Access to computers

Question

Can someone please tell me if I am missing something?

A researcher here at UNBC is looking for the numbers of people in Northern BC with access to computers.

My first reaction to this was that anyone in Northern British Columbia with access to a public library will have access to a computer and/or the Internet.

However, I suspect that she means number of people with computers at home or access to the Internet from home. I am going on an assumption here – until I get to talk to this person on Tuesday.

In my preliminary investigations, it seems to me that three surveys have addressed this: the Survey of Household Spending (latest data available is 2003), the Household Internet Use Survey (latest data available is 2003) and the General Social Survey 14: Access to and Use of Information Communication Technology (2000). Relevant data for the Survey of Household Spending is summarized on the BC Stats site at http://www.bcstats.gov.bc.ca/data/dd/handout/dche.pdf
or in CANSIM table 203-0020.

However, it seems that all these provide data down to the provincial or Census Metropolitan Area level only.

Therefore, I think that she cannot get data for the geography that she wants. Using the PUMFS, she might be able to distinguish rural vs. urban households, but that's it.

Am I missing anything?

Answer

As you noted, the three sources which could assist in answering your user's request will not meet the needs of identifying the Northern BC numbers.

Once again, it is related to the fact that the data was collected as a survey and not a census. The simple explanation is that the survey only sampled a small portion of the population and we can not apply all generalities to small areas without compromising the quality of the data.