Census 2011 and Data Quality

Data Quality

1. Statistics Canada has always worked hard to create qgod quality datasets.  When their budgets were reduced, they have tried to adjust methodologies to preserve as much as possible.  Of course, these adjustments are often made without consultation with the users because the users object to change.  But the users are the ones that understand how data can be used.
2. Statistics Canada will always try to produce good quality data points.  Their commitment to consistent methodologies so that we can analyze vital questions of change is somewhat more questionable because their first goal is to deliver the product that governments mandate.  I am sure that they will never publish bad data but focusing on usefulness is not in their mandate.  In fact, their warranty makes their goals clear.
   

   This data product is provided ‘as-is,’ and Statistics Canada makes no warranty, either express or implied, including but not limited to, warranties of merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose. In no event will Statistics Canada be liable for any direct, special, indirect, consequential or other damages, however caused.

3. One of the key ways in which the quality of the Census 2011 will be evaluated is by looking at changes from the last Census.  Of course, since change is what is interesting to economists, that creates a challenge for analysis. If there are key differences in information about sector employment, labour force education or other key long-form characteristics, we won't really be comfortable whether the difference in the observations is real change, the impact of methodological differences or just plain bad data.
4. The quality of the results depends on the sample size and more importantly on the response rate and the distribution of the responses.  Statistics Canada is planning on a 50% response rate.  The experience in the U.S. that I cite in other posts highlights the problems of response rates.