Annual Survey of Service Industries: Food Services and Drinking Places

Annual Survey of Service Industries: Food Services and Drinking Places
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Detailed information for 1999

Status:

Active

Frequency:

Annual

Record number:

4704

The survey collects financial and operating data needed to produce statistics for the Food Services and Drinking Places industry.

Data release - December 17, 2001

Description

The survey collects financial and operating data needed to produce statistics for the Food Services and Drinking Places industry.

The data are produced as part of Statistics Canada's Unified Enterprise Survey (UES), the main purpose of which is to ensure Statistics Canada receives consistent and integrated data from many types of surveys and sizes of businesses with enough detail to produce accurate provincial statistics.

These data are aggregated with information from other sources to produce official estimates of national and provincial economic production in Canada. The estimates are used by government for national and regional programs and policy planning and by the private sector for industry performance measurement and market development.

Statistical activity

The survey is administered as part of the Unified Enterprise Survey program (UES). The UES program has been designed to integrate, gradually over time, the approximately 200 separate business surveys into a single master survey program. The UES aims at collecting more industry and product detail at the provincial level than was previously possible while avoiding overlap between different survey questionnaires. The redesigned business survey questionnaires have a consistent look, structure and content. The unified approach makes reporting easier for firms operating in different industries because they can provide similar information for each branch operation. This way they avoid having to respond to questionnaires that differ for each industry in terms of format, wording and even concepts.

This survey is part of the Service Industries Program. The survey data gathered are used to compile aggregate statistics for over thirty service industry groupings. Financial data, including revenue, expense and profit statistics are available for all of the surveys in the program. In addition, many compile and disseminate industry-specific information.

Reference period: Calendar year

Collection period: January to August

Subjects

  • Accommodation and food
  • Business, consumer and property services
  • Business performance and ownership
  • Financial statements and performance

Data sources and methodology

Target population

The target population consists of all statistical establishments (sometimes referred to as firms or units) classified as food services and drinking places (NAICS 722) according to the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) during the reference year.

Sampling

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

The data were produced as part of Statistics Canada's Unified Enterprise Survey (UES) conducted in 1999. The survey incorporates several annual business surveys into an integrated survey. It aims to ensure Statistics Canada receives consistent and integrated data from many types of surveys and sizes of businesses, with enough detail to produce accurate provincial statistics.

Target Population

The target population for this survey is all establishments classified to NAICS 722 on the Business Register and operating for at least one day during the reference year 1999. The Business Register is maintained by Statistics Canada, using taxation account information (i.e. income tax, goods and services tax and payroll deduction records) submitted to Revenue Canada.

Frame and sample design

Two sources of data were used to derive the estimates:

-a probability sample survey of food service and drinking places establishments with an annual gross business revenue above survey thresholds

-taxation data to estimate for businesses with an annual gross business revenue below survey thresholds

A total of 51,267 establishments on the Business Register in 1999 had an annual revenue above survey thresholds. The survey threshold could vary from $140,000 to $1,400,000 depending on the industry and province. The survey includes both employer and non-employer establishments.

The frame for the selection of the probability sample is Statistics Canada's Business Register.

The sampling unit used in the probability survey is the establishments of one enterprise that operate in the same industry and the same province. (The sampling unit can be called a "cluster of establishments".)

Data sources

Responding to this survey is mandatory.

Data are collected directly from survey respondents and extracted from administrative files.

Data are collected through a mail-out/mail-back process, while providing respondents with the option of telephone or other electronic filing methods.

Follow-up procedures are applied when a questionnaire has not been received after a pre-specified period of time.

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

Imputation

Where information is missing, imputation is performed using a "nearest neighbour" procedure (donor imputation), using historical data where available, using averages based on responses from a set of similar establishments, or using administrative data as a proxy for reported data.

Estimation

The sampling weights derived from the sample survey design were modified and improved using updated information. This was possible because, during the passage of time since the sample was selected, the Business Register was updated further with more complete information. The final set of weights reflects as closely as possible the changing characteristics of the population in this industry.

The aggregate total revenue of all employer establishments from the 1999 annual survey was benchmarked to the 1999 MRCTS for the four digit NAICS industry by province. The end result of benchmarking is that users of the two surveys will have consistent totals. The final estimates were derived by combining the benchmarked employer estimates and the non-employer estimates.

Disclosure control

Statistics Canada is prohibited by law from releasing any information it collects which could identify any person, business, or organization, unless consent has been given by the respondent or as permitted by the Statistics Act. 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.

Revisions and seasonal adjustment

The data are benchmarked to the Monthly Restaurants, Caterers and Taverns Survey (Survey #2419).

Data accuracy

All surveys are subject to sampling and non-sampling errors. Statistics Canada uses a variety of methods to minimize all types of errors. Every effort was made to minimize the non-sampling error of omission, duplication, reporting and processing.

The response rates for the sampled establishments were:
Completed or partially completed: 65%; Not able to contact: 8.7%; Out-of-scope to food services and drinking places or out of business: 9.4%.

Coefficients of variation (CV) of the final estimates were computed. The quality of the estimates are classified as Excellent (CV is 0.01 to 4.99%); Very good (CV is 5.00% to 9.99%); Good (CV is 10.00% to 14.99%); Acceptable (CV is 15.00% to 24.99%); Use with caution (CV is 25.00% to 34.99%); and Unreliable (> 35.00%).

Based on these ratings, the total revenue and total expenses estimates were judged to be good to excellent at the national and at the provincial/territorial level for the four-digit industry level.

Of the original sample of 2717 questionnaires, 35% of the records for the main variables such as total expenses required imputation. Reasons for imputation include partial response, failure to respond before the survey deadline, refusals, and inability to contact the respondent.

To assist in the validation of the final annual estimates, they were compared to the results of the Monthly Survey of Restaurants, Taverns and Caterers (MRCTS) and administrative data sources.

The total employer estimate for the annual survey was within 2% of the national total revenue estimate of the 1999 MRCTS. The MRCTS includes employer establishments only.

Documentation

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