Title: General social survey, cycle 21 - family, social support, and retirement, 2007

Series title: General social surveys

Principal investigator(s): Statistics Canada. Social and Aboriginal Statistics Division

Producer: Statistics Canada. Social and Aboriginal Statistics Division (12M0021XVB)

Date of creation: 2009-03-10

Funding agency:

Collector:

Distributor: Ottawa, Ont.: Statistics Canada. Data Liberation Initiative

Date of distribution: 2009-05-11

Access conditions/restrictions: University of Toronto faculty, students and staff, for academic research and teaching purposes only. See DLI licence.

Summary: The two primary objectives of the General Social Survey (GSS) are: to gather data on social trends in order to monitor changes in the living conditions and well being of Canadians over time; and to provide information on specific social policy issues of current or emerging interest.

This survey collects data on family, social support and retirement for Canadians aged 45 years and over. The purpose of this survey is to better understand the needs and experiences of these Canadians by examining key transitions related to their families, care giving and receiving, work and retirement.

The survey collected information on topics such as well-being, family composition, retirement decisions and plans, care giving and care receiving experiences, social networks and housing. Collecting similar data over time allows us to examine the changes that have occurred in specific areas in the lives of Canadians. New questions in Cycle 21 looked at the consequences of giving care, returning to work after retirement, and residential changes resulting from retirement.

Geographic coverage: Canada and provinces

Time period:

Periodicity:

Date(s) of collection: 2007-03-05 to 2007-12-31

Universe: The target population is non-institutionalized persons 45 years of age or older, living in the ten provinces.

In the GSS, all respondents were contacted and interviewed by telephone. Thus persons in households without telephones cannot be interviewed. However, persons living in such households represent less than 2% of the target population. Interviews are not conducted by cellular telephone so persons with only cellular telephone service are also excluded; again, this group makes up a very small proportion of the population, less than 5%. (Survey of Household Spending - December 2005).

Data type: public use microdata file

Sample: For sampling, the target population was divided into geographic strata. Households were selected using a Random Digit Dialing method that gave each telephone number in a stratum an equal chance of being selected. One person aged 15 or older was randomly selected from each selected household to participate in the survey. Respondents were interviewed in the official language of their choice and interviews by proxy were not allowed.

Unit of observation: individual

Mode of data collection: computer assisted telephone interviewing (CATI)

Citation: Statistics Canada. General social survey cycle 21: family, social support, and retirement, 2007 [computer file]. Ottawa, Ont.: Statistics Canada [producer]; Statistics Canada. Data Liberation Initiative [distributor], 2009-03-10

Extent of file: 1 data file (23,404 logical records varies) & accompanying documentation

Notes:

'Work history' component of section 3: Main activity, is not included in the public use microdata file.

Major problem: On pages 286 and 484, for variable ICG_Q150C, the label is'Number of people who have assisted the responden. However, this is out of context with the surrounding questions, so I looked at the questionnaire. The question on which ICG_Q150C is based is ICG_Q150 How many people %have you/has he/has she% assisted with these activities? As a result, the content of the variable is distorted. This error has been repeated in the SPSS and SAS program files, is present in the SPSS system file, and I anticipate is present in the SAS system file. (Vince Gray, message to dlilist 2009-06-04; Confirmed by STC, 2009-06-05)

Related data: General social surveys

Status: