2016 Census Program Content Consultation Guide: Introduction
Canadians require trustworthy statistics to meet an array of needs.
The Census of Population is an important source of demographic and social information for decision-making and analysis at a large geographical scale and for small areas. Statistics Canada is responsible under the Statistics Act (R.S.C., 1985, c. S-19) for conducting the Census of Population every five years.
The 2011 Census ProgramFootnote 1 consisted of two parts: a short questionnaire (census) with a basic set of questions distributed to 100% of households, and a long questionnaire (National Household Survey) distributed to a 33% sample of households.
Planning the Census Program starts early. In preparation for Census Day 2016, Statistics Canada is consulting with data users to:
- confirm information needs and identify data gaps
- establish data priorities
- understand how Census Program data are used.
In order to prioritize the 2016 Census Program content, Statistics Canada will evaluate consultation input using the content determination framework explained in this guide.
We invite you to convey your data needs and content suggestions for the 2016 Census Program, and provide examples of how you use Census Program data. We also welcome your comments on Census Program products and services and geography concepts.