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  • Articles and reports: 11-522-X200800010950
    Description:

    The next census will be conducted in May 2011. Being a major survey, it presents a formidable challenge for Statistics Canada and requires a great deal of time and resources. Careful planning has been done to ensure that all deadlines are met. A number of steps have been planned in the questionnaire testing process. These tests apply to both census content and the proposed communications strategy. This paper presents an overview of the strategy, with a focus on combining qualitative studies with the 2008 quantitative study so that the results can be analyzed and the proposals properly evaluated.

    Release date: 2009-12-03

  • Articles and reports: 11-522-X200800010954
    Description:

    Over the past year, Statistics Canada has been developing and testing a new way to monitor the performance of interviewers conducting computer-assisted personal interviews (CAPI). A formal process already exists for monitoring centralized telephone interviews. Monitors listen to telephone interviews as they take place to assess the interviewer's performance using pre-defined criteria and provide feedback to the interviewer on what was well done and what needs improvement. For the CAPI program, we have developed and are testing a pilot approach whereby interviews are digitally recorded and later a monitor listens to these recordings to assess the field interviewer's performance and provide feedback in order to help improve the quality of the data. In this paper, we will present an overview of the CAPI monitoring project at Statistics Canada by describing the CAPI monitoring methodology and the plans for implementation.

    Release date: 2009-12-03

  • Articles and reports: 11-522-X20030017706
    Description:

    This paper examines the differences between self-reported health utilization data and provincial administrative records in Canada.

    Release date: 2005-01-26

  • Articles and reports: 11-522-X20030017714
    Description:

    This paper looks at new conceptual, organizational, statistical and computational ways of improving surveys.

    Release date: 2005-01-26

  • Articles and reports: 62F0014M2004017
    Geography: Canada
    Description:

    This paper documents the approach used to construct the shelter element of the current spatial index program. The intercity indexes of the retail price differentials program of Prices Division had, until recently, excluded any reference to shelter because of conceptual issues. A rental equivalence approach is used for measuring spatial variations in the costs of shelter services among cities. To control for quality variations across areas, a semi-log separate hedonic regression methodology is used to construct the Laspeyres, Paasche, and Fisher Törnqvist interarea indices.

    Release date: 2004-04-16

  • Surveys and statistical programs – Documentation: 11-522-X20010016229
    Description:

    This paper discusses the approach that Statistics Canada has taken to improve the quality of annual business surveys through their integration in the Unified Enterprise Survey (UES). The primary objective of the UES is to measure the final annual sales of goods and services accurately by province, in sufficient detail and in a timely manner.

    This paper describes the methodological approaches that the UES has used to improve financial and commodity data quality in four broad areas. These include improved coherence of the data collected from different levels of the enterprise, better coverage of industries, better depth of information (in the sense of more content detail and estimates for more detailed domains) and better consistency of the concepts and methods across industries.

    The approach, in achieving quality, has been to (a) establish a base measure of the quality of the business survey program prior to the UES, (b) measure the annual data quality of the UES, and (c) carry out specific studies to better understand the quality of UES data and methods.

    Release date: 2002-09-12

  • Articles and reports: 11-522-X20010016244
    Description:

    This paper discusses in detail issues dealing with the technical aspects of designing and conducting surveys. It is intended for an audience of survey methodologists.

    Over the past few years, Statistics New Zealand (SNZ) has experienced an increase in the volume of business survey data supplied by e-mail. However, up until now, SNZ has not had the business processes available to support electronic collection in a way that meets both the needs of SNZ and data suppliers. To this end, SNZ has invested a lot of effort over the last year in investigating how best to approach the problems and opportunities presented by electronic data collection. This paper outlines SNZ's plans to move the e-mail supplied data to a secure lodgement facility and the future development of an internet-based data collection system. It also presents a case study of the Monthly Retail Trade Survey data currently supplied by e-mail. This case study illustrates some of the benefits of electronic data, but also examines some of the costs to the organization and the data quality problems encountered. It also highlights the need to consider the data collection methodology within the wider context of the total survey cycle.

    Release date: 2002-09-12

  • Articles and reports: 11-522-X20010016251
    Description:

    This paper discusses in detail issues dealing with the technical aspects of designing and conducting surveys. It is intended for an audience of survey methodologists.This paper provides an initial look at the performance indicators of statistical agencies in the United States in order to offer a framework for benchmarking performance. As shown by this paper, several agencies have taken extremely different approaches in measuring their performance, both in terms of what they are measuring and how they are measuring it. Sharing this information is the first step toward making these measures more robust and comparable across all US agencies and international statistics offices.

    Release date: 2002-09-12

  • Articles and reports: 11-522-X20010016284
    Description:

    This paper discusses in detail issues dealing with the technical aspects of designing and conducting surveys. It is intended for an audience of survey methodologists.

    Since 1965, the National Center for Health Statistics has conducted the National Hospital Discharge Survey (NHDS), a national probability sample survey of discharges from non-federal, short-stay and general hospitals. A major aspect of the NHDS redesign in 1988 was to use electronic data from abstracting service organizations and state data systems. This paper presents an overview of the development of the NHDS and the 1988 redesign. Survey methodologies are reviewed in light of the data collection and processing issues arising from the combination of "manually" abstracted data and "automated" data. Methods for assessing the overall quality and accuracy of the NHDS data are discussed for both data collection modes. These methods include procedures to ensure that incoming data meet established standards and that abstracted data are processed and coded according to strict quality control procedures. These procedures are presented in the context of issues and findings from the broader literature about the quality of hospital administrative data sets.

    Release date: 2002-09-12

  • Articles and reports: 11-522-X20010016288
    Description:

    This paper discusses in detail issues dealing with the technical aspects of designing and conducting surveys. It is intended for an audience of survey methodologists.

    The upcoming 2002 U.S. Economic Census will give businesses the option of submitting their data on paper or by electronic media. If reporting electronically, they may report via Windows-based Computerized Self-Administered Questionnaires (CSAQs). The U.S. Census Bureau will offer electronic reporting for over 650 different forms to all respondents. The U.S. Census Bureau has assembled a cross-divisional team to develop an electronic forms style guide, outlining the design standards to use in electronic form creation and ensuring that the quality of the form designs will be consistent throughout.

    The purpose of a style guide is to foster consistency among the various analysts who may be working on different pieces of a software development project (in this case, a CSAQ). The team determined that the style guide should include standards for layout and screen design, navigation, graphics, edit capabilities, additional help, feedback, audit trails, and accessibility for disabled users.

    Members of the team signed up to develop various sections of the style guide. The team met weekly to discuss and review the sections. Members of the team also conducted usability tests on edits, and subject-matter employees provided recommendations to upper management. Team members conducted usability testing on prototype forms with actual respondents. The team called in subject-matter experts as necessary to assist in making decisions about particular forms where the constraints of the electronic medium required changes to the paper form.

    The style guide will become the standard for all CSAQs for the 2002 Economic Census, which will ensure consistency across the survey programs.

    Release date: 2002-09-12
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Analysis (13) (0 to 10 of 13 results)

  • Articles and reports: 11-522-X200800010950
    Description:

    The next census will be conducted in May 2011. Being a major survey, it presents a formidable challenge for Statistics Canada and requires a great deal of time and resources. Careful planning has been done to ensure that all deadlines are met. A number of steps have been planned in the questionnaire testing process. These tests apply to both census content and the proposed communications strategy. This paper presents an overview of the strategy, with a focus on combining qualitative studies with the 2008 quantitative study so that the results can be analyzed and the proposals properly evaluated.

    Release date: 2009-12-03

  • Articles and reports: 11-522-X200800010954
    Description:

    Over the past year, Statistics Canada has been developing and testing a new way to monitor the performance of interviewers conducting computer-assisted personal interviews (CAPI). A formal process already exists for monitoring centralized telephone interviews. Monitors listen to telephone interviews as they take place to assess the interviewer's performance using pre-defined criteria and provide feedback to the interviewer on what was well done and what needs improvement. For the CAPI program, we have developed and are testing a pilot approach whereby interviews are digitally recorded and later a monitor listens to these recordings to assess the field interviewer's performance and provide feedback in order to help improve the quality of the data. In this paper, we will present an overview of the CAPI monitoring project at Statistics Canada by describing the CAPI monitoring methodology and the plans for implementation.

    Release date: 2009-12-03

  • Articles and reports: 11-522-X20030017706
    Description:

    This paper examines the differences between self-reported health utilization data and provincial administrative records in Canada.

    Release date: 2005-01-26

  • Articles and reports: 11-522-X20030017714
    Description:

    This paper looks at new conceptual, organizational, statistical and computational ways of improving surveys.

    Release date: 2005-01-26

  • Articles and reports: 62F0014M2004017
    Geography: Canada
    Description:

    This paper documents the approach used to construct the shelter element of the current spatial index program. The intercity indexes of the retail price differentials program of Prices Division had, until recently, excluded any reference to shelter because of conceptual issues. A rental equivalence approach is used for measuring spatial variations in the costs of shelter services among cities. To control for quality variations across areas, a semi-log separate hedonic regression methodology is used to construct the Laspeyres, Paasche, and Fisher Törnqvist interarea indices.

    Release date: 2004-04-16

  • Articles and reports: 11-522-X20010016244
    Description:

    This paper discusses in detail issues dealing with the technical aspects of designing and conducting surveys. It is intended for an audience of survey methodologists.

    Over the past few years, Statistics New Zealand (SNZ) has experienced an increase in the volume of business survey data supplied by e-mail. However, up until now, SNZ has not had the business processes available to support electronic collection in a way that meets both the needs of SNZ and data suppliers. To this end, SNZ has invested a lot of effort over the last year in investigating how best to approach the problems and opportunities presented by electronic data collection. This paper outlines SNZ's plans to move the e-mail supplied data to a secure lodgement facility and the future development of an internet-based data collection system. It also presents a case study of the Monthly Retail Trade Survey data currently supplied by e-mail. This case study illustrates some of the benefits of electronic data, but also examines some of the costs to the organization and the data quality problems encountered. It also highlights the need to consider the data collection methodology within the wider context of the total survey cycle.

    Release date: 2002-09-12

  • Articles and reports: 11-522-X20010016251
    Description:

    This paper discusses in detail issues dealing with the technical aspects of designing and conducting surveys. It is intended for an audience of survey methodologists.This paper provides an initial look at the performance indicators of statistical agencies in the United States in order to offer a framework for benchmarking performance. As shown by this paper, several agencies have taken extremely different approaches in measuring their performance, both in terms of what they are measuring and how they are measuring it. Sharing this information is the first step toward making these measures more robust and comparable across all US agencies and international statistics offices.

    Release date: 2002-09-12

  • Articles and reports: 11-522-X20010016284
    Description:

    This paper discusses in detail issues dealing with the technical aspects of designing and conducting surveys. It is intended for an audience of survey methodologists.

    Since 1965, the National Center for Health Statistics has conducted the National Hospital Discharge Survey (NHDS), a national probability sample survey of discharges from non-federal, short-stay and general hospitals. A major aspect of the NHDS redesign in 1988 was to use electronic data from abstracting service organizations and state data systems. This paper presents an overview of the development of the NHDS and the 1988 redesign. Survey methodologies are reviewed in light of the data collection and processing issues arising from the combination of "manually" abstracted data and "automated" data. Methods for assessing the overall quality and accuracy of the NHDS data are discussed for both data collection modes. These methods include procedures to ensure that incoming data meet established standards and that abstracted data are processed and coded according to strict quality control procedures. These procedures are presented in the context of issues and findings from the broader literature about the quality of hospital administrative data sets.

    Release date: 2002-09-12

  • Articles and reports: 11-522-X20010016288
    Description:

    This paper discusses in detail issues dealing with the technical aspects of designing and conducting surveys. It is intended for an audience of survey methodologists.

    The upcoming 2002 U.S. Economic Census will give businesses the option of submitting their data on paper or by electronic media. If reporting electronically, they may report via Windows-based Computerized Self-Administered Questionnaires (CSAQs). The U.S. Census Bureau will offer electronic reporting for over 650 different forms to all respondents. The U.S. Census Bureau has assembled a cross-divisional team to develop an electronic forms style guide, outlining the design standards to use in electronic form creation and ensuring that the quality of the form designs will be consistent throughout.

    The purpose of a style guide is to foster consistency among the various analysts who may be working on different pieces of a software development project (in this case, a CSAQ). The team determined that the style guide should include standards for layout and screen design, navigation, graphics, edit capabilities, additional help, feedback, audit trails, and accessibility for disabled users.

    Members of the team signed up to develop various sections of the style guide. The team met weekly to discuss and review the sections. Members of the team also conducted usability tests on edits, and subject-matter employees provided recommendations to upper management. Team members conducted usability testing on prototype forms with actual respondents. The team called in subject-matter experts as necessary to assist in making decisions about particular forms where the constraints of the electronic medium required changes to the paper form.

    The style guide will become the standard for all CSAQs for the 2002 Economic Census, which will ensure consistency across the survey programs.

    Release date: 2002-09-12

  • Articles and reports: 11-522-X20010016289
    Description:

    This paper discusses in detail issues dealing with the technical aspects of designing and conducting surveys. It is intended for an audience of survey methodologists.

    Increasing demand for electronic reporting in establishment surveys has placed additional emphasis on incorporating usability into electronic forms. We are just beginning to understand the implications surrounding electronic forms design. Cognitive interviewing and usability testing are analogous in that both types of testing have similar goals: to build an end instrument (paper or electronic) that reduces both respondent burden and measurement error. Cognitive testing has greatly influenced paper forms design and can also be applied towards the development of electronic forms. Usability testing expands on existing cognitive testing methodology to include examination of the interaction between the respondent and the electronic form.

    The upcoming U.S. 2002 Economic Census will offer businesses the ability to report information using electronic forms. The U.S. Census Bureau is creating an electronic forms style guide outlining the design standards to be used in electronic form creation. The style guide's design standards are based on usability principles, usability and cognitive test results, and Graphical User Interface standards. This paper highlights the major electronic forms design issues raised during the preparation of the style guide and describes how usability testing and cognitive interviewing resolved these issues.

    Release date: 2002-09-12
Reference (5)

Reference (5) ((5 results))

  • Surveys and statistical programs – Documentation: 11-522-X20010016229
    Description:

    This paper discusses the approach that Statistics Canada has taken to improve the quality of annual business surveys through their integration in the Unified Enterprise Survey (UES). The primary objective of the UES is to measure the final annual sales of goods and services accurately by province, in sufficient detail and in a timely manner.

    This paper describes the methodological approaches that the UES has used to improve financial and commodity data quality in four broad areas. These include improved coherence of the data collected from different levels of the enterprise, better coverage of industries, better depth of information (in the sense of more content detail and estimates for more detailed domains) and better consistency of the concepts and methods across industries.

    The approach, in achieving quality, has been to (a) establish a base measure of the quality of the business survey program prior to the UES, (b) measure the annual data quality of the UES, and (c) carry out specific studies to better understand the quality of UES data and methods.

    Release date: 2002-09-12

  • Surveys and statistical programs – Documentation: 62F0026M2001001
    Description:

    This report describes the quality indicators produced for the 1998 Survey of Household Spending. It covers the usual quality indicators that help users interpret data, such as coefficients of variation, nonresponse rates, imputation rates and the impact of imputed data on the estimates. Added to these are various less often used indicators such as slippage rates and measures of the representativity of the sample for particular characteristics that are useful for evaluating the survey methodology.

    Release date: 2001-10-15

  • Notices and consultations: 11-522-X19980015010
    Description:

    In 1994, Statistics Canada introduced a new longitudinal social survey that collects information from about 23,000 children spread over 13,500 households. The objective of the National Longitudinal Survey of Children and Youth is to measure the development and well being of children until they reach adulthood. To this end, the survey gathers together information about the child, parents, neighbourhood as well as family and school environment. As a consequence, the data collected for each child, is provided by several respondents, from parents to teachers, a situation which contributes to an increased disclosure risk. In order to reach a balance between confidentiality and the analytical value of released data, the survey produces three different microdata files with more or less information. The master file that contains all the information is only available by means of remote access. Hence, researchers do not have direct access to the data, but send their request in the form of software programs that are submitted by Statistics Canada staff. The results are then vetted for confidentiality and sent back to the researchers. The presentation will be devoted to the various disclosure risks of such a survey and to the tools used to reduce those risks.

    Release date: 1999-10-22

  • Surveys and statistical programs – Documentation: 11-522-X19980015022
    Description:

    This article extends and further develops the method proposed by Pfeffermann, Skinner and Humphreys (1998) for the estimation of gross flows in the presence of classification errors. The main feature of that method is the use of auxiliary information at the individual level which circumvents the need for validation data for estimating the misclassification rates. The new developments in this article are the establishment of conditions for model identification, a study of the properties of a model goodness of fit statistic and modifications to the sample likelihood to account for missing data and informative sampling. The new developments are illustrated by a small Monte-Carlo simulation study.

    Release date: 1999-10-22

  • Surveys and statistical programs – Documentation: 75F0002M1993011
    Description:

    This report presents a summary evaluation of the quality of the data collected during the Survey of Labour and Income Dynamics (SLID) field test of income and wealth, held in April and May 1993.

    Release date: 1995-12-30
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