Survey of Digital Technology and Internet Use (SDTIU)

Detailed information for 2023

The purpose of the 2023 Survey of Digital Technology and Internet Use (SDTIU) is to measure the impact of digital technologies, including the Internet and specific information and communication technologies (ICTs), on the operations of Canadian enterprises.

• Questionnaire(s) and reporting guide(s)
• Description
• Data sources and methodology

Description

The 2023 Survey of Digital Technology and Internet Use (SDTIU) is designed to measure the impact of digital technologies on the operations of Canadian enterprises.

The information gathered helps to better understand how enterprises use the Internet, including their online presence, involvement in e-commerce, use of specific information and communication technologies (ICTs) and interaction with federal government online services. The survey also examines skills and employment in ICT-related jobs. The data from this survey are used by government departments to develop policies and programs that help improve Canada's innovation system and strengthen the overall economy.

The SDTIU is sponsored by Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED). Numerous other government departments also provided input during the questionnaire content development phase.

The results from this survey are also monitored by international organizations such as the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) for benchmarking purposes and to study the development and the influence of the digital economy.

Reference period: The 12-month calendar year

Collection period: November of the reference year through March of the next year

Subjects

• Business and government internet use
• Information and communications technology

Data sources and methodology

Target population

The target population was derived from Statistics Canada's Business Register (BR). The BR is an information database on the Canadian business population and serves as a frame for all Statistics Canada business surveys. It is a structured list of businesses engaged in the production of goods and services in Canada.

This survey covers enterprises operating in Canada in almost all industrial sectors. The industries in the target population are based on the 2022 North American Industry Classification System (NAICS). Sectors 21, 22, 23, 31, 32, 33, 41, 44, 45, 48, 49, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 61, 62, 71, 72 and 81 were included. The following entities were excluded to arrive at the target population:

- Government entities;
- Enterprises with less than 1 employee;
- Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting (11), specialty trade contractors (238), head offices (551114), private households (814), and public administration (91);
- Enterprises from sectors 23, 48, 49, 53, 54, 56, 61, 62, 71, 72 and 81 with a revenue less than $100K;
- Enterprises from sectors 21, 22, 31, 32, 33, 41, 44, 45, 51, 52 and 55 with a revenue less than $250K.

Instrument design

The survey data will be collected using an electronic questionnaire.

The questionnaire had minor revisions compared to the previous version in 2021 to better meet the policy needs of the sponsoring partner Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED) and to better align with surveys conducted by other national statistical offices. Subject matter experts, private businesses and external stakeholders were also consulted during the content development process.

Cognitive testing of the questionnaire content was carried in conjunction with the Questionnaire Design Resource Center based at Statistics Canada in both official languages. For the 2019 iteration, the entire questionnaire was tested through one-on-one interviews with potential respondents that took place in Gatineau, Montreal and Toronto. For the 2021 iteration, the revised content was tested through one-on-one telephone interviews with potential respondents. For the 2023 iteration, the revised content was tested through interviews with potential respondents over video call. The resulting comments and analysis of these interviews led to revisions of the questionnaire to make the questions more relevant to respondents and easier to answer.

Sampling

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

The survey frame was constructed by selecting all enterprises from the BR that met the definition of the target population. There were 752,587 enterprises within the target population in August 2023.

Enterprises were stratified by industry and two sets of size categories to meet the data needs of both domestic and international stakeholders. The size categories are based on the number of employees of the enterprise. The first set of size categories uses the following definitions: very small (1 to 4 employees), small (5-19 employees), medium (20 to 99 employees outside the manufacturing sector and 20 to 499 employees in the manufacturing sector), and large (100 or more employees outside the manufacturing sector and 500 or more employees in the manufacturing sector). The second set of size categories uses the following definitions: very small (1 to 9 employees) small (10-49 employees), medium (50-249 employees), and large (250 or more employees).

The overall size of the survey sample was determined based on the following:

- An expected standard error of 6.5% for the two sets of overlapping domains (NAICS level by size category for the two sets of size definitions) for a reported proportion of 50%;
- NAICS levels specified at the NAICS2 for all sectors 21, 22, 23, 31, 32, 33, 41, 44, 45, 48, 49, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 61, 62, 71, 72 and 81;

- A response rate of 65%.

A proportional allocation of the sample was done in each of the stratum defined by the NAICS level, and the sets of size categories. The probability of a particular enterprise being selected in the survey sample is determined by the number of enterprises selected in the stratum and the population size of the stratum.

The final sample size was 9,705 enterprises.

Data sources

Data collection for this reference period: 2023-11-20 to 2024-03-28

Responding to this survey is mandatory.

Data are collected directly from survey respondents.

Data are collected through an electronic questionnaire. Businesses are initially contacted by telephone during a pre-contact phase to identify an appropriate contact within the enterprise to respond to the survey.

Follow-up because of non-response, inconsistent or missing data is done by phone on a priority basis.

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