Census Gaffe

As you know, the 2006 census was conducted last May. Population and dwelling counts were scheduled for release tomorrow, but that won't happen. Data collection in Western Canada was slower than expected. Due to the oil boom, finding people willing to accept $12/hr to collect forms was apparently challenging. Stats Can ended up way over budget and way late.

This compromised the integrity of the data collected. If you filled out the census like you should have, you will remember that you were required to provide your name...Unless you live in Western Canada that is. To save time and money, this question was skipped.

"At the end, they just said, 'We really don't care. As long as you can find out if there [are] three people that live in that house, put down Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse and Donald Duck on it. We don't care about a name.' " (CBC Article)

Buah ah ah! That is the funniest thing I've heard in a long time (in a geeky way). It's especially funny to me as I know how much useless information is collected in surveys everyday at the expense of the respondent. Instead of asking useful information, researchers ask "interesting-to-know” information. "Interesting-to-know" is just that, interesting to know. It is usually not actionable which simply makes it useless. It's a sign of a mediocre researcher who really has no clear idea of what it is that he/she wants to find out.

If you filled out the census like you should have, you will also remember that you were asked a question for the very first time: Do you agree to have your census information made available to the public in 92 years, in other words in the year 2098? Your consent will be extremely valuable to historians and genealogists, except if you live in Western Canada. Without names, their job will be incredibly painful. Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse and Donald Duck's census files will drive historians nuts.