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Statistics Canada Research Data

Centre Program*

Facilities across Canada housing detailed confidential microdata and documentation

files from Statistics Canada

Statistics Canada released data that would otherwise not be available into “secure” sites.

About statistics Canada data:• Canadian Community Health Survey (CCHS)• Ethnic Diversity Survey (EDS) • General Social Survey (GSS selected cycles)

– Access to and Use of Information Communication Technology – Education, Work and Retirement – Family – Health – Social Engagement – Social Support and Aging – Time Use – Victimization

• Longitudinal Survey of Immigrants to Canada (LSIC) • National Longitudinal Survey of Children and Youth (NLSCY)• National Population Health Survey (NPHS)• Survey of Labour and Income Dynamics (SLID) • Workplace and Employee Survey (WES) • Youth in Transition Survey and the Programme for International Student

Assessments (YITS-PISA) • Health Services Access Survey

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New data sources coming to the Research Data

Centre• 1991-2006 Censuses of Population now

available (20% sample – long questionnaire)• 1921-1951 Censuses will soon be available• Health administrative data in development• Residential Care Facility Survey now

available: longitudinal business survey of all long-term care facilities in Canada

• Contact the BCIRDC office for information on any Statistics Canada surveys

National Population Health Survey

• Longitudinal survey of health of Canadians (smaller sample size)

• Data collected every second year since 1994

• Detailed information on disease and disability

• Non-repeated modules on selected conditions such as asthma

National Survey of Children and Youth

• Longitudinal survey of children and parents

• Data collected every second year since 1994

• Detailed child development measurements

• Detailed family and household data• School level data available for some

years

Youth in Transition Survey

• Longitudinal survey on the school to work pathways of youth

• Data collected every second year since 2000

• Two cohorts selected in 2000:– 15 year-olds (includes data from the

Programme for International Student Assessment

– 18-20 year-olds

Survey of Labour and Income Dynamics

• Longitudinal survey with annual data collection

• Each panel has six years of data• A new panel begins every third year• Detailed data on family dynamics,

education, income and labour• Cross-sectional data from 1976 to

present

Workplace and Employee Survey

• Longitudinal survey from 1999 to 2006

• Annual data collection from employer for selected workplaces

• Selected workers within each workplace interviewed annually for two years

• Detailed information on technology, innovation and human resource practices in workplaces

• Allows analyses of both employer and worker characteristics

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Other surveysadult literacy and lifestyles survey

canada's alcohol and other drug survey

cross national equivalency file

consumer price survey

Canadian tobacco use monitoring survey

Employment Insurance Coverage Survey

Foreign direct investment

Health Promotion Survey

Information and Communications Technologies in Schools Survey

labour market activity survey

Statistics Canada Survey of Literacy Skills Used in Daily Activities

National Private Vehicle Use Survey

Ontario Adult Literacy Survey

Ontario Child Health Study

ontario first nation regional health survey

Post-Secondary Education Participation Survey

Residential care facilities survey

survey of displaced workers

survey of independent workers

School Leavers Follow-up Survey

School Leavers Survey

Public service employees survey

survey of repeat users of EI

Status vector file

us health and retirement survey

united stats national health interview survey

Future data sources that may become available

• Employment Insurance beneficiary records (10% sample)

• Record of Employment (10% sample)• Historical Censuses of Population from

1961 to 1986• Canada Pension Plan Disability

beneficiary records• Health administrative records and

population linked data

Other Future Developments

• Plans are in development to add the following to RDC dataset collection:– Cancer Registry (pilot project in progress at BCIRDC)– HRSDC administrative data– Homicide data (Cdn. Centre for Justice Statistics)

[under review: pilots only]– Business data: (selected datasets from Small

Business & Special Surveys Division)

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Stats Canada data are released to universities through the “Data Liberation Initiative”

• Most Cdn. universities part of this• Data housed in university data library (at

Uvic: Kathleen Matthews, library) and copies are made available to any researcher requesting it as long as:– a) agree to terms (no re-dissemination; etc.)– b) bona fida member of the university

community

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DLI Restrictions

• No longitudinal data (in some cases, cross-sectional waves, not linked and with unique identifiers stripped, are available, but in other cases survey not available at all)

• Many variables treated as “confidential” and deleted from dataset or coarsely categorized

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censored variables

Full versions of datasets with censored variables + datasets not otherwise available can be worked on in a “Research Data Centre”

Full versions of datasets with censored variables + datasets not otherwise available can be worked on

in a “Research Data Centre”

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There are RDCs across Canada at most major universities with doctoral programs:• New Brunswick, Dalhousie, Moncton• Toronto (York has a “branch” which will soon develop into a full-blown centre)•Waterloo (Guelph, WLU participate)•McMaster (Brock participates)•Western (Windsor is just opening a branch)•Queen’s (part-time site)•Carleton (U of Ottawa participates)•Manitoba•U of Saskatchewan (part-time site)• 2 Alberta sites: U of Alberta; Calgary (various Prairie universities participate; Lethbridge will have a branch soon)• Manitoba (branch opening in Yellowknife)•Consortium (U de Montreal) with branches at UQAM, Sherbrooke, Laval•McGill •BC universities consortium

BC consortium: UBC, SFU, UVic, Vancouver Island Univ., UNBC

Statistics Canada Research Data Centre Program

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The UVic branch works within the British Columbia Interuniversity Research Data Centre network

• “main” site is at UBC; open 9-5 M-F• UVic site has more restrictive hours (arranged term-

by-term in consultation with researchers).– Currently 15.5 hours/week (sometimes a bit less in summer)– Exact hours worked out in consultation with users

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Support:• Capital costs:

– Canadian Foundation for Innovation– Office of the Provost

• Operating costs:– Dean of Social Science– Vice-President, Research – Dean of Graduate Studies– Dean of Business– SSHRC, CIHR “network” grant funding– Past support & seeking support for present year:

• Dean of Humanities; Assoc. Dean, Island Med. Pgm.• Dean of Human and Social Development• Dean of Education

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What is the relationship between the RDC network and the “Data Liberation Initiative”?

• often users work with the DLI version of a dataset before progressing to work using the RDC

• StatCan will only approve projects if it can be demonstrated that DLI data is insufficient or there are no DLI files for the survey of interest

• contact person on campus for DLI: Kathleen Matthews

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RDC DLIFiles available

-Those listed on RDC site-Other files if arragements can be made

- Those listed on DLI site – see UVic library web page under Data Acquisition

Files not available

Any linked longitudinal datasetRecent waves of NCLSYSome newly available surveys

Information on files not avail.

Cluster numbers Cluster numbers, Geographic detailDemographic detailOther

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RDC DLIWho may access

- Faculty with approved projects-Graduate students with approved projects (+faculty co-investigator)

- Any member of UVic community with NetLink ID

Where files may be worked on

In Data Centre only May be downloaded to be used anywhere, with agreement not to redistributed

Initial contact Doug Baer or Lee Grenon (StatCan Analyst located in Vancouver at UBC)

Kathleen Matthews, Data Librarian, UVic

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& other data can be arranged

• There is presently a project involving BC Administrative Health data (to be linked to Stats Can survey data)

• For a very large list of StatCan Surveys, see the DLI website (UVic library)

http://gateway.uvic.ca/data/default.html

click on “DLI collection”

future plans: see below

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What is the process for gaining access?

http://www.statcan.ca/english/rdc/application.htm

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Application process works through SSHRC

Graduate students must have faculty member as co-investigator

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Project proposal

• Proposal evaluation by SSHRC peer review and Statistics Canada

• Very few are turned down… though must establish that confidential data are required to complete project– Does project have scientific merit? is access to

confidential microdata necessary? Does researcher have expertise to conduct research?

– Takes 6-8 weeks• Proposals that are part of SSHRC or CIHR

grants forgo the SSHRC peer review process– Approvals typically 3-4 weeks

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Process:

• Submit proposal• Proposal approved• Security check on applicant• oath, investigator becomes “deemed

employee” of statistics canada• Orientation session at UVic• Issued access card for card reader

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UVic facilities:6 workstation lab with room for expansion to up to 10 workstations

workstations now have widescreen monitors or dual screen configuration

Server for data

Most commonly used statistical software packages

Some highly specialized software packages

Hours are worked out to suit the needs of active researchers. Fall 2009 hours:

Tues 10am-5pm; Wed 10am-4pm

Thurs 12 noon – 4pm

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SoftwareStandard stats packages: SPSS (18), SAS (9.2) STATA

(11)** [Stata/SE on 2 machines & Stata/IC on 3)Open-source stats: RMultilevel models: HLM, LISREL, MPlusSEM models: LISREL, Mplus, AMOSSpecialized (Bayesian, MCMC etc.): WinBugs

Other software can be obtained if demand exists.

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Security process• No output or notes can be taken out of the room• Users have file drawers and access to printer

inside the centre• Output listings and notes (if typed into a

computer file) can be released after they are “vetted” by a Statistics Canada Analyst at the main BC site

• Files are sent via encrypted CD to Vancouver (2-3 days)

• Files that are approved for release are emailed back to researcher

• Pass card works only during centre hours (swipe in, swipe out protocol)

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Can I work at other RDCs too?Can I work with other researchers?

What about other researchers at other universities?

• Access is “network wide”• Files are stored on a “project” basis

(researchers, RAs, etc. have own account but access to shared files)

• UVic researchers are part of the BC consortium and could go to the UBC site if more intense periods of research are required (35 hrs/week vs. 15); project files can be sent to and from the branch (3-6 days)

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Preparation:• Check to see if dataset is one of standard RDC datasets:

check http://www.statcan.ca/english/rdc/whatdata.htm– Extensive data documentation provided for listed datasets– If what you are interested is not on the list, check with Doug Baer or Lee

Grenon• Is a public use file available? Check with Kathleen Matthews

kmatthew@uvic.ca or on library web site. http://gateway.uvic.ca/data/default.html Verify that variables needed

for research are not on public use file. If possible, use public use file to explore data, etc.

• If further dataset documentation required, ask Doug Baer or Lee Grenon

• Go to SSHRC web page to put together application. Don’t hesitate to consult Doug Baer for help. Be prepared to specify variables to be used. Where a public use version of the dataset is available, be prepared to make clear why RDC access is needed (e.g., “a needed variable is suppressed on the public use file”).

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Statistics Training

• Summer Institutes:– SPIDA (York University)– ICPSR (U Michigan)– Prairie school? (Calgary)– Possible BC initiatives– Seminar at the Congress for the Humanities &

Social Sciences (this year: multilevel models)• Special workshops and seminars (Baer):

– Possible: SEM, survival/event history models, longitudinal data, multi-level data

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Contact information:

Doug Baer, Academic Director(Sociology)

baer@uvic.ca(721) – 7581

Cornett, A365RDC (Assistant Lorraine Dame) (853) 3196

(rdc@uvic.ca)RDC Analyst at UBC: Lee Grenon, 604-822-0263

(bcirdc@interchange.ubc.ca)

Centre web site (shows hours): web.uvic.ca/rdc