STATISTICS CANADA – 2006 CENSUS ON
THE INTERNET
CES Group of Experts on Population and
Housing Censuses
Astana, Kazakhstan
June 2007
Census in Canada
• Legal requirement every 5 years, De Jure basis
• Last Census May 16th, 2006; 13 million dwellings
• 80%-short form (8 questions); 20%-long form (53
questions + 8 dwelling questions )
• Confidentiality is paramount
• Combined collection for Census of Population and
Census of Agriculture
• Development and integration of Internet application and
processing systems was outsourced to private sector
• Targeted 20% of initial response from the internet
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Census 2006 – Drivers for change
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Privacy concerns – local enumerator issue
Government On-Line (GOL) initiative
Data Entry Capability/Manual Coding
Recruitment and retention of staff
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Radical Change
• Most radical changes since 1970’s
• Mail-out via Canada Post for 73% of
households (Address register critical)
• List leave for remainder
• Unique dwelling identifier and internet
access code for each questionnaire
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Radical Change
• Mail-back or Internet option
(canvasser method for a few areas)
• One Data Processing Centre (CATI or
Field Follow-up initiated from it)
–Intelligent Character Recognition
(ICR)
–Master Control List
–Automated coding
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Internet mode of collection
– Nothing left on respondent’s computer (Zero footprint)
– Log-on using internet access code printed on
questionnaire
– Innovative Security Solution using GOC “Secure
Channel” (PKI “light”, secure “islands”)
– One-time recyclable certificates
– Multiple sessions for long form (user can assign own
password)
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Pre-conditions
• Connectivity and public expectations
– Need a high enough internet (especially broadband) penetration
– Sophistication of users must have reached a sufficient level (i.e.
e-commerce) to trust the transmission of personal information
online
– Proliferation – public expectations
• Mature security infrastructure
– Government On Line services
– Robust solution tailored to meet unique needs (private sector)
• Collection Methodology
• Statistical agency experience with Internet
– 2001 experience, dissemination, e-commerce
– Corporate support-centers of expertise (technical, questionnaire
design, respondent acceptance)
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Strategic Considerations
• Investments
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Questionnaire design and testing
Secure Infrastructure
Telecommunications and Hardware
Functional and Integrated testing
• Potential Savings
– Return postage
– Paper handling and data capture
– Follow-up for edit-failures
• In-house development or contracting out
– Competency profile
– Integration
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Strategic Considerations
• Capitalizing on Opportunities
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Quality enhancements
Timeliness
Cost efficiencies (short-long-term)
Coverage enhancement
• Public Communications
– Strategic alliances/partnerships
– Meeting public expectations
– Risks
• Response predictability
• Mitigation with Graceful deferral
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Census Secure Infrastructure
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Session Encryption
with Automated Login
• Unparalleled confidentiality protection using Public Key
Infrastructure (PKI)
– Two-way, end-to-end encryption
– Uses Secure Socket Layer (SSL) with added protection
• Innovative approach for large volume of transactions
– Pool of anonymous PKI certificates, recycle & reuse
– Authentication of a form, not of a person identity
• Convenient to the end-user
– No pre-registration or software installation
– Java applet is not noticeable, nothing left behind
– Check tool of Web browsers and Java Virtual Machine (JVM)
• Generic service with potential reuse
– Data protection sealed for confidentiality without digital signature
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How did we do - Results
• Metrics
– 22% of initial response was by Internet
– Overall internet represented 18% of all
responses
• Graceful Deferral Contingency Procedure
seldom used, except on Census night
• Data Quality better for internet response
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How did we do - Results
• Internet available and used (on a gradually
declining basis) until end of follow-up period
(end of August)
• “Push Strategy” experiment (no questionnaire
sent, only a letter asking to respond via internet)
yielded very good results
• Successful use of a reminder letter to nonrespondents asking to reply by internet (no
questionnaire sent)
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Lessons Learned
• Integrating with Secure Channel was harder and
took longer than expected
• Difficult to exercise volume tests that accurately
reflected production
• Being able to monitor and control the number of
respondents accessing the system was critical
• Not mailing paper questionnaires increases the
internet take up rate
• Testing every aspect and linkage is crucial
• True partnership with contractors was critical
success factor
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Thank you
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