4. Transition to the National Household Survey

4.1 A voluntary survey

The decision by Statistics Canada to conduct the voluntary National Household Survey four weeks after the census on a sample of dwellings necessitated changes to the proposed 2B questionnaire.  These included:

1. change to the appearance of the front page of the paper questionnaire so as not to confuse the survey with the census (different survey name, form number, format, and colour)
2. presentation of content beginning on page 2
3. removal of questions that apply only to a census (i.e., Step D, farm coverage questions which appeared at the bottom of page 2, and the name and address of temporary residents and foreign residents at the bottom of page 3)
4. removal of all references to the census (e.g., legal requirements to complete the questionnaire, PIB [personal information bank] number, and instruction to access personal information)
5. a different web address and toll-free telephone number
6. reinforcement of the reference period by using bold font in the coverage questions (Step B, page 3) and in the mobility response categories (pages 12 to 15)
7. exact reference dates in the labour questions (pages 20 to 24)
8. new collection registration number on back cover.

It was also important that the content appear very similar for reasons including:

1. ability to use existing infrastructure such as forms design, collection, data capture, and data integration
2. permit, as far as possible, the evaluation of data quality and comparability to existing data
3. use of standard questionnaire design and format (check circles, boxes for text, page format to accommodate many household members)
4. adherence to Statistics Canada's Policy on Informing Survey Respondents—the requirement to provide information and how it must be presented
5. support the design and content of the questionnaire based on results from qualitative testing of the 2B, and results from the 2008 Census Test and the 2009 Census Test
6. retaining Step A (address of the sampled dwelling) to confirm that we have interviewed the household residents living at the address on May 10, 2011
7. retaining the list of household members, which is needed to refer to individuals during the interview, and other basic demographic information collected on the census questionnaire for weighting, imputation, analysis, and evaluation of data quality.

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4.2 Content modifications

Step B – Question 1

This question was modified for the National Household Survey to reinforce the survey reference period.  It now reads 'How many persons usually live at this address on May 10, 2011, including yourself?'  A line space was also added to separate the question from the instructions that follow it.

Step B – Question 2

The wording of the first sentence of the text was changed for the National Household Survey only, to emphasize the reporting of names of household members that lived in the dwelling on the survey reference date.

Step B – Who to include

The reference date, May 10, 2011, appears in bold throughout the Step B instructions to reinforce this date.

The last bullet in item 2 clarifies the procedure for listing a person living in an institution.

The last bullet in the section 'IF THIS ADDRESS IS:' explains that the questionnaire is not to be completed if all members of the household lived at a different address on May 10, 2011.

Step C – Coverage check

A new instruction was added for a 'Yes' response to this coverage check.  The spaces for name, relationship and reason for leaving a person out have been removed.  The respondent is asked to review the Step B instructions to resolve whether the person should be included in the list of household members.

Step D – Farm operation

The question, which is designed to ensure each farm operation is enumerated by the census, was removed from the questionnaire.  The steps that follow have been relabelled starting with Step D.

Step D – Instructions for completing the NHS questions

The instructions to transcribe the names of household members listed in Step B refers only to page 4, whereas the census 2A questionnaire asks respondents to transcribe the names on pages 4 to 7.

Question 1 – Name

Instructions have been modified to emphasise that the questions refer to each person’s situation on the reference day, May 10, 2011.

Other questions – Reinforcement of reference dates

The following reference dates within the questionnaire were emphasized using bold font:

• Questions 23 and 24 on mobility, first response category for each person – 'Born after May 10, 2010' and 'Born after May 10, 2006,' respectively.
  
  
• Labour market activities – The note at the top of pages 20 and 21 now identifies the reference week.
  
  
  Description

  Note:
  Many of the following questions refer to the week from Sunday, May 1 to Saturday, May 7, 2011.

  
  
• 'Last week' was replaced by the phrase 'During the week of Sunday, May 1 to Saturday, May 7, 2011' or a variation thereof in questions 34, 35, 36 and 38, and in the instruction at the top of pages 24 and 25.
  
  
• The period of looking for work 'during the past four weeks' was replaced by 'during the four weeks from April 10 to May 7, 2011.'
  
  
• Step E reminds the respondent:
  
  
  Description

  Answer Questions E1 to E10 about this dwelling.
  The questions refer to May 10, 2011 unless otherwise specified.