Aboriginal Children's Survey (ACS)

Question

A researcher is requesting access to the Aboriginal Children’s Survey (ACS) which is described at http://www.statcan.gc.ca/aboriginal/acs/5801793-eng.htm. This survey is not yet added to the DLI FTP site (or the DLI web site) so I am wondering if there is a pumf, and, if so, when it will be released to the DLI.

Please note (unless I am missing something) that the DLI web site is quite confusing, as follows:

1) The ACS (survey of under the age of 6 years) is not listed as a DLI product in the Browse the DLI Survey Collection at http://www.statcan.gc.ca/cgi-bin/spider/dli.cgi

2) The ACS is listed as a DLI catalogued product in the View catalogued DLI Products at http://www.statcan.gc.ca/dli_idd/start_debut.do?lang=en.... AND…

a. When you hit the Description link, you are taken to the correct StatCan page for the ACS.

b. BUT… when you hit the DLI link beside this survey, you are taken to the DLI web page for the Aboriginal Peoples Survey, 2006 Children and Youth - aged 6 to 14 (APS) at http://www.statcan.gc.ca/dli-ild/data-donnees/ftp/aps-eapa/aps-eapa-2006-cy-eng.htm .

c. This is misleading and confusing because the ACS (survey of under the age of 6 years) is NOT the same survey as the APS survey which has the 6- 14 age group data set.

3) Given there is not yet an ACS folder on the DLI FTP site, I am thinking the ACS should not be listed as DLI Catalogued Product?

The researcher wants the Aboriginal Children’s Survey (ACS), as she is interested in the under 6 age group.

• There is ACS 2006 Concepts and Methods Guide at http://www.statcan.gc.ca/bsolc/olc-cel/olc-cel?catno=89-634-XWE2008006?=eng#formatdisp.

• There is a Product main page at http://www.statcan.gc.ca/bsolc/olc-cel/olc-cel?catno=89-634-X?=eng but this only links to a document titled Evaluation of the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire.

If there is no pumf for the ACS, can you let me know if the master file is available via the RDC program.

Answer

Thank you for your questions regarding the Aboriginal Children's Survey (ACS). I will answer your questions in the order they were asked below.

1) This survey is not listed in the Browse the DLI Survey Collection page because we don't have any products for this survey in the DLI collection presently.

2) The ACS should therefore not be listed as a DLI product in the View catalogued DLI Products at http://www.statcan.gc.ca/dli_idd/start_debut.do?lang=en

The ACS will be removed from this list.

A. Yes.This link is technically correct but it will disappear when we remove the ACS entry from the View catalogued DLI Products page

B. You are correct, they are not the same. The APS 2006 entry on View catalogued DLI Products presently only links to the Aboriginal Peoples Survey (15 years and over) - 2006 page (http://www.statcan.gc.ca/dli-ild/data-donnees/ftp/aps-eapa/aps-eapa-2006-eng.htm). The APS page it links to should provide links to both the APS 15 years and over file and the APS children and youth file. We will modify the APS 2006 page accordingly.

C. You are correct, they are not the same.

3) There is no ACS folder on the FTP site because there aren't any ACS products in the DLI collection presently.
According to the Aboriginal Children's Survey, 2006 : Concepts and Methods Guide (89-634-XWE2008006),

"The master data file for the 2006 ACS is available in Statistics Canada's Research Data Centres (RDCs). Accompanying the file, is the record layout, SAS and SPSS syntax to load the file, as well as metadata in the form of a codebook that describes each variable and provides weighted and unweighted frequency counts.

Supporting data tables that provide provincial and territorial estimates, as well estimates for Inuit regions, for key indicators from the released analytical article are available.

Profiles that provide information on a variety of topics covered in the ACS are available on Statistics Canada's website. Information is displayed for different concepts and levels of geography.

A remote data access service will be available in the spring of 2009. This service will allow researchers to write and test programs on a "synthetic file", which has the same layout as the ACS master data file, however it does not contain the real information from respondents. Once programs have been written and tested, researchers can submit their programs to Statistics Canada, who will run the programs using the master data file, vet the results for confidentiality and return the aggregate data tables to the researchers. This service will be offered on a cost-recoverable basis.
Custom tabulations will be produced, upon request, on a cost-recoverable basis."

Additional Information
I wanted to confirm that the DLI will be receiving a copy of the Aboriginal Children's Survey (ACS) synthetic file. Users will be able to use this file to request data via remote job submission (which will be a fee based service according to the Aboriginal Children's Survey, 2006 : Concepts and Methods Guide (89-634-XWE2008006), cited below) or to prepare a visit to a Research Data Centre (RDC).

The author division hopes to release the file before the end of March but this date may change as the file must be be approved by the Statistics Canada Microdata Release Committee before being released.