Statistically speaking
Statistics involves gathering data, summarizing it and interpreting it. Sometimes, statisticians put funny-looking symbols and letters in a table or use words that don’t seem to make sense. All of these technical terms may be difficult to understand. This series aims to explain the language of statistics, some of the basic rules around interpreting and publishing data and what these terms and symbols really mean.
An X can stand for many things.
X is commonly used to vote or to indicate where to sign in a legal agreement.
An X on a map suggests a hidden treasure or a secret destination.
Occasionally, you may stumble upon an X in one of our tables.
At Statistics Canada, an X in a table means we have nothing to say.
What are we hiding, you may ask?
We are protecting the identity of the millions of Canadians, businesses and agencies who participate in our surveys.
Your privacy is our priority and we will never risk compromising it.
Thus, if a data point can be used to identify a person, business or agency we will not publish it.
That X is a mark of privacy that we take pride in.
Contact information
For more information, contact the Statistical Information Service (toll-free 1-800-263-1136; 514-283-8300; infostats@statcan.gc.ca) or Media Relations (statcan.mediahotline-ligneinfomedias.statcan@statcan.gc.ca).