Periodical Publishing Survey

Periodical Publishing Survey
Summary of changes
Other reference periods
Related products

Detailed information for 1998-1999

Status:

Inactive

Frequency:

Occasional

Record number:

3139

The Periodical Publishing Survey is a census of all known periodicals published in Canada. The questionnaire asks for information on product characteristics, economic and financial operations.

This information is used by the private sector to make strategic decisions and by all levels of government. They contribute to elaboration of policies and programs for the periodical publishing industry.

Data release - March 18, 2002

Description

The Periodical Publishing Survey was a census of all known periodicals published in Canada. Data are collected for individual titles, not publishing companies. The data are collected by questionnaires mailed out to respondents. Respondents report data for their fiscal year. For example, data for 2003-04 contain information for companies based on fiscal years ending between April 1, 2003 and March 31, 2004. The survey asks for information on product characteristics, economic and financial operations. This information was used by the private sector to make strategic decisions and by all levels of government. This information contributed to elaboration of policies and programs for the periodical publishing industry.

This survey was discontinued after the 2003-2004 reference period. A new industry-based sample survey of periodical publishers (record number 5091 - Annual Survey of Service Industries: Periodical Publishers) will be conducted by Service Industries Division, as part of the Unified Enterprise Surveys Programme.

Statistical activity

The survey is currently administered as part of the Culture Statistics Program, which was established in 1972 to create, maintain and make available timely and comprehensive data on the culture sector in Canada. Specialized client-driven information needs are met through analytical studies of such topics as the economic impact of culture, the consumption of culture goods and services, government, personal and corporate spending on culture, the culture labour market, and international trade of culture goods and services.

The Guide to Culture Statistics (available through the online catalogue number 87-008-GIE (free)) has been developed by the Culture Statistics Program to facilitate access to culture information throughout Statistics Canada.

Reference period: Fiscal year

Subjects

  • Business performance and ownership
  • Culture and leisure
  • Financial statements and performance
  • Publishing

Data sources and methodology

Target population

The Periodical Publishing Survey is a census of all known periodicals published in Canada. Data are collected for individual titles, not publishing companies.

This survey covers only publications published in Canada, issued on a regular basis more than once a year, but not more than once a week. The periodical must meet the following criteria: the periodical must have a name and some form of chronology on the cover; it may not have more than 70% advertising content; it must be stapled, glued, folded or otherwise formed into a distinct package; and it must be available to the pubic. Excluded from this survey are government publications, publications whose exclusive purpose is advertising, catalogues, directories, daily newspapers, and publications printed in Canada, but published outside Canada.

Sampling

This survey is a census with a cross-sectional design.

Data are collected for all units of the target population, therefore, no sampling is done.

Data sources

Responding to this survey is mandatory.

Data are collected directly from survey respondents.

Questionnaires were mailed to all entities on the frame. After 21 days, phone calls were made to ensure that the questionnaires had been received. At that time, interviewers verified the eligibility of new respondents, offered help and either collected survey information over the phone or encouraged respondents to mail in their completed questionnaires. If the respondent could not be contacted, the interviewer did research to determine if the title still existed.

View the Questionnaire(s) and reporting guide(s) .

Error detection

Questionnaires were mailed back to Statistics Canada, then edited to ensure completeness and comparability with previously reported data. All records were subject to a computer edit, including range, relationship and historical edits.

Imputation

If the reported information did not satisfy edit criteria, the respondent was contacted to confirm or complete the data. Information not completed in this fashion was estimated based on historical information, auxiliary information or averages for groups of periodicals with similar characteristics such as revenue or circulation. In the case of total non-response, data were estimated in a similar way.

Estimation

This methodology type does not apply to this statistical program.

Disclosure control

Statistics Canada is prohibited by law from releasing any data which would divulge information obtained under the Statistics Act that relates to any identifiable person, business or organization without the prior knowledge or the consent in writing of that person, business or organization. Various confidentiality rules are applied to all data that are released or published to prevent the publication or disclosure of any information deemed confidential. If necessary, data are suppressed to prevent direct or residual disclosure of identifiable data.

For reasons of confidentiality, the data do not include information on periodicals published in the Northwest Territories and the Yukon.

Revisions and seasonal adjustment

This methodology does not apply to this survey.

Data accuracy

Census surveys are subject to non-sampling errors. These errors may be classified as coverage, non-response, response or processing errors. Coverage error is minimized by updating mailing lists using several sources. It is not possible, however, to ensure that every periodical is included on the frame. Since every attempt is made to obtain complete coverage each year, an exact measure of the under coverage is not available.

For the 1998-99 reference period, 2678 questionnaires were mailed out. Of this number, 651 were out of scope or no longer published, bringing the eligible population in the mail-out to 2027. Questionnaires were received from 1912 respondents (either complete or partial) and 115 periodicals failed to respond and were imputed. The resulting response rate for the survey is 94%.

In 1998-99, over 500 periodicals were added to the frame that were also in operation in 1996-97. These additional periodicals represented about 12 percent of the total revenue in 1998-99. As a result of these improvements, the data better reflect the activities of the industry. Data presented in these tables should not be used in conjunction with previously published data for year-to-year trend analysis.

Documentation

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