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The Research Data Centres (RDCs) offer Canada's research community secure access to detailed microdata from population and household surveys, censuses and administrative files in universities across the country.

Staffed by Statistics Canada analysts, RDCs operate in accordance with the confidentiality provisions of the Statistics Act and are accessible only to researchers with approved projects and security clearance

Since the early 1990s, Statistics Canada has developed a series of longitudinal surveys designed to increase our understanding of key socio-economic questions. Because the same respondents are interviewed at regular intervals, longitudinal surveys can be used to study changes that occur over time, such as job changes or unemployment spells, family changes, or movements into and out of poverty. They are also useful for examining cause-and-effect relationships.

Survey of Labour and Income Dynamics (SLID)

1993 to 1997   1998   1999   2000   2001   2002   2003   2004   2005   2006   2007   2008   2009   2010

The SLID allows researchers to better understand the economic well-being of Canadians. Questions it addresses include: what economic changes must individuals and families face, and what impact do factors such as family composition, paid work, and government support, among other variable, have on this relationship? The June 18, 2012 release was the last providing longitudinal data. Effective with the release of 2011 data, only cross-sectional estimates will be available.

Youth in Transition Survey (YITS)

1998-1999   2000-2001   2002-2003   2004-2005   2006-2007   2008-2009

The YITS looks at the transition from school to the workplace amongst youth (adolescents and young adults) and the factors that influence these transitions. This survey addresses almost all formal types of education, most different types of work experience and most all relevant variables, such as: familial context, educational experiences, accomplishments, goals, and workplace experiences.

Longitudinal Survey of Immigrants to Canada (LSIC)

2001   2003   2005

While it takes many years for a new immigrant to fully integrate themselves into Canadian society, the LSIC aims to study the integration process that takes place over the first four years that follow an immigrant’s arrival to Canada, the curcial period during which an immigrant will form their first economic, social and cultural links.

National Longitudinal Survey of Children and Youth (NLSCY)

The NLSCY was developed to gather information on the factors that influence the social and emotional development of children and youth, as well as their overall behaviour.

1999   2000    2001   2002   2003   2004   2005   2006

The general goal of the WES is to examine the ways in which employers and their employees react and adapter to a competitive environment focused on technology.

National Graduates Survey (NGS)

1978   1984   1987   1988   1991   1992   1995   1997   2000   2002   2005   2007

The National Graduate Survey (NGS) is designed to measure the short to medium-term labour market outcomes of graduates from Canadian public university, community college and trade-vocational programs.

National Population Health Survey (NPHS)

1994-1995   1996-1997   1998-1999   2000-2001   2002-2003   2004-2005   2006-2007   2008-2009   2010-2011

The NPHS gathers information on the health of the Canadian population, as well as relevant socio-demographic information. This survey also has three other components:

Over the years, Statistics Canada has carried out an extensive array of cross-sectional surveys. Individuals are interviewed at a particular point in time, and if the survey is repeated, it will usually include a different sample of respondents. The themes for each cycle is listed below.

General Social Survey (GSS)

The General Social Survey is an annual survey that tracks changes within Canadian society. The first cycle was done in 1985. Although the subject varies each year, topics may reappear at regular intervals in order to measure how the situation evolves over time.



Canadian Community Health Survey (CCHS)

The CCHS collects information on health status, health care use and determinants of health. It relies upon a large sample of respondents and is designed to provide reliable estimates at the regional level. In 2007, changes were made to the survey design to improve its effectiveness and flexibility. Since then, data collection occurs every year rather than every two years as was the case prior to 2007.



Other cross-sectional surveys

 

 

Canadian Census Data

Census microfiles for 1981, 1986, 1991, 1996,  2001, and 2006 are accessible in the RDCs.

The historical Census files for 1921, 1931, 1941 and 1951 are also accessible. The 1911 file is in preparation. See the Canadian Century Research Infrastructure for further details on this project.

NOTE: The Census Operations Division (COD) is committed to the development of the Census files from 1971 to 1986, but is subject to important resource constraints. The files for 1981 and 1986 are now available in the RDCs. The COD is still assessing the situation for 1971 and 1976.

Statistics Canada and the CRDCN are constanly working together to bring new types of data into the RDCs. They are first introduced into the RDCs on a pilot basis, in order to a) establish the procedures to ensure data confidentiality and b) develop the documentation researchers need to properly analyse these data. Some exciting projects aiming to make various types of administrative data accessible to researchers are among the current pilots.

Canadian Cancer Registry Data

A second pilot project is underway to further test the confidentiality vetting rules using projects chosen specifically to this end. The Health Statistics Division is developing training and support tools which should be accessible by January 2011. Several user group teleconferences between researchers, Health Statistics Division staff, and RDC staff will give researchers the opportunity to ask questions of the data producers. Update (July 2012): The Canadian Cancer Registry is now available in all RDCs.

Ontario Ministry of Health and Long Term Care (MOHLTC) data

A preliminary set of disclosure rules for unlinked data has been developed, and further testing is underway. Eight projects using these data have been approved, five using linked administrative and health survey data. Negotiations are underway to extend the pilot to include the addition of several years of data.

Record of Employment and Status Vector

The first data files from these two administrative sources should be in the RDCs by Fall 2010, and disclosure rules developed by Spring 2011.

Living in Canada Pilot Survey (LCS) data

For the past year, eight teams of academics have been evaluating these data from the first wave of a general household panel survey. They are now ready for analysis by all RDC researchers with an approved project.   

Vital Statistics

A pilot using data linked birth and mortality files has recently been approved.

Longitudinal Health Administrative (LHAD) data

A first of its kind, this project aims to link personal health information collected through provincial and territorial health systems with national population health survey data, vital events and cancer data. These data should be available in the RDCs by early 2012.

Business data

A selected number of data sets from Science, Innovation and Electronic Information Division and from Small Business and Special Surveys Division are being placed in the Federal Research Data Centre (FRDC) in order to develop the procedures required to support projects using these data and to develop the rules and procedures for disclosure avoidance analysis.

Canada Pension Plan (CPP) Disability data

A feasibility study should be completed in the coming months.