Household, family and personal income

Starting with the 2012 reference year, annual individual and family income data is produced by the Canadian Income Survey (CIS). The CIS is a cross-sectional survey developed to provide information on the income and income sources of Canadians, along with their individual and household characteristics. The CIS reports on many of the same statistics as the Survey of Labour and Income Dynamics (SLID), which last reported on income for the 2011 reference year. This note describes the CIS methodology, as well as the main differences in survey objectives, methodology and questionnaires between CIS and SLID.

The study examines the effects of cancer on the work status and annual earnings of cancer survivors who had a strong attachment to the labour market prior to their diagnosis. The comparison group consists of similar workers never diagnosed with cancer. The study is based on a Statistics Canada linkage file that combines microdata from the 1991 Census, the Canadian Cancer Registry, mortality records and personal income tax files. The study estimates changes in the magnitude of cancer effects during the first three years following the year of the diagnosis using a large sample of cancer survivors diagnosed at ages 25 to 61. The empirical strategy combines matching and regression models to deal with observed and unobserved differences between the cancer and comparison samples, and to improve causal inference.

This series provides detailed documentation on income developments, including survey design issues, data quality evaluation and exploratory research for the Survey of Labour and Income Dynamics in 2011.

Using 2011 National Household Survey (NHS) data, this profile provides a statistical overview of variables describing immigration and ethnocultural diversity, Aboriginal peoples, education, labour, mobility and migration, income and earnings, and housing and shelter costs.

In the National Household Survey product line, groups of related variables are referred to as 'release components of profiles.' These are made available with the major releases of variables of the NHS cycle, starting with the Immigration and Ethnocultural Diversity, and Aboriginal Peoples releases. Together, they will form a complete NHS Profile of all the variables for each level of geography. Profile-component data are available at the Canada, province and territory, census division and census subdivision levels, at the census metropolitan area and census agglomeration levels, census tract level, and at the federal electoral district (based on the 2013 Representation Order) level.

An emerging area of subjective well-being (SWB) research is centered on the differences in the levels of SWB both across countries and among geographic regions within a country. The consideration of geographic differences would extend our knowledge about the determinants of SWB from "internal" factors of personality traits and individuals' socio-demographic characteristics to "external factors" embedded in individuals' environments. An issue with important theoretical and policy implications is whether the income of others in the same geographic area is associated with individuals' SWB. The association could be positive if people benefit from the improved resources, amenities, and social capital in high-income areas. The association could also be negative if people tend to emulate the lifestyles of their more affluent neighbours. Related empirical studies so far have not come to a consensus on this question.

The present study attempts to contribute to this issue in two significant ways. First, this study examines whether the effect of the average income in a geographic area (locality income) on SWB is sensitive to the scale of geographic units. With a very large sample of survey respondents nested within three hierarchical levels of geographic areas, this study provides reliable estimates of the association of SWB with average incomes in immediate neighbourhoods (defined as "census dissemination areas"), local communities ("census tracts"), and municipalities ("census subdivisions"). Second, this study examines how the choice of control variables influences the estimated effect of locality income. By considering the effects of individual demographic and socioeconomic characteristics, self-evaluated general health, and area-level attributes in a sequential manner, it is possible to discuss the likely mechanisms through which locality income is related to individuals' SWB.

Using 2011 National Household Survey (NHS) data, this profile provides a statistical overview of variables describing immigration and ethnocultural diversity, Aboriginal peoples, education, labour, mobility and migration, income and earnings, and housing and shelter costs.

In the National Household Survey product line, groups of related variables are referred to as 'release components of profiles.' These are made available with the major releases of variables of the NHS cycle, starting with the Immigration and Ethnocultural Diversity, and Aboriginal Peoples releases. Together, they will form a complete NHS Profile of all the variables for each level of geography. Profile-component data are available at the Canada, province and territory, census division and census subdivision levels, at the census metropolitan area and census agglomeration levels, census tract level, and at the federal electoral district (based on the 2013 Representation Order) level.

The study examines the effects of cancer on the work status and annual earnings of cancer survivors who had a strong attachment to the labour market prior to their diagnosis. The comparison group consists of similar workers never diagnosed with cancer. The study is based on a Statistics Canada linkage file that combines microdata from the 1991 Census, the Canadian Cancer Registry, mortality records and personal income tax files. The study estimates changes in the magnitude of cancer effects during the first three years following the year of the diagnosis using a large sample of cancer survivors diagnosed at ages 25 to 61. The empirical strategy combines matching and regression models to deal with observed and unobserved differences between the cancer and comparison samples, and to improve causal inference.

This series provides detailed documentation on income developments, including survey design issues, data quality evaluation and exploratory research for the Survey of Labour and Income Dynamics in 2011.

An emerging area of subjective well-being (SWB) research is centered on the differences in the levels of SWB both across countries and among geographic regions within a country. The consideration of geographic differences would extend our knowledge about the determinants of SWB from "internal" factors of personality traits and individuals' socio-demographic characteristics to "external factors" embedded in individuals' environments. An issue with important theoretical and policy implications is whether the income of others in the same geographic area is associated with individuals' SWB. The association could be positive if people benefit from the improved resources, amenities, and social capital in high-income areas. The association could also be negative if people tend to emulate the lifestyles of their more affluent neighbours. Related empirical studies so far have not come to a consensus on this question.

The present study attempts to contribute to this issue in two significant ways. First, this study examines whether the effect of the average income in a geographic area (locality income) on SWB is sensitive to the scale of geographic units. With a very large sample of survey respondents nested within three hierarchical levels of geographic areas, this study provides reliable estimates of the association of SWB with average incomes in immediate neighbourhoods (defined as "census dissemination areas"), local communities ("census tracts"), and municipalities ("census subdivisions"). Second, this study examines how the choice of control variables influences the estimated effect of locality income. By considering the effects of individual demographic and socioeconomic characteristics, self-evaluated general health, and area-level attributes in a sequential manner, it is possible to discuss the likely mechanisms through which locality income is related to individuals' SWB.

Starting with the 2012 reference year, annual individual and family income data is produced by the Canadian Income Survey (CIS). The CIS is a cross-sectional survey developed to provide information on the income and income sources of Canadians, along with their individual and household characteristics. The CIS reports on many of the same statistics as the Survey of Labour and Income Dynamics (SLID), which last reported on income for the 2011 reference year. This note describes the CIS methodology, as well as the main differences in survey objectives, methodology and questionnaires between CIS and SLID.