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Content of the 2001 Census questionnaires

(Document last updated May 1, 2001)

Background
The questionnaires
The questions
New questions in 2001
Content determination
Identifying data requirements
Testing the census
Weighing one's words

Background

A census provides a statistical portrait of a country and its people. Most countries in the world carry out a census to count their population and to collect important information about the social and economic situation of the people living in the various regions.

In Canada, all levels of government use census data to make policy decisions about Canada�s economic and social programs. Census information is used to redistribute seats in the House of Commons and Provincial Legislative Assemblies, to determine equalization payments and other federal-provincial transfer payments, and to design and assess programs. Business, industry, associations, institutions, academia and media depend on census data as a valuable decision-making tool. Census data are also used to plan important community services such as health care, education, transportation, day-care, fire and police protection, employment and training programs, and housing.

The Canadian census is conducted every five years. Our next census is on May 15, 2001. Prior to that date, census content must go through a rigorous consultation, testing, review and approval process to ensure every question responds to important information requirements that cannot be met through other means. This process includes approval by Cabinet and the prescription of the questions by Order-in-Council as required by the Statistics Act. The final step is the publication of the questions in the Canada Gazette, Part 1 on April 22, 2000.

Although the 2001 Census questions will cover essentially the same subjects as in 1996, changes have been made to keep pace with the ever-changing face of our society.

The questionnaires

Not all respondents receive the same questionnaire. Four out of five households will receive the short form while the remaining one in five will receive a long form. The short form contains seven questions: the respondent�s name, sex, age, marital and common-law status, family and household relationships and mother tongue. The long form includes the seven questions from the short questionnaire plus 52 additional questions, including a question on religion and new questions on birthplace of parents and language spoken at work.

This method of gathering detailed data from a sample of households was first employed in the 1941 Census of Canada. Sampling is an effective collection method, yielding high-quality data while reducing costs and response burden. An adult in each household is asked to fill in the questionnaire and mail it back to Statistics Canada.

The questions

Characteristics of the population

Both the short and the long questionnaires will ask basic demographic questions about each member of the household. These questions provide information about the age and sex of the population, the composition of families and households, the number of children, the number of lone-parent families, and the number of persons living alone. These data will be used in planning social programs such as Old Age Security and the Child Tax Benefit. Municipalities will also use the data to gauge future requirements for day-care centres, schools and senior citizens� residences.

Activity limitations

The 2001 Census will collect information about people who have activity limitations at home, school, work or in other aspects of their lives, such as travel or recreation. As in both the 1986 and 1991 Censuses, information gathered in 2001 will be used to identify respondents for a post-censal Participation and Activity Limitation Survey (PALS).

Language

As in previous censuses, the long questionnaire contains questions on the first language learned in childhood, languages understood and spoken at home, as well as knowledge of official and non-official languages in the various regions of Canada.

New in the 2001 Census is a two-part question on language used at work. The first part asks for the language the respondent uses most often in his or her work. The second part asks for any other languages used on a regular basis in the workplace. This new question will provide insights on the vitality of official languages among the official and non-official minority language communities across the country. The data, for example, would provide information on the extent to which workers belonging to English or French minority language communities use their language knowledge in their workplace.

These data will be used to establish programs to protect the rights of Canadians under the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. They will also be used in forecasting language training requirements and in determining where services must be provided in both official languages to comply with the Official Languages Act.

New questions in 2001

Language at work

• what language respondent uses most at work
• any other languages used regularly in the workplace
• question will provide insight on the vitality of official languages

Birthplace of parents

• last asked in 1971
• along with information from other questions such as place of birth, ethnic origin, visible minority and religion, this question provides a cultural portrait of the population of Canada, especially of second generation Canadians

Religion

• asked in every decennial census since 1871, it focuses on the respondent�s religion even if he/she is not currently a practicing member
• an important source of information on the ethnocultural profile of Canadians

Languages spoken at home

• what language respondent speaks most often at home and additional information on other languages spoken regularly by the respondent is asked
• more comprehensive question will enable users to better identify language behaviour in homes where more than one language is spoken.

Common-law couples

• in view of the legal recognition of same-sex couples and the related need by governments and private sector, the definition of common-law couples has been changed to include two people of the opposite sex or of the same sex who live together as a couple but who are not legally married to each other
• this definition is included in questions on common-law partners and on family and household relationships

Content determination

Statistics Canada has undertaken a rigorous consultation, testing, review and approval process to ensure that the 2001 Census addresses the highest priority information requirements of data users and the general public. The data needs were evaluated in light of a number of considerations, always bearing in mind the need to respect the respondent�s right to privacy. These include legislative requirements, availability of other sources to meet data needs, respondent burden, and collection and processing costs. Proposed census content was also rigorously tested using a variety of methods including qualitative testing such as focus groups and in-depth interviews with respondents and more formal national statistical tests.

2001 Census challenges

• satisfy information requirements
• ensure that all census questions produce the required information
• maintain "plain language" questionnaires and guide
• review questions to ensure that the desired inform-ation is best collected from a census and not from other sources such as surveys or administrative data
• for every new questions added an existing one must be dropped
• reduce respondent burden
• balance quality and timeliness of data release
• improve dissemination strategies

Identifying data requirements

During the content determination process, Statistics Canada consults with data users across Canada and asks what information they need from the census database. For the 2001 Census, consultations with major users began in 1997. More than 1650 comments were received from agencies in the public and private sectors about the content of the 2001 Census.

2001 Census Consultation Number of Comments by Topic
Census Topic	Frequency	Percentage
Family	269	16%
Housing and Shelter Costs	139	8%
Labour Market Activities	138	8%
Ethnocultural	129	8%
Household Activities	122	7%
Postcensal Surveys	121	7%
Education	111	7%
Citizenship and Immigration	104	6%
Language	83	5%
Age, Sex and Marital Status	62	4%
Mobility	54	3%
Place of Work and Mode of Transportation	53	3%
Aboriginal Peoples	50	3%
Income	46	3%
Religion	42	3%
Fertility	27	2%
New Population Categories	27	2%
Other	76	5%
Grand Total	1 653	100%

Testing the census

Qualitative testing for the 2001 Census took place both before and after the National Census Test (NCT). The NCT involved 77,000 households in 13 sites across Canada. The location of the sites was based on both content and operational objectives. All households within a site received a census test questionnaire. One third of these households were given a short census form and the other two thirds received one of two versions of the long census form.

The purpose of the NCT, conducted on a voluntary basis, was to determine the suitability of each new or modified question through various means. The data were analyzed for reliability and comparability over time and compared with other sources. All telephone calls received by the telephone help-line were monitored and evaluated to judge where problems consistently occurred. Follow-up interviews with respondents were also conducted to discuss the questions and the questionnaire.

New and modified questions were tested in the NCT on a number of topics including: same-sex couples, ethnic origin, birthplace of parents/grandparents, language, activity limitations, place of highest certificate, diploma or degree, and unpaid work. The NCT also included questions on religion and fertility traditionally asked on decennial censuses. Changes were made to the introductory pages where respondents were asked to identify the members of the households.

Statistics Canada has used the results of the 1998 NCT together with the results of focus group discussions, recommendations from major data users and national and community organizations and letters from private citizens to develop options for consideration and decision by Cabinet.

The same census logo will appear on the 2001 questionnaire, guide and all other communication materials as for the 1996 Census. Only the year will change. The logo is a computer-generated drawing of three people in the official census colours of red and yellow for the Census of Population, and green for the Census of Agriculture. The image reflects how important people are to the census.

Weighing one�s words

An important factor affecting the questionnaire�s content is physical constraint: space on the form is limited, and therefore the number, length and complexity of the questions are limited. Without such limits, response burden would be unmanageable and printing costs would soar, as would shipping, handling and mailing costs.