Statistics Canada – Census on the net

Abstract

Statistics Canada, like several other statistical agencies around the globe, is providing a secure online Internet based application so that everyone who lives in Canada can complete their 2006 Census questionnaire online. This short document will highlight some of what we have learned following the decision to offer an online option for 2006 and testing it in a sizeable dress rehearsal in May, 2004. Though not yet implemented on a national scale, the introduction of this added response channel is one of the major changes to census methodology in Canada in more than 30 years. Specifically, this paper examines basic pre-conditions that should exist prior to the consideration of offering a census online option, strategic and business case considerations, main risks, challenges and benefits, and long-term opportunities.