Methodology

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Data Sources

Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) Survey

The incident-based Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR 2) Survey is a micro-data survey that captures detailed information on crimes reported to and substantiated by police, including the characteristics of victims, accused persons and incidents. In response to changing information needs, the survey was modified in 2005 (UCR 2.2) to enable the identification of incidents motivated by hate based on race, national or ethnic origin, language, colour, religion, sex, age, mental or physical disability, sexual orientation or any other similar factor (such as profession or political beliefs). In 2006, police services reporting to the UCR 2.2 Survey covered 16% of the population of Canada.

Hate Crime Supplemental Survey

The Hate Crime Supplemental Survey was conducted as a means of obtaining information on 2006 hate-motivated crimes from those police services reporting newer UCR 2 data but who had not yet converted their electronic reporting systems to the UCR 2.2 version. These respondents were asked to identify those criminal incidents that had been motivated by hate and to manually provide the detailed characteristics of each incident to Statistics Canada. This information was then linked to the original UCR record using a unique incident identifier.

Combined, coverage from the UCR 2.2 and Hate Crime Supplemental Surveys is estimated at 87% of the population of Canada. The RCMP, outside of British Columbia, were unable to provide information on hate-motivated crimes for 2006. In addition, a number of small police services, still reporting to the old aggregate version of the UCR survey, were also unable to respond.

General Social Survey (GSS)

The General Social Survey (GSS) on victimization is a sample survey representing non-institutionalized individuals, 15 years of age or older, living in the ten provinces. The collection of crime data by the GSS is limited to eight offences: sexual assault, robbery, assault, break and enter, theft of personal or household property, motor vehicle/parts theft, and vandalism. Respondents who self-identified as having been victims of one or more of these offences in the preceding twelve months were asked whether they believed the incident could be considered a hate crime (defined as a crime motivated by the offender's hatred of a person's sex, ethnicity, race, religion, sexual orientation, age, disability or language) and, if so, to indicate the motivation.