statistical terms deconstucted a humpty-dumpty story jr
TRANSCRIPT
Statistical Terms Deconstucted
A Humpty-Dumpty Story
JR
“When I use a word,” Humpty Dumpty said in a rather scornful tone, “it means just what I choose it to mean—neither more nor less.”
Objectives
• Review a few of the common statistical terms
• Discover some of the sources for definitions, concepts and methods
• Explore classifications in use by Statistics Canada
Important Note
This is not Econ 1000
There will be no test
Finding statistics and referring users to
documentation is our goal
Statistical Information
Statistics Data
Aggregate Data
Microdata
Why Part of DLI Training?
The lines are blurring…
Statistical Information Available through Statistics Canada
Different Services
Service:Statistics
Canada WebsiteDepository
ServiceProgram
Data LiberationInitiative
Cu$tomizedTabulations &Pay per View
Remote JobSubmission
Research DataCentres
Who isEligible &Conditions:
General Public:available on theInternet atwww.statcan.ca
DesignatedDSP Libraries& their Users:available on site
Post-secondaryAcademic:restricted toteaching andresearch purposes
Individuals:contract betweenSTC andindividual
ApprovedResearchers:contract betweenSTC andindividual
ApprovedResearchers:SSHRC peerreview & deemedSTC employee
Products:- The Daily- Canadian
Statistics- Census- Statistical profiles
of Canadiancommunities
- Downloadablepublications
- Paper publica-tions
- Electronic pub-lications, whichincludes priceddown-loadablepublications &select CD ROMS
Standard dataproducts:aggregate databases, microdatafiles andgeography files
Tables fromconfidential filesthat are speciallyproduced byStatistics Canadafor a fee andaccess tospecializeddatabases
“Dummy” orsynthetic files tobuild analysissetups that mustthen be submittedto Stats Can forprocessing
Confidential datafiles from thelongitudinalsurveys begun inthe 1990’s
NotesWarning: someparts of the Websiteare fee-based
Some DSPlibraries provideoff-site access toauthenticatedusers
Interface toCANSIM I andTrade Analyzeravailable throughCHASS (Universityof Toronto) bysubscription
Specializeddatabases includeCANSIM II andTrade Analyzer
Services availablefor selected titles.Remote jobsubmission is themost developedfor NPHS.
Applications cannow be submittedthrough theSSHRC Web site.
Open RestrictedACCESS
The Basics
Glossaries in print publications & hypertext links in e-pubs
Finding and Using Statistics www.statcan.ca/english/freepub/11-533-XIE.htm
Statistical Methods web pagewww.statcan.ca/english/concepts/index.htm
Sightings: LFS terms
Unemployment Rate, Prince Edward Island 1997
Dec
Nov.
Oct.
Sept.
August
July
June
May
April
March
Feb
Jan
Un
em
plo
yme
nt
rate
22
20
18
16
14
12
10
8
Unadj
S.A.
Sightings: LFS terms
What is it: estimate of employed and unemployed
Why patrons want it: key indicator of Canada’s economic health
Key thing to know: Definitions are important (e.g. excludes those who have given up looking)
Sightings: LFS terms
Availability: Found on STC web site, CANSIM, etc. annual, monthly, historical; Canada, provinces, Economic regions
What else? Good perspective of seasonal adjusted and unadjusted rates with PEI
Where do I find…? On the handout
Which brings us to the fun bits…
Sightings: LFS Definitions
Frictionally unemployed: “I just quit my job because I had a good offer to go and make sandpaper in Ontario next month”
Structurally unemployed: “Nobody seems to want their typewriter rebuilt anymore.”
Cyclically unemployed: “Mostly I do a little gardening, but when election time rolls around, I can usually get work fixing up roads.”
Sightings: CPI terms
Sightings: CPI Terms
What is it: an index which shows average level of prices of a basket of goods and services bought by a typical urban Canadian family.
Why patrons want it: key indicator of economic performance
Key thing to know: a) CPI is an index, not a price list; b) the basket changes; c ) the base year changes
Sightings: CPI terms
Availability: Found on STC web site, CANSIM, etc.; annual, monthly, historical; Canada, provincial, urban centres; All-items & by sector
What else? Basket from SHS and one of many indexes produced by STC
Where can I find…? On the handout
The fun continues…
Sightings: CPI Definitions
The Basket (quantity & quality):
Sports Jacket: single breasted, size 36-46 regular; wool tweed, 350-400 grams per metre; lining, attached by zig-zag stitch and of full acetate, rayon or taffeta, 2 welted inside pockets of same fabric
Laptops and airline tickets: CPI can overestimate change. E.g. If laptops expensive and air tickets cheap, few people bought laptops so not in basket. But laptops cheap and air tickets expensive, so with both in basket, only increase in ticket prices shows
Sightings: GDP terms
2001Q3
2001Q1
2000Q3
2000Q1
1999Q3
1999Q1
1998Q3
1998Q1
1997Q3
1997Q1
Va
lue
300000
280000
260000
240000
220000
200000
180000
160000
V1992218
V498918
Sightings: GDP terms
What is it: unduplicated value of goods and services produced in Canada
Why patrons want it: measure of market-based economic activity within Canada’s borders
Key thing to know: Differs from GNP; varies from country to country; many flavours
Sightings: GDP terms
Availability: Found on STC web site, CANSIM, etc. annual, monthly, quarterly; Canada, provinces
What else? Fits into the NIEA sector activity; perspective of industry or of consumer; base year concept
Where do I find…? On the handout
Which brings us to the fun bits…
Sightings: GDP Definitions
Market based: Doesn’t count illegal activities (like illegal drug marketing);
nor selling used goods (already counted once) unless selling if for scrap;
nor non-market exchanges, like giving someone a pig to plough your driveway;
nor financial assets (unless you buy stocks to use intentionally as wallpaper).
Sightings: GDP Definitions
Is upward always healthy?
Not all increases in GDP make people better off: fixing flood damage takes us back to where we were but adds to the GDP.
“The question is,” said Alice, “whether you can make words mean different things.”
“The question is,” said
Humpty Dumpty, “which is to be master—that’s all.”
The Conclusion…