Historical Census Statistics Print and electronic – A How-to

DLI National Training Day, June 2, 2014, Toronto

Susan Mowers

Alex Guindon

Workshop Objectives

Understanding what you can find using historical Census publications

Learning the key changes to Census publications over time

• How often do you use

the print volumes of

the historical Census?

o once a month?

o once a term?

o never…

o or do you use the digitized

version?

Agenda

1. Introduction

2. Census changes

3. Scope of Census statistical publications

4. Sources of Census statistics and

…reference materials

Why do we need a workshop on

Historical Census resources?

• Increasing lack of familiarity with researching historical

Census statistics

• Census – to – Census variations

• Changes in use patterns

• Recent digitization of print volumes

Workshop topics

1. Introduction

2. Census changes

3. Scope of Census statistical publications

4. Sources of Census statistics and reference material

We are

here

Censuses to the early 1900’s

.

Population Census

Parallel censuses:

- recent deaths

- farms; livestock; farm products;

- real estate

- fur & fabric products

- forestry products

- shipping and fisheries

- mining products

- industry, etc.

Many families would have been

enumerated in several censuses

No wonder Censuses were

only held once every

10 years!

Censuses to 1901 ● 1666-1872 - Colonial censuses, starting with New France, 1666. Age, sex,

language, occupation, housing and other property... - More info [Link]

● 1765... - Questions introduced on race, religion and ethnic origin

● 1871 - First national Census

- under 1867 BNA (representation by population)

- NB, NS, QC and ON

- included aboriginal persons

- questionnaires, called schedules, were administered by enumerators

- Census Dictionary appendix A traces Census questions and derived

variables since Confederation (when Census questions were first asked)

● 1881 - saw the adoption of the oath of secrecy for census enumerators

- and covered PEI, Man., NWT and BC

● 1891 - Question on parents’ birthplaces introduced (previously the father’s)

● 1901 - 11 schedules (561 questions overall), reduced to 5 schedules by 1921

Sources: Nancy Lemay, The library and the Canadian Census (2009, University of Ottawa

Slideshare presentation [Link] and Statistics Canada, History of the Census [Link],

1906 to today

● 1906 (Alberta and Saskatchewan - 1896 (Manitoba)

○ first quinquennial Censuses (Censuses of Agriculture)

● 1921 - most recent Census release of microdata (92 year embargo)

● 1931 - Questions regarding the causes and severity of unemployment

● 1941 - Last year fertility questions asked (dropped in 1921 and 1931)

● 1951 - Census Tracts and tables introduced

● 1961 - Enumeration Area-level and Basic Summary Tables

● 1971 - Self-enumeration introduced

● 1986 - First “full” quinquennial Census

● 1996 - Dissemination of detailed tables via DLI and use of web site

● Undercoverage rates …1961 to 1976 [csv Link] 1971-2001 [Link], 2006

[Link] and voluntary 2011 National Household Survey [Link - forthcoming]

and [Link]

Workshop topics

1. Introduction

2. Census changes

3. Scope of Census statistical publications

4. Sources of Census statistics and reference material

We are

here

Two major Census

statistical publications

Profiles

Tabulations

(Simple variable tables)

• Major component of the print

Census publications

• Electronic formats, e.g.,

online Community Profiles

or Census Profile...

• Many distribution channels:

Census Analyser, Profile

series via DLI and the public

web site, former E-Stat (now

DLI and Queen’s).

(Allow cross-tabulations of two +

variables)

Various names and distribution

channels via Statistics Canada:

• detailed tables through DLI:

Topic-based Tabulations,

former Basic Summary Tables,

and former Dimension Series

• simpler Topic-based

tabulations through Statistics

Canada web site,

• simpler Nation Series &

Dimension Series (both

replaced by the Topic-based

tabulations) via the Depository

Services Program

What are Profiles?

● Univariate* overviews of geographic areas,

SOURCE: Statistics Canada. 2007. Ontario, Quebec. 2006 Community Profiles, 2006 Census [Table]. Statistics

Canada Catalogue no. 92-591-XWE. Ottawa. Released March 13, Retrieved from

2007.http://www12.statcan.ca/english/census06/data/profiles/community/Index.cfm?Lang=E

Characteristic (variable)

Quebec Ontario

Population, total 7,546,130 12,160,285

male, total 3,687,695 5,930,700

male, aged 0-4 191,565 343,475

mother tongue, French only 5,877,660 488,815

immigrants 851,555 3,398,725

LIMITATION:

Variables, (e.g.,

French mother

tongue and

immigrants), can

not be combined

Two types of Profile

tables:

Thematic &

Cumulative profiles

What are Census (cross)tabulations? ● Multivariate tables by region

● Detailed subject matter

● Use Topic-based tabulations to tabulate two or more characteristics

yourself, e.g., Education-Immigration-Sex table 97-562-XCB200601:

SOURCE: Statistics Canada. 2009. Occupation - National Occupational Classification for Statistics 2006 (720), Class of Worker (6) and Sex (3)

for the Labour Force 15 Years and Over of Canada, Provinces, Territories, Census Metropolitan Areas and Census Agglomerations, 2006 Census

- 20% Sample Data, Topic-based Tabulation: Labour, Occupation. Retrieved from http://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2006/dp-

pd/tbt/index-eng.cfm

Evolution of the

Census tabulation series

● Going back in time to 1996, the greater in number and depth

of the electronic tables (DSP/Web + DLI).

● 1996- 2006 Censuses: ● multiple tabulation series and

● geography goes down to dissemination areas and census tracts

● 2011 National Household Survey Data Tables (like the former

20% Census)

● 2011 Census Topic-based tabulations (like the 100% / short-

form Census)

Workshop topics

1.Need for skills and tools

2. Census changes

3. Scope of Census statistical publications

4. Sources of Census statistics and reference material

We are

here

MODERN CENSUSES

(1961 onward)

Compared features of aggregate data sources

Features Stat Can website

(Census/ Community

Profiles )

CHASS

Census Analyzer

DLI EFT

(FTP Site)

ODESI, Equinox, Abacus

Search

functions

By place name

By postal code, geo

code (2011 only)

None Limited (depends on

FTP client)

Sophisticated

(field searching,

boolean logic, etc.)

*Not at variable level

Browse

functions

List of place names Sophisticated

selection menu

(geography,

variables, output, file

format)

Folder structure

navigation

Varies but generally

good

Download

data for all

geo units in

Canada

Yes, but complicated Yes Yes Yes

Download

specific

variables

No

(only tables by theme)

Yes No

No (some exceptions)

File formats CSV, TAB

IVT, XML (complete

tables)

TXT, HTML, CSV,

SAS, SPSS, DBF

IVT, TXT Multiple

Access Public By subscription DLI contacts By subscription/region

Data sources by type of tables for

recent censuses (1961 onward)

Type of table

Census Website CHASS

Census Analyzer

DLI EFT (FTP site)

ODESI, Equinox, Abacus

Profiles Yes (1996-2011) No DA-level data

Yes Yes Yes

Topic-based Tabulations

Yes (2001-2011) 1996: only selective Nation Series tables

No Yes Yes

Basic Summary Tabulations

No No Yes Some

Census cross-tabulations Year Census Product Data Source Format

2011 Topic-based tabulations

Including DA-level

Very few variables

DLI EFT

Stat Can web site

B2020, ASCII

HTML (web)

2006 Topic-based tabulations

(Web: DA-level upon request only)

DLI EFT

Stat Can web site

B2020, ASCII

HTML (web)

2001 Topic-based tabulations(Web: DA-

level uon request only)

DLI EFT

Stat Can web site

B2020, ASCII

HTML (web)

1996 Dimension Series (more

detail/variables)

DLI EFT B2020, ASCII

Nation Series

(Web: only some tables)

DSP EFT

Stat Can web site

B2020, ASCII

HTML (web)

Basic Summary Tables , lower levels

of geography (going back to 1961)

DLI EFT B2020, ASCII

HISTORICAL

CENSUSES (before 1961)

Pre-Confederation Censuses:

1665-1871 • From the print: Censuses of Canada, 1665 to 1871, Statistics of

Canada, Volume IV

• 343 tables in Beyond 20/20 viewer format

• Formerly on E-Stat, now available through Queen’s University Library web site

(in English)

• By region and date

• The tables also available via DLI/EFT under census_pop_recens (in English and

French)

Nova Scotia

Prince Edward Island

Atlantic Canada - 1671-1871

Digitized Print Volumes of the

Census of Canada

Databases of nomimal censuses (1825 to 1921)

• LAC

• Ancestry.ca

Canadiana: 1851-1891

Internet Archive (archive.org): 1851-1991

• Complete volumes

• Reference materials

• PDFs are searchable (OCRed) and downloadable

How to explore the digitized volumes

… an overview

• UofT guide to the Census aggregate statistics o Detailed breakdown by product and geographic level

o Digitized catalogue of products (when available)

o Digitized tables of contents

o Extensive historical coverage

• Questionnaires and schedules (University of Ottawa)

• Canadian census questions and derived variables since

confederation

(from Appendix A of the 2011 Census Dictionary)

Internet Archive -- Advanced Search - Under collection select: statisticscanada

- In any field:[census year] AND [topic]

Example: 1981 census immigra*

- Keyword search in the PDFs

DEMONSTRATION

Question:

What are the top countries for place of birth of

immigrants?

• In the 1981 census

• In the 1951 census

Answering this question shows that:

• It is possible to retrieve a lot of information from old

censuses

• but it may not be immediately comparable to

statistics from recent censuses

Workshop topics

1.Need for skills and tools

2. Census changes

3. Scope of Census statistical publications

4. Sources of Census statistics and … reference

materials

We are

here

Reference materials …

● To provide background on the Census questions asked …

○ Topical information and finding tools

● To navigate the printed Census tables whether print or

digitized formats

Reference Materials

(A) Researching by topic: after Confederation

● "Census questions and derived variables since Confederation” in Census

Dictionary Appendix A … ”when”

● Questionnaires 1871-2006 uO Library | 1871-1961: CCRI *Canadian

Century Research Infrastructure

● Search the Statistics Canada Library catalogue [Link] ■ Search by series (e.g., Census and optional year) and keyword (your

topic) searches

● add series keywords, e.g., Nation or Population or Bulletin

■ Records often have links to the Internet archive version

■ Note the title of the publication or the Statistics Canada catalogue

number … important because the titles of the publications do not often

indicate the topic, and because many topical tables are outside the

“Population” volumes

● Also search Internet Archive [Link] e.g., title keyword: Census and (Year)

and collection is: statisticscanada

Reference Materials

(A) Researching by topic: before Confederation

Approximately 1821-1871

● Library and Archives Canada, > About the 1871 Census :

Column headings and interpretation (“about” the questions on the

Census schedules)

● Manuals containing the Census Act and Instructions to enumerators

[Internet archive search of Census manuals] and on CCRI

Reference Materials

(B) Navigating the Census by year

The Census publications grew substantially over time, making manual browsing

through the print volumes increasingly laborious …

● 1961-2006

○ Products and Services catalogues essential to understanding Census

publications

■ Statistics Canada 2006-Preview | 2001 | 1996 > See Census

reference products

■ U of T – [Link] > See individual Census years > Doumentation >

Products

○ Use series/title information from above with Statistics Canada library

catalogue [Link]

Reference Materials

(B) Navigating the Census information: the earlier Population

Censuses

1665 - 1871

● Queen’s University Library web site | Bilingual access: DLI/EFT

1825 – 1891, again note: Manuals containing the Census Act and Instructions

to enumerators [Link] and via CCRI

… overviews, e.g.,

1666-1871 Censuses of Canada … various:

Estimated population of Canada, 1605 to present [Link]

Aboriginal peoples [Link]

1867 – Historical statistical almanacs/yearbooks, [Link] & Articles [Link]

1851- 1975 Population and migration – with details [Link]

Questions?