Census and Research

Recently, I had to do a debate which concerned the Long Form Census – and whether it should be cancelled or not. That exposed me to this singular method and authority of collecting data from a large number of the population. It also brought forth the fact that an equally immense number of organizations are dependent on that data for their research work as well as the fact that the information collected through the census is subjected to considerable and continuous analysis.

The Canadian Research Data Centre Network (CRDCN) in its website states that since 2000, it has been in partnership with Statistics Canada to “transform quantitative social science research in Canada”. Researchers analyze the census data to enhance their understanding of the Canadian society. The census functions as the primary source of information about the population of Canada. It is in fact a benchmark against which all other data are measured and evaluated. It provides knowledge about language, education, income, housing, geographic mobility, ethnicity and so on. It is widely used by policy makers, city planners to businesses and marketing researchers and NGOs. Even though it does have issues regarding privacy, it is also true that it provides us researchers with an unimaginable treasure trove to dig into.