1. Significant Sources of
Social Science Data
by Zachary Osborne
Presented to the Librarians at the
Ryerson University Libraries & Archives
Friday, November 26, 2010
3. Sources of Canadian
Data
Statistics Canada
Census
CANSIM
This is a geopolitical map of Canada, drawn by User:E Pluribus Anthony.
Source: en:Image:Map Canada political-geo.png
5. Census of Canada
Find statistical tables by:
Topic
Census Tract (CT) profile
Community profile
Federal Electoral District (FED) profile
and more…
Output options: HTML table, CSV (Comma-Separated
Values) files, or TAB (Tab-Separated Values) files
6.
7. CANSIM
CANadian Socio-economic Information Management
“Statistics Canada’s key socio-economic database” (cansim2.statcan.gc.ca)
Publishes data tables on the following subjects:
Aboriginal peoples
Agriculture
Business performance and ownership
Business, consumer and property services
Children and youth
Construction
Crime and justice
Culture and leisure
Economics accounts
Education, training and learning
Energy
Environment
Ethnic diversity and immigration
Families, households and housing
Government
Health
Incomes, pensions, spending and wealth
Information and communication
technology
International trade
Labour
Languages
Manufacturing
Population and demography
Prices and price indexes
Retail and wholesale
Science and technology
Seniors
Society and community
Transportation
Travel and tourism
8. CANSIM
CANadian Socio-economic Information Management
“Statistics Canada’s key socio-economic database” (cansim2.statcan.gc.ca)
Publishes data tables on the following subjects:
Aboriginal peoples
Agriculture
Business performance and ownership
Business, consumer and property services
Children and youth
Construction
Crime and justice
Culture and leisure
Economics accounts
Education, training and learning
Energy
Environment
Ethnic diversity and immigration
Families, households and housing
Government
Health
Incomes, pensions, spending and wealth
Information and communication
technology
International trade
Labour
Languages
Manufacturing
Population and demography
Prices and price indexes
Retail and wholesale
Science and technology
Seniors
Society and community
Transportation
Travel and tourism
9. CANSIM Access Points
1. CHASS (Computing in the
Humanities And Social Sciences)
2. E-Stat (a resource for
educational institutions &
Depository Service Program (DSP)
libraries)
3. Statistics Canada website
10. UPDATE
FREQUENCY
Daily (as of Jan.
2010)
Annually (June?) Daily (2-4pm)
COST
Free through the
Data Liberation
Initiative (DLI)
Free to educational
institutions and
DSP libraries
$3/time series or
$5000/CD ROM
OUTPUT
FORMATS
CSV, HTML table,
bar graph, Beyond
20/20, SPSS, SAS,
CSV, HTML table,
bar graph, Census
map
CSV, TAB, SAS,
SPSS, XML,
Beyond 20/20
INTERFACE CHASS Statistics Canada Statistics Canada
IDEAL USER University/College
Any educational
institution
Corporations, Non-
profits, Private
sector
General differences….
11. Sources of U.S. Data
U.S. Census Bureau
Census (Population & Housing)
Economic Census
American Community Survey
FedStats
Federal Agencies
12. U.S. Census Bureau
(census.gov)
U.S. Census Bureau conducts a number of
surveys of its population and economy
Three significant surveys are:
Decennial Census on population & Housing (every
10 years, i.e. 1990, 2000, 2010)
Economic Census (every 5 years, 1997, 2002, 2007)
American Community Survey (every year)
13. U.S. Census Bureau
(census.gov)
Decennial Census
vs
American Community Survey
“The 2000 Census shows the number of people who live
in the U.S. and the American Community Survey shows
how people live.”
(source: census.gov/acs/)
The Census is comprehensive
American Community Survey is based on estimates
16. FedSats (fedstats.gov)
“…provides access to […] statistical information produced by the Federal
Government without having to know in advance which agency produces
which particular statistic.”
(Source: wwwfedstats.gov/aboutfedstats.html)
Multiple search and browse options available:
22. OECD iLibrary
Organisation for Economic Co-operation & Development
Online library of statistical databases, periodicals and e-
books
Topics on many social and economic issues (e.g.
education, ICTs, macroeconomics, trade, aging society,
development, etc.)
Search by database theme or country tables
View or download search results in HTML, XLS, CSV or
PDF formats
27. World Bank Data
Data catalogue includes over 2,000 indicators for most of
the World’s nations
Data back to 1980
Download results as Excel, CSV, XML, or PDF files
View data as tables, graphs, or maps, or download the
entire database table to browse that way
This source provides a basic method of drawing quick
comparisons of international data
30. Summary
Canada
Statistics Canada: Census & CANSIM
United States
U.S. Census Bureau
FedStats
International Sources
OECD iLibrary
World Bank Data
What is StatsCan and what does it do?
What are the differences between the census and CANSIM?
Talk all about CANSIM! WHY IS THIS SIGNIFICANT? *source of socio-economic, multi-dimensional tables, can be outputted into SPSS and SAS, and is most useful for more sophisticated researchers.
-What is stands for
-Where is happens (UofT)
-brief history about CANSIM 1 and CANSIM 2 (???)
-Why it’s good?
-What is stands for
-Where is happens (UofT)
-brief history about CANSIM 1 and CANSIM 2 (???)
-Why it’s good?
When choosing which to use, consider what output is required by the user, and what purpose they want the data for.
Remind users never to pay for Statistics Canada products! It will probably be available through the DLI or on CD-ROM.
The united states collects information from citizens in decennial census (every 10 years on the 1990, 2000, 2010), economic census (Every 5 years), and american community survey, every year (sample of the population)
All three of these surveys can be accessed from the main Census Bureau homepage.
The united states collects information from citizens in decennial census (every 10 years on the 1990, 2000, 2010), economic census (Every 5 years), and american community survey, every year (sample of the population)
All three of these surveys can be accessed from the main Census Bureau homepage.
Overall a simplified access point to US statistics if you’re unsure where to begin, or do not know who produces the statistics.
Overall a simplified access point to US statistics if you’re unsure where to begin, or do not know who produces the statistics.
Overall a simplified access point to US statistics if you’re unsure where to begin, or do not know who produces the statistics.
Overall a simplified access point to US statistics if you’re unsure where to begin, or do not know who produces the statistics.
Overall a simplified access point to US statistics if you’re unsure where to begin, or do not know who produces the statistics.