SFS Individual Files and Weights

November 20, 2020

Question
I have a researcher who is looking for the SFS PUMFs for 2016, 2012, and 2005. I was able to help him gain access to the files that are available in Nesstar and the EFT, the family level files, but he is looking for not only the bootstrap weight files for the 2012 and 2005 SFS (I found the 2016 bootstrap weights), but also the individual level files for all three years. Are those unavailable or am I just missing them?

Answer

Unfortunately, there are no bootstrap weights for the PUMF SFS datasets for the reference years 1999, 2005, 2012, the first time the SFS PUMF had bootstrap weight created was for the 2016 reference period. There are also no individual files (only family) for these years.

New files on Statistics Canada Nesstar

We are pleased to inform you that the following are now available on the Statistics Canada Nesstar WebView site.

General Social Survey - Canadians at Work and Home (GSS) 2016 - Cycle 30 PUMF
Survey of Financial Spending (SFS) 2016 PUMF
Employment Insurance Coverage Survey (EICS) 2017 PUMF

Data Wealth Distribution in Canada

Question
I have a question from a professor who would like the most recent data for wealth distribution in Canada - she is having trouble finding anything. All I've found is a reference to Survey of Financial Security from StatsCan and some reports.

She also said she would prefer decile although quantile will do if not available.

Response
The Survey of Financial Security would be your best bet. The CANSIM numbers are 205-0002 and 205-0003.

Survey of Financial Security (SFS), composition of assets (including Employer Pension Plans valued on a termination basis) and debts held by all family units, by age group, Canada and provinces, occasional (2012 constant dollars), 1999 to 2012:
Description http://www5.statcan.gc.ca/cansim/a34?lang=eng&mode=tableSummary&id=2050002&stByVal=1&&p1=1&p2=50
Table 205-0002 http://www5.statcan.gc.ca/cansim/a26?lang=eng&retrLang=eng&id=2050002&tabMode=dataTable&p1=1&p2=50&srchLan=-1

Survey of Financial Security (SFS), composition of assets (including Employer Pension Plans valued on a termination basis) and debts held by all family units, by net worth quintiles, Canada and provinces, occasional (2012 constant dollars), 1999 to 2012:
Description http://www5.statcan.gc.ca/cansim/a34?lang=eng&mode=tableSummary&id=2050003&stByVal=1&&p1=1&p2=50
Table 205-0003 http://www5.statcan.gc.ca/cansim/a26?lang=eng&retrLang=eng&id=2050003&tabMode=dataTable&p1=1&p2=50&srchLan=-1

There could also be analytical reports or articles pertaining to wealth:
http://www5.statcan.gc.ca/olc-cel/olc.action?objId=13F0026M&ObjType=2&lang=en&limit=0
http://www.statcan.gc.ca/daily-quotidien/150603/dq150603b-eng.htm
http://www.statcan.gc.ca/pub/75-006-x/2015001/article/14134-eng.htm

The National Economic Accounts Division produces CANSIM 378-0121, 380-0072: http://www.statcan.gc.ca/daily-quotidien/161214/dq161214c-eng.htm

Survey of Financial Security 2012 - expenses

Question

I have a patron who is interested in using the Survey of Financial Security to run a multi-year analysis (1999, 2005, 2012). However, she needs to use the expense variables, and while these are present in 1999 and 2005, the derived variables aren’t present in the 2012 PUMF and I’ve been unable to find if they were even asked in 2012. I’m referring to the questions that in the 2005 PUMF were used to create ECFEXCHR (child-related expenses), ECFEXHMR (home related expenses), and ECFEXVHR (vehicle related expenses.

Was the entire block of questions used to create these variables dropped in 2012, or are they still on the master file?

Also, I’ve found references to a Survey of Financial Security 1983, which someone seems to have had a PUMF of at one point (Princeton seems to have). Is this available anywhere?

Answer

Subject matter has confirmed that -

1- The section on expenses is no longer on the 2012 Survey of Financial Security; and nor will it be available for the 2016 SFS, even on the Master File.

2- Concerning references to a Survey of Financial Security 1983, which someone seems to have had a PUMF of at one point (Princeton seems to have).

There is a PUMF for 1983/1984 Survey of Consumer Finance(SCF), asset and debt survey(not Survey of Financial Security) available on the EFT:

Unfortunately there seem to be little supporting documentation.

Home Ownership in Newfoundland

Question

A patron wants information on home ownership in Newfoundland, i.e. those who own their homes and those with an outstanding mortgage. She'd also like an urban-rural breakdown, if available, and with stats covering 1950 onwards. I tried the following:

1) CANSIM - found nothing.
2) CMHC materials do not cover what she's looking for. There's one multi-volume CMHC title in Microlog that she'll consult shortly.
3) A variable search in IDLS retrieved the Survey of Financial Security for 1999 and 2005. 2005 only provides a breakdown for the Atlantic region, but 1999 does cover Newfoundland. Using the DLS site from U of T, we did a cross-tabulation of home ownership by province (weighted), but this provides her with a 1999 snapshot only. It seems like she'll get bits & pieces rather than a convenient and continuous time stretch that doesn't appear to exist.
4) Census info covers "owned" and "rented", with no elaboration about "owned".
5) A colleague suggested debt statistics, but that takes me back to the Survey of Financial Security noted above in no. 3.

In terms of DLI data, is there anything I've missed?

Answer

A variable search in IDLS came up with the following files as being relevant to your user's question about mortgages. I didn't check to see that they all also have urban/rural (or size of area of residence) variables. The FAMEX and SHS series would probably be most useful.

- 1971 census - PUST individual file
- 1986 census - PUMS family file
- 1991 census - PUMS family file
- 1996 census - PUMF household file
- 1996 census - PUMF family file
- 2001 census - PUMF family file
- 2001 census - PUMF household file
- General Social Survey 1990 / 1991
- Survey of Approaches to Educational Planning 2002
- Survey of Consumer Finances, 1972: Household Income (1971), Facilities and Equipment (1972)
- Survey of Consumer Finances, 1977: Income (1976), Assets and Debts (1977), of Economic Families and Unattached Individuals
- Survey of Consumer Finances, 1984: Income (1983), Assets and Debts (1984), of Economic Families and Unattached Individuals
- Survey of Consumer Finances, 1985: Household Income (1984), Facilities and Equipment (1985)
- Survey of Consumer Finances, 1991: Household Income (1990), Facilities and Equipment (1991)
- Survey of Family Expenditures, 1969 / 1974 / 1978 / 1982 / 1984 / 1986 /1990 / 1992 / 1996
- Survey of Financial Security, 1999
- Survey of Household Spending, 1997 / 1998 / 1999 / 2000 / 2001 / 2002 / 2003 / 2004 / 2005
- Survey on Ageing and Independence: August 1991

You may also wish to consult CANSIM table 203-0019. This table is based on the Survey of Household Spending and it will provide you with estimated number of households reporting (x 1,000) and Percent of households reporting an Owned dwelling, an Owned dwelling with mortgage(s) or an Owned dwelling without mortgage. This table will give you data for Newfoundland andLabrador or St.John's from 1997 to 2005.

Survey of Financial Security

Question

Need access to electronic documentation for the 1984 survey of financial security as well as the SPSS command file for the 1999 survey of financial security.

Answer

For 1984 electronic documentation, there is a link to scanned codebooks - unnecessarily large, but available here.

For the 1999 SPSS command file, see this file.

Both are from the University of Toronto

Survey of Financial Security PUMF

Question

Can we access the 1984 Survey of Financial Security PUMF under DLI?

Answer

Presuming you mean the Income, assets and debts of economic families and unattached individuals, 1984 (there's also a 1976 file), the reference year is 1983, and it's on the DLI ftp site and web site
http://www.statcan.ca/english/Dli/Data/Ftp/scf/scf1984.htm