Environics Analytics Provides Expert Insight into National Household Survey Data
With the first release of data from the new 2011 National Household Survey (NHS) set for next Wednesday, demographers expect the findings will show increasing cultural diversity in Canada. According to Dr. Doug Norris, Senior Vice President and Chief Demographer at Environics Analytics, the new data are expected to indicate growth in the number of immigrants settling beyond the major metropolitan areas in smaller cities across Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and even the Atlantic region.
The new NHS, which replaced the previous “long-form” census, was completed on a voluntary basis and had an overall response rate of slightly less than 70%. May 8th marks the first of three releases from the NHS, and will include data on the ethno-cultural make-up of Canada with specific information on immigration, place of birth and citizenship, ethnic origin, visible minorities, language, religion and Aboriginal Peoples.
With Canada welcoming over 1.2 million immigrants from all parts of the world between 2006 and 2011, Norris expects the data will indicate that the metropolitan areas of Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver continue to attract the majority of immigrants. But he also believes the data will likely confirm a growing number of immigrants in cities such as Calgary, Winnipeg and Saskatoon.
Although visible minority groups are expected to make up approximately 20% of Canada’s total population, they’ll likely represent close to 45% of the population in the Toronto and Vancouver metropolitan areas. In fact, the data likely will show the visible minority population “comprising a majority in an increasing number of municipalities across the country,” says Norris. ”Demographers also expect confirmation that the growing second-generation visible minority population is now entering the family-formation ages and has joined the workforce in large numbers.”
The data on religious affiliation, last collected in 2001, should also reflect the growing immigrant population, notes Norris, and are expected to show large increases in many non-Christian religions and in the category “no religious affiliation.”
In 2006, the Census enumerated 1.2 million Aboriginal people living both on and off reserves, an increase of 20% over the period 2001-2006. Part of this rise was to the result of an increasing number of people who for the first time reported their Aboriginal background. But analysts are unsure whether the 2006 findings marked the beginning of a long-term increase. “It will be interesting to see if this reporting trend continues in the NHS,” says Norris.
In addition to the substantive findings on the changing ethno-cultural make-up of Canada, the first NHS release may also provide an indication of the data quality of the voluntary survey, which resulted in a 70% response rate. Of particular concern is the quality of small-area data fundamental to analyzing trade or service areas for businesses and data describing special populations such as Aboriginals and immigrant groups.
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For EA customers and the general public, Dr. Norris will host an hour-long webinar on the new data on Tuesday, May 21, at 2:00 PM EDT. Please register here. For more insights and commentary on the latest Census findings, read his blog here.
About Environics Analytics
Environics Analytics is the premier marketing services and data analytics company in Canada. Specializing in segmentation, site modeling and custom analytics, the Toronto-based company provides data-driven market insights to help clients find and keep their customers. It has the most experienced team of micromarketing experts in Canada, and is a member of the Environics group, a unique alliance of companies dedicated to providing intelligent research, analytics and communications. To learn more about Environics Analytics, please visit our website at environicsanalytics.ca or call Julia Vasilev at 416.969.2733.