2021 Canadian Census going online

Bowlbe said going online is, “the safest and easiest way to reply to the census.”

“We’re hoping that a record number of Canadians this year, especially because of the pandemic, respond online.”

He explained that depending on the amount of responses received by around the end of May, census-takers will go door-to-door across the country to gather data in June.

Bowlbe said the door-to-door method would be done a bit differently than in years past, with a “no contact protocol” in place. Census-takers will wear masks, be provided with hand sanitizer and “never enter the dwelling” of Canadians.

If an interview with a resident needs to take place, it will occur outside of their home.

ACCURACY

When asked about any concerns on the accuracy of data received online, Bowlbe remarked that, “the quality of the data that we receive from Canadians when they respond online is as good or better sometimes than when it’s done in person or on paper.”

He explained that Canadians will either receive a “long form” or “short form” version of the survey.

“If you’re selected for the long-form census, there’s questions on what you do for a living, what’s your occupation, and what we’ve found over time is Canadians are more likely to respond and provide more information describing what they do when they do it online, compared to when it’s done in person.”

Bowlbe cited the amount of typing people do, on average, outweighs the amount of handwriting people do these days as a factor for the popularity of the online responses.

“Typing up an answer is often easier than writing it out and that is probably one of the reasons why we get higher quality data when responding online.”

He added that about three quarters of households receive the short survey, which only includes around 10 to 15 questions. The longer form includes more detailed questions pertaining to one’s occupation, education, background etc.

He said, “it’s that long form that provides us with that really rich portrait of who we are as Canadians.”

“The short form’s intent is primarily to make sure that we’re counting the population that we’ve got, a population count coming from the census with some of the core basic characteristics of that population.”

Bowlbe noted that responding to the census online allows Canadians to avoid speaking with a census-taker in-person, something that is top of mind amid the pandemic. He said Statistics Canada also focuses on online security.

“We have encryption, so when you send your information, it’s encrypted in transit and it’s encrypted at rest once it’s received at Stat Can. We have strong laws, rules and protocols in place to keep your data absolutely confidential, private and safe.”

IMPORTANCE OF CENSUS

Bowlbe remarked that the data from the census is “some of the most crucial and important information for government planning.”

He used the updates on Canada’s COVID-19 vaccination rollout as a recent example.

“When we’re hearing about the success or issues with the vaccination process and we’re using the percentage of the population as the indicator of that success, that is 2016 census data that you’ve provided in the past that’s contributing to that accurate population count in giving us the indications of success in that program.”

He added that census data also helps the federal government allocate funding to the provinces and territories.

“There’s a great deal of money that gets transferred from the federal government to the provincial and territorial governments for health and social programs, and that is done on a per capita basis, so for every [person] in the province and the territory, there’s a certain amount that gets allocated based on the census.”

JOB OPPORTUNITIES

The pandemic has left many Canadians at home and out of work.

Statistics Canada has a way to help, with Bowlbe noting that there are many job opportunities available as part of the 2021 Census.

“We want as many people to apply for the census jobs as possible. There are a large number of census jobs all across the country and we need people in southern Alberta to apply for those jobs, so I’d love to see more applications coming from that part of the country.”

He explained that most census jobs pay about $17 per hour, and work hour range from 20 to 40 per week, depending on the stage of the operation. Work starts in late May and ends in late July for jobs that are currently available.

Anyone interested in finding out more can visit the 2021 Canadian Census website here.

by Justin Goulet

2021 Canadian Census going online

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