount smoked, especially among young people aged 15 to 24, who are most at risk for taking up smoking. This file contains the data collected between February and June 2006 from about 10,000 respondents.

FTP: /dli/ctums/2006/cycle1
WEB: http://www.statcan.ca/english/Dli/Data/Ftp/ctums/ctums2006c1.htm

Tuesday, January 23, 2007

Government Infringement on Personal Freedoms

Question

A student here wants to do research on how governments restrict personal freedoms (a la all the access to information restrictions in 2001/2002) after events like 9/11 and Pearl Harbour. He's required to show some data on this topic for his project as well.

It doesn't strike me as impossible that a survey has been done that would touch on this, perhaps asking people if they felt the government had strongly affected or not affected at all, etc their freedoms, but I've searched and checked the DLI archive and haven't seen anything so far.

If anyone has any ideas on where this student might turn they'd be appreciated.

Answers

1. These types of data are most likely to be found in public opinion polls rather than dli (which is just StatCan). A good place for your student to start would be the Canadian Opinion Research Archive at Queen's. The URL is:
http://jeff-lab.queensu.ca/poadata/search/

2. I thought there might be something in one of the Canadian Election Surveys. However, the best recent question I could find was in the 2004 mail-back survey: "How much respect is there for individual freedom and human rights nowadays in Canada?" with responses ranging from "A lot" to "Not at all".

The surveys are accessible here:
http://www.ces-eec.umontreal.ca/surveys.html

The World Values Survey (conducted in Canada most recently in 2000 and 2005, 2005 data not yet available) asks some questions that get at this topic area - one question about priorities for the government gives alternatives including preserving order in the nation" and "protecting freedom of speech," among a couple of others. A question asking "How much respect is there for individual human rights nowadays in this country?" follows a question asking "how democratically is this country being
governed today?"

Data and documentation is here:
http://www.worldvaluessurvey.org/

Friday, January 19, 2007

Religion of Aboriginal Peoples

Question

A professor teaching a class on Religion in Canada is searching for information about religion of Aboriginal people in Canada.

We have identified the Detailed Tables of Projections of Population with Aboriginal Ancestry, Canada, Provinces/Regions and Territories, 1991-2016 from the Statistics Canada page (91C0026). It appears that this is a custom tabulation that has to be purchased. I'm wondering how we might acquire it? Is it something that the DLI could obtain access for us?

He is particularly interested in current information but is also interested in historical data as well. Any suggestions about
information on religion on Canada in general or as it pertains to aboriginal people is needed. I do know that the Census collections
religion data in the census years ending in 1.

Answer

A similar product was distributed on cd-rom under DLI back in about September of 2005:
Projections of the Aboriginal populations, Canada, provinces and territories (Canada. Statistics Canada; 91-547-xcb)
- but population projections is all it contains.

I couldn't find any aboriginal identity by religion tables in the 2001 census products, nor in 1991. My best suggestions are:
2001
- Census individual public use microdata file - from this you can produce eg a table of aboriginal identity and religion
- the Aboriginal peoples survey microdata file (adults off reserve) doesn't seem to have a religion question

1991
- Census individual public use microdata file - same as above, although the coding of Aboriginal identity is quite different from 2001
- 1991 Aboriginal peoples survey public use microdata file does have aboriginal identity and religion

You may also want to check the RCAP report or the CD-ROM, For Seven Generations: Report of the Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples.

Friday, January 12, 2007

Updated Products - IALSS, ICCS

International Adult Literacy Skills Survey (Canada)

This product, offered on CD-ROM, contains the Canadian public microdata for the International Adult Literacy and Skills Survey (IALSS). IALSS is the Canadian component of the Adult Literacy and Skills Survey (ALL).

The Adult Literacy and Life Skills Survey (ALL) is a large-scale co-operative effort undertaken in 2003 by governments, national statistics agencies, research institutions and multi-lateral agencies. The ALL study builds on the International Adult Literacy Survey (IALS), the world's first internationally comparative survey of adult skills undertaken in three rounds of data collection between 1994 and 1998.

The foundation skills measured in the ALL survey include prose literacy, document literacy, numeracy, and problem solving. Additional skills assessed indirectly include familiarity with and use of information and communication technologies.

FTP: /ftp/dli/ialss/2003
WEB: http://www.statcan.ca/english/Dli/Data/Ftp/ialss/ialss2003.htm

Industry Classification Coding System (ICCS)

The Industry Classification Coding System (ICCS) Version 1.3 is a tool to help users code records, at the lowest level of detail, to NAICS Canada, the 1980 SIC-E and other select classifications. Codes supplied for other Industrial Classifications supported by the ICCS, such as the NAICS United States and ISIC Rev 3.1, reflect Statistics Canada's interpretation of these classifications. The Industry Classification Coding System allows a user to enter a description of a business' major activity and get a list of 1980 SIC-E and NAICS Canada codes which match this description. The class definition is provided for each code in this list of potential matches. Using this information, the user can then select the best code to apply to the record's description. The ICCS also allows a coder to enter an industry classification code (1980 SIC-E or NAICS Canada) and get a list of all the ICCS business activity descriptions associated with that code, as well as its class definition and concordance to other classifications in the ICCS.

FTP: /dli/standard_classifications/sic_cti/iccs_scci
WEB: http://www.statcan.ca/english/Dli/Data/Ftp/sc/sic-soc-scg.htm

APS Community Profile Clarification

Question

Could someone please clarify for me why some communities are missing from the 2001 Aboriginal Peoples Survey Community Profiles?

The following statement is included on the 2001 Aboriginal Peoples Survey Community Profiles page:

These profiles contain free information on adult and child Aboriginal identity population for selected communities in Canada where the Aboriginal identity population is 200 or more according to the 2001 Census. These communities include First Nations, Metis settlements, Inuit communities, urban centres and rural areas.


Prince George had a Aboriginal identity population of 7,155 in the 2001 Census. Why is PG not included in the list of communities in the 2001 Aboriginal Peoples Survey Community Profiles?

Answer

The product does refer to "selected communities in Canada where the Aboriginal identity population is 200 or more according to the 2001 Census". The key word here is "selected" since not all communities with 200+ Aboriginal persons were included.

Certain communities in Canada were targeted in the sampling plan as ones for which we wanted to be able to produce estimates at the community level; these included reserves, Inuit communities, Métis settlements, and other communities where persons identifying as Aboriginal made up at least 40% of the population, as well as Prince Albert, North Battleford, Wood Buffalo, Yellowknife and Whitehorse, which fall below the 40% mark but which have a large Aboriginal population. These communities together make up the "on-community" sample referred to in the Concepts and Methods Guide.

In addition to these communities, 9 of the census metropolitan areas having large Aboriginal populations were also included in the profiles.

Although Prince George has a substantial Aboriginal population, it accounts for only 10% of the total population of the city and so, the community was not targeted as part of the on-community sample.

As an alternative, there is APS data for Prince George in APS Aboriginal population profiles. Please click on the link below.
http://www12.statcan.ca/english/profil01ab/Search/PlaceSearch1.cfm?
SEARCH=BEGINS&LANG=E&Province=59&PlaceName=prince%20george


There is also Census data for Prince George in the Census Community Profiles. Please click on the link below.
http://www12.statcan.ca/english/profil01/CP01/
Search/SearchForm_Results.cfm?Lang=E