1. General Social Survey Kiran Doranalli Lucy Li Data & GIS Library Services, U of S Library https://library.usask.ca/data/ September 11, 2008

2. General Social Survey (GSS) - Overview Primary objectives/Aims:  Collect data on social trends in order to monitor changes in living environment and welfare of Canadians over time.  Provide instant information on specific social policy issues of existing and emerging interests.

3. Target population for GSS: CANSIM via Statistics Canada  Population living in private households in the 10 provinces  Survey collects data over 1 year  Sample size till 1998 - ~ 10,000 persons  Sample size from 1999 to 2006 - ~ 25,000 persons

4. Method of data collection:  Computer assisted telephone interviewing (CATI)  Response rate over years for GSS is approx. 80%.

5. Cycles of GSS available till date: Cycle no.YearGSS cycle topicFocus issue 11985HealthSocial support 21986Time use, social mobility Language 31988VictimizationVictim services 41989Education, work and retirement No focus issue 51990Family and friendsNo focus issue 61991HealthVarious health topics 71992Time useCulture, sport and unpaid work activities

6. Cycle no.YearGSS cycle topicFocus issue 81993VictimizationAlcohol and drug abuse 91994Education, work and retirement Transition into retirement 101995FamilyEffect of tobacco smoke 111996Social supportTobacco use 121998Time useSports participation/ culture 131999VictimizationSpouse, senior abuse/ perceptions 142000Technology – Computer and internet No focus issue 152001FamilyNo focus issue 162002Social support and aging Retirement planning and experience 172003Social engagement No focus issue 182004VictimizationNo focus issue 192005Time useSocial networks/ trust/ transportation 202006FamilyFamily transition

7. GSS cycle 1 (Health & Social support): 1985  Cycles in 1991 (6), 1996 (11), 2002 (16).  Target population –15 years of age and older in Canada –15-64 years of age (telephone interview), 65 and older (personal interview) –Exclude Yukon, Northwest territories and Nunavut and full-time residents of institutions.  Reference period – Sept to Oct 1985

8. GSS cycle 1 (Health & Social support): 1985  Brief of variables measured  Short and long term disability  Height and weight  Well-being  Health problems  Smoking  Alcohol use  Physical activity  Sleep  Use and help of health care facilities

9. GSS cycle 1 (Health & Social support): 1985 - Survey Design Employed 3 different sampling techniques A.Persons aged 15 to 64 a.Elimination of non-working Banks method (NewFoundland and Ontario) – Details in section 4.2 of Code book b.Waksberg method (Remaining provinces) – Details in section 4.1 of Code book B.Persons aged 65 and older a.Survey based on Canadian Labour Force Survey Frame and sampling procedures – Details in section 4.3 of code book.

10. GSS cycle 9 (Education, work & Ret.): 1994  Cycles in 1989 (4).  Target population –15 years of age and older in Canada –Exclude Yukon, Northwest territories and Nunavut and full-time residents of institutions.  Reference period – Jan to Dec 1994

11.  Brief of variables measured  Work and education in the service economy  New technologies and human resources  Emerging trends in education and work GSS cycle 9 (Education, work & Ret.): 1994

12.  Data collected from Jan to Dec 1994 were evenly distributed over 12 months to counterbalance the seasonal variation in the information gathered  Sample selected using Elimination of Non-Working Banks technique of Random Digit Dialing (RDD).  Supplementary sample was added to RDD from Labour Force Survey  For method description please refer section 4.2 in code book. GSS cycle 9 (Education, work & Ret.): 1994 – Survey Design

13. GSS cycle 18 (Victimization): 2004  Previous cycles in 1988 (3), 1993 (8), 1999 (13).  Target population –15 years of age and older in Canada –Exclude Yukon, Northwest territories and Nunavut and full-time residents of institutions.  Reference period – Jan 2004 to Dec 2004

14. GSS cycle 18 (Victimization): 2004  Brief of variables measured  Age, sex and marital status  Perceptions, history and risk  Criminal victimization screening  Abuse by current spouse/partner  Abuse by ex-spouse/partner  Spousal abuse report  Ex-spousal abuse report  Housing characteristics of respondent  Stalking of respondent  Crime incident report  Other crime events  Main activity of respondent  Education of respondent, spouse/partner, parents  Activities of spouse/partner  Ex-spousal abuse report

15. Method references Waksberg, J. 'Sampling methods for Random Digit Dialling,' Journal of the American Statistical Association, 73, (1978):40-46. RDD; A bank of telephone numbers is a set of 100 numbers with the same first eight digits (i.e. the same Area Code-Prefix-Bank ID). Thus 613-951-9180 and 613-951-9192 are in the same bank, but 613-951-9280 is in a different bank.

16. U of S Data Archive  Data Lib webpage  By subject  Select the file  U of S data archive  Download the file and unzip it  Codebooks and other documentations are available in TXT or PDF format (some are available in print copy—search the library catalogue)  Restrictions: DLI license

17. Codebook  What is a codebook? –“A codebook describes and documents the questions asked or items collected in a survey. Codebooks and study documentation will provide you with crucial details to help you decide whether or not a particular data collection will be useful in your research. The codebook will describe the subject of the survey or data collection, the sample and how it was constructed, and how the data were coded, entered, and processed. The questionnaire or survey instrument will be included along with a description or layout of how the data file is organized. Some codebooks are available electronically, and you can read them on your computer screen, download them to your machine, or print them out. Others are not electronic and must be used in a library or archive, or, depending on copyright, photocopied if you want your own for personal use.” --ISSR Social Science Data Archive, UCLA

18. General Content of GSS Codebooks:  Description of the study or cycle – who, why and how it was done?  Sampling information – population studied, how was sample drawn and number of response rate.  Technicality about files – number of observations or variable, length of record, number of records per observations.  Structure of the data within file – eg., hierarchial, multiple cards etc…  Details about the data  Questionnaire and responses

19.  Example (Data Dictionary): Question Text -Exact text of a question as delivered to a respondent. The fourth Variable; the 4 th column in spreadsheet The variable starts from column 19 ends in column 20 in datafile Data dictionary is found from Pages C1 to C 200. This example is on Page C2.

20.  Example cont.  Here is what the same information might look like in a data file: The first line is not a part of data, we put it here to identify the position of the variable more easily. If a variable A is noted as “Field: 2 Position: 5-8”, then variable A’s value starts from column 5, ends in column 8. And this variable A is the second variable. You will find it in column B in spreadsheet.

21.  This is how the data looks like after you put them into SPSS.

24. 3. Ask Data Library Staff Winnie Smit (7261) Lucy Li (8841) Kiran Doranalli (8841) Elise Pietroniro (2677) Rob Alary (5987) Darlene Fichter (7209) (on sabbatical)  Office: 2nd Floor, Main Library  Appointments recommended  Email us at refdata@library.usask.carefdata@library.usask.ca

25. Questions?