Census Question Debunked, List Update, Friday Media Round-Up & more!

[Tracey P. Lauriault]

Here is some new stuff for all of you:

2006 Long Form Question and 2006 & 2011 Short Form Questions

Here I Map out all the questions and compare them.

My Responses to the 2006 Long Form Census

I disclose my responses! Cuz, well, there is nothing scarry in this census!

Friday Media Round-Up

Census: Standing Committee on Industry, Science and Technology

and

http://datalibre.ca/census-watch/

Finally - Looks like Harper used long-form Census data in his Master's Thesis! http://www.cyberpresse.ca/place-publique/opinions/la-presse/201007/23/01-4300867-quand-stephen-harper-aimait-le-recensement.php

Time to celebrate Saturday now!

--
Tracey P. Lauriault
613-234-2805

[Heather Morrison-2]

Tracey,

In a previous post you talked about using Census data to do research  
that could be helpful to the homeless.  To me, this is a compelling  
use of this information - and also helpful to me to think that we  
could use info of this type to mitigate this problem.  I would  
encourage you to write more along these lines, and if you know other  
researchers who work with the homeless who see value in the Census  
data, encourage them to write as well.  This could do two good things  
at once: support the Census, and raise awareness both about  
homelessness and more importantly about the fact that people are  
trying to combat homelessness.

As for released your own answers to the Census, here I would suggest  
looking at this from the proverbial other shoe.  For example, would  
you encourage an affluent elderly person living alone to post their  
responses online?  How would someone feel about this, who was living  
in a relationship in 2006 that they'd prefer not to publicize today  
(sadly, not uncommon in Canada)?  Or how would a refugee fleeing  
persecution feel?  Or if you never finished high school and haven't  
shared this with people who know you?

Speaking of the proverbial other shoe: this is a lengthy and complex  
questionnaire.  For me (also a PhD student), the questionnaire is long  
and irritating.  I wonder, though, what this questionnaire looks like  
to someone with average or below-average intelligence?  If English is  
a second, perhaps imperfectly mastered language?  With limited  
literacy,  a learning disability, or mental illness?

best,

Heather Morrison
[hidden email]


On 24-Jul-10, at 10:37 AM, Tracey P. Lauriault wrote:

> Here is some new stuff for all of you:
> 2006 Long Form Question and 2006 & 2011 Short Form QuestionsHere I  
> Map out all the questions and compare them.
> My Responses to the 2006 Long Form CensusI disclose my responses!  
> Cuz, well, there is nothing scarry in this census!
>
> Friday Media Round-UpCensus: Standing Committee on Industry, Science  
> and Technologyand
>
> http://datalibre.ca/census-watch/
>
> Finally - Looks like Harper used long-form Census data in his  
> Master's Thesis! http://www.cyberpresse.ca/place-publique/opinions/la-presse/201007/23/01-4300867-quand-stephen-harper-aimait-le-recensement.php
>
> Time to celebrate Saturday now!
>
> --
> Tracey P. Lauriault
> 613-234-2805
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> CivicAccess-discuss mailing list
> [hidden email]
> http://lists.pwd.ca/mailman/listinfo/civicaccess-discuss

[Tracey P. Lauriault]

Heather;

Statistics Canada officials are on hand to help people respond to the Census. When responses are not sent into StatCan they do a call back to check in, and if they identify language or other issues, they go out of their way to assist with translators, the Census is made available in multiple languages, and a people are dedicated to assisting those with literacy issues.  When I worked at the Social Planning Council of Ottawa, I made maps of linguistic communities, using StatCan data in Ottawa, which StatCan used for the 2001 Census to ensure they had the dedicated staff on hand who could speak those languages and ensured they worked in the neighbourhoods where those languages were prominent.

It is one of the great things we do as a nation, a kind of collective moment, where we share a little bit about ourselves for the collective good. It is a civic duty and StatCan has the mandate to make it happen.

I posted my responses to the long form as a statement and recognize that not everyone is comfortable in doing so. 

G'night

Tracey

On Sat, Jul 24, 2010 at 6:39 PM, Heather Morrison <[hidden email]> wrote:

Tracey,

In a previous post you talked about using Census data to do research that could be helpful to the homeless.  To me, this is a compelling use of this information - and also helpful to me to think that we could use info of this type to mitigate this problem.  I would encourage you to write more along these lines, and if you know other researchers who work with the homeless who see value in the Census data, encourage them to write as well.  This could do two good things at once: support the Census, and raise awareness both about homelessness and more importantly about the fact that people are trying to combat homelessness.

As for released your own answers to the Census, here I would suggest looking at this from the proverbial other shoe.  For example, would you encourage an affluent elderly person living alone to post their responses online?  How would someone feel about this, who was living in a relationship in 2006 that they'd prefer not to publicize today (sadly, not uncommon in Canada)?  Or how would a refugee fleeing persecution feel?  Or if you never finished high school and haven't shared this with people who know you?

Speaking of the proverbial other shoe: this is a lengthy and complex questionnaire.  For me (also a PhD student), the questionnaire is long and irritating.  I wonder, though, what this questionnaire looks like to someone with average or below-average intelligence?  If English is a second, perhaps imperfectly mastered language?  With limited literacy,  a learning disability, or mental illness?

best,

Heather Morrison
[hidden email]

On 24-Jul-10, at 10:37 AM, Tracey P. Lauriault wrote:

Here is some new stuff for all of you:

2006 Long Form Question and 2006 & 2011 Short Form QuestionsHere I Map out all the questions and compare them.
My Responses to the 2006 Long Form CensusI disclose my responses! Cuz, well, there is nothing scarry in this census!

Friday Media Round-UpCensus: Standing Committee on Industry, Science and Technologyand

http://datalibre.ca/census-watch/

Finally - Looks like Harper used long-form Census data in his Master's Thesis! http://www.cyberpresse.ca/place-publique/opinions/la-presse/201007/23/01-4300867-quand-stephen-harper-aimait-le-recensement.php

Time to celebrate Saturday now!

--
Tracey P. Lauriault
613-234-2805

_______________________________________________
CivicAccess-discuss mailing list
[hidden email]
http://lists.pwd.ca/mailman/listinfo/civicaccess-discuss

_______________________________________________
CivicAccess-discuss mailing list
[hidden email]
http://lists.pwd.ca/mailman/listinfo/civicaccess-discuss

--
Tracey P. Lauriault
613-234-2805