The case of the TERRIFYING Data and Statistics Questions

1. The case of the TERRIFYING Data and Statistics Questions Can YOU answer the questions before time runs out? Lead Investigators Carolyn DeLorey cdelorey@stfx.ca Julie Marcoux Julie.Marcoux@dal.ca

2. I'm a commerce co-op student currently on my first work term. My boss has asked me to do research in finding the percentage of Canadians over 60 years of age who are still living alone in their own homes (by province, if available). Now, I know I can find the amount of people 60+ on a database such as Statistics Canada, but, I was wondering if you could recommend maybe a database to find the rest of the information (ie. living alone). Also, I am a ghost for some reason. 

3. Checking NHS tables “To get numbers for seniors aged 60 years or older who are living alone in their own home, you might want to look at this table of structural types of dwelling, this table of household living arrangements, or other tables with an “age group” variable in the “structural types of dwelling” or “household” list of tables. Before attempting to create a percentage for these numbers, please be very careful that you understand who has been included or excluded from each table.”

4. Make sure you are familiar with census products. Topic-Based tabulations sometimes contain variable combinations that save less experienced researchers from diving into the microdata. Here, we don't have a perfect answer– no table combines both "living alone" and "living in a home".

5. Microdata “I couldn't find any way to get at the microdata (data files that allow you to extract your own numbers) using the census, however it is possible to get the microdata for the 2011-2012 Canadian Community Health Survey through the Data Liberation Initiative. The microdata file contains both some household variables and an age group variable. Please let me know if you’re interested in this possibility, and we can set an appointment to discuss.”

6. Got pretty close with the CCHS – but maybe missing the "own home" I checked a few surveys I was familiar with and also did a search in Odesi The census microdata had the wrong age groups

7. I always do a search in Google! Google “Statistics Canada has a wonderful publication called living arrangements of seniors. They concentrate on seniors aged 65 years or older, but it might still be interesting to read their conclusions.

8. How many restaurants are there in Vancouver and Burnaby? I have an unspeakable hunger I am attempting to satisfy!

9. There is an option for number of establishments, but I get an ERROR MESSAGE when I try to access it. Province is the smallest geography available.

10. There are establishment counts available, but province is the smallest geography. Canadian Industry Statistics has similar categories: I found “Food Services and Drinking Places"

11. Requires a login! More of a newsletter! Same table from the Stat Can search This mysterious subject guide has no answers for me!

12. NOPE!

13. Smallest geography available: Greater Vancouver SO CLOSE! NAICS is only two digits! But…data is from Statistics Canada!

14. Tried the DLI Beyond 20/20 Web Data Server • Went to "Business and Financial" • Went to "Canadian Business Counts“. • Location count is available by CMA/CA, 4 digit NAICS, and employment Size Ranges • Smallest geography is 933 Vancouver (CMA) which includes Burnaby. VICTORY!!!!!

15. "I'm having trouble finding statistics on the amount of freelance journalists in Canada and financial data about them too (mainly how much they make). Could you help point me in the right direction? I just feel like every time I type something into the databases I don't get anything relevant to my story."

16. Checking NHS tables “When looking at the NHS data tables for the Education and Labour topic, you can search for “Class of Worker”. You’ll find several tables that contain the number of people by occupation using either the National Occupational Classification (NOC) or the North American Industry Classification (NAIC). For these tables, you’ll probably want to stick with the NOC – you can find more precise numbers for the NAICS using my next suggestion. Journalists are found under NOC 5123. For example, in this table (link might not work – Stat Can is terrible with dynamic links – the above explanations should enable you to find a similar table) you can find occupations by NOC including journalists. Then you simply need to check the numbers under “self employed” for “class of worker”, and you have a good estimate of the number of independent journalists in Canada. You can also find this data by province, census divisions, and other geographies.”

17. Both the National Occupational Classification (NOC) or the North American Industry Classification (NAIC) are searchable. The NHS data tables save us once again!

18. Canadian Industry Statistics “The NAICS code that comes closest to what you’re looking for is probably NAICS 711513. Read the description carefully. This category contains freelance journalists and independent columnists. However, it also contains independent playwrights and independent songwriters… If you’re still interested, you should take a look at the first table on this page of statistics by establishments from Canadian Industry Statistics. There’s a column for “Non-Employers/Indeterminate”. That’s where the independent and freelance people will be counted.”

19. I was able to search for a very detailed NAICS code Canadian Industry Statistics has some interesting tables.

20. Freelance Journalist Wages Another Google Search! “Unfortunately, wages for freelance journalists aren’t available through Statistic Canada – to protect privacy, they’ve kept wage information in very broad categories. This article explains that the Professional Writers Association of Canada did a survey in 2006 that has some interesting data. Nicole Cohen, author of the article shared above, published a thesis in 2013 about freelance writers and the media. She even did her own survey (look around page 161 for some good numbers). You can access Negotiating precarious cultural work: Freelance writers and collective organization in media industries using ProQuest Dissertation and Theses.”

21. Some questions are IMPOSSIBLE to answer. Ask yourself "who would record this data“. Waitlist times in Canada and relationship with blood pressure, life satisfaction and perceived life?

22. A Possible workflow • Quickly check sources that are alreadyfamiliar to you. • Becomefamiliarwith the Canadian census, the National HouseholdSurvey, and a few Stat Can surveys in your discipline. • Becomefamiliarwithyourlocal data portal and quickly check relevant links. If possible, do a variable search in your data discoverytool. • Search for your question in Google and explore the results. • Whensearching for Canadian data, use Google results to navigate to relevant branches of government, to the relevant Departments and/or to the relevant Stat Can surveys. • If searching for Canadian data, look at tables and sources of information in Stat Can’ssubject portal. • Askyour data librarian for help…if youare the data librarian, ask the DLI email list for help.

23. Questions???