Canada census
Jul 26th 2010 | 12:05 pm
#106
Soulless bureaucrat
Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 361
From: Ottawa
Re: Canada census
This thread is probably dead but...large-scale social surveys are my professional area of expertise and I can't resist.
Anyone who has ever run such a survey will tell you that different types of people are more or less likely to respond to surveys.
If the long-form is voluntary you will under-represent:
- young people, esp. under 24
- visible minorities
- poor people
- people living in urban areas esp. Toronto
These people will all be less likely to respond.
You will over-represent:
- older people, esp. 55-74 year old
- people on middle incomes
- white unhypenated Canadians
- people in rural areas esp. on the prairies
These are all facts you can easily look up and check.
The result of this means that the census becomes less accurate and makes it difficult to tell where the bias is. How much is due to response, how much is due to changing demographics.
Anyone who works with this type of data is likely to tell you the same thing.
If you are against 'big government', fine. This is your political view and you are entitled to it.
Anyone who has ever run such a survey will tell you that different types of people are more or less likely to respond to surveys.
If the long-form is voluntary you will under-represent:
- young people, esp. under 24
- visible minorities
- poor people
- people living in urban areas esp. Toronto
These people will all be less likely to respond.
You will over-represent:
- older people, esp. 55-74 year old
- people on middle incomes
- white unhypenated Canadians
- people in rural areas esp. on the prairies
These are all facts you can easily look up and check.
The result of this means that the census becomes less accurate and makes it difficult to tell where the bias is. How much is due to response, how much is due to changing demographics.
Anyone who works with this type of data is likely to tell you the same thing.
If you are against 'big government', fine. This is your political view and you are entitled to it.
Jul 26th 2010 | 12:11 pm
#107
Joined: Jul 2005
Posts: 15,883
Re: Canada census
This thread is probably dead but...large-scale social surveys are my professional area of expertise and I can't resist.
Anyone who has ever run such a survey will tell you that different types of people are more or less likely to respond to surveys.
If the long-form is voluntary you will under-represent:
- young people, esp. under 24
- visible minorities
- poor people
- people living in urban areas esp. Toronto
These people will all be less likely to respond.
You will over-represent:
- older people, esp. 55-74 year old
- people on middle incomes
- white unhypenated Canadians
- people in rural areas esp. on the prairies
These are all facts you can easily look up and check.
The result of this means that the census becomes less accurate and makes it difficult to tell where the bias is. How much is due to response, how much is due to changing demographics.
Anyone who works with this type of data is likely to tell you the same thing.
If you are against 'big government', fine. This is your political view and you are entitled to it.
Anyone who has ever run such a survey will tell you that different types of people are more or less likely to respond to surveys.
If the long-form is voluntary you will under-represent:
- young people, esp. under 24
- visible minorities
- poor people
- people living in urban areas esp. Toronto
These people will all be less likely to respond.
You will over-represent:
- older people, esp. 55-74 year old
- people on middle incomes
- white unhypenated Canadians
- people in rural areas esp. on the prairies
These are all facts you can easily look up and check.
The result of this means that the census becomes less accurate and makes it difficult to tell where the bias is. How much is due to response, how much is due to changing demographics.
Anyone who works with this type of data is likely to tell you the same thing.
If you are against 'big government', fine. This is your political view and you are entitled to it.
Lord Vader is the one who disagrees.
Jul 26th 2010 | 12:21 pm
#109
BE Troll
Joined: Feb 2009
Posts: 1,708
From: Upper Atmosphere
Re: Canada census
perhaps breaking down the content of the 2006 census and giving its usefulness of info and potential gov't use that can't be easily gathered from other sources would be a better start. You might be the first.
