Survey Series on First Nations People, Métis and Inuit (SSFNPMI)

Detailed information for 2024

The Survey Series on First Nations People, Métis, and Inuit is a panel of short surveys on First Nations people living off reserve, Métis and Inuit who had previously agreed to participate in follow up surveys. This is the first time that Statistics Canada is using panel surveys to collect data from First Nations people living off reserve, Métis, and Inuit. An important goal of the Survey Series on First Nations People, Métis and Inuit is to collect relevant data in a timely manner to support the development of new policies or programs for First Nations people living off reserve, Métis and Inuit.

Data release - November 4, 2024 (SSFNPMI-HCAE); January 17, 2025 (SSFNPMI-WIRP); April 8, 2025 (SSNPMI-EPEW)

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

Description

The Survey Series on First Nations People, Métis and Inuit (SSFNPMI) is a new panel series that aims to fill known data gaps identified by Indigenous and federal government partners. The survey series was also developed based on an analysis of indicators that align with the Truth and Reconciliation Calls to Action, the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls Calls for Justice, as well as the Canadian Indicator Framework for Sustainable Development Goals and the Quality of Life Framework.

These short 20-question surveys are administered to a sample of volunteers, with faster collection, processing, analysis and release timelines than traditional surveys. Questionnaire content will cover a variety of social topics.

The first survey in the series collected information on Indigenous peoples' experiences with health care, access to different types of health care, discrimination, and prescription medication.

The second survey in the series collected information on well-being and the impacts of rising prices and costs.

The third survey in the series collected information on emergency preparedness and extreme weather.

The sample includes respondents who participated in the 2022 Indigenous Peoples Survey (IPS). Results of the three surveys in the series will be representative of the population of the IPS.

Data from the survey series may help inform policy and programming activities that are aimed at improving the well-being of First Nations Peoples, Métis and Inuit, and is an important source of information for a variety of stakeholders including Indigenous organizations, communities, service providers, researchers, governments and the general public.

Data sources and methodology

Target population

The target population for the SSFNPMI are First Nations people living off reserve, Métis and Inuit, aged 15 and over, as of May 11, 2022 and living in private dwellings who agreed to participate in follow up surveys on the 2022 Indigenous Peoples Survey.

Specifically excluded from the survey's coverage are:
- First Nations people, Métis and Inuit who are residents of reserves and other Indigenous settlements and in certain First Nations communities in Yukon and the Northwest Territories (NWT)
- Full-time residents of institutions, for example, inmates of penal institutions and chronic care patients living in hospitals and nursing homes.

Instrument design

The content for the Survey Series on First Nations People, Métis and Inuit (SSFNPMI) was drafted in collaboration with the Centre for Indigenous Statistics and Partnerships (CISP), as well as Indigenous and federal partners, and several internal subject matter experts.

The questionnaire underwent cognitive testing in the form of in-depth interviews in both of Canada's official languages, conducted by Statistics Canada's Questionnaire Design Resource Centre (QDRC). The goal of the qualitative study was to test the survey content.

Statistics Canada's QDRC provided input and feedback on the survey questionnaires. Questions which worked well and others that needed clarification or redesign were highlighted. QDRC staff compiled a detailed report of the results along with their recommendations. All comments and feedback from qualitative testing were carefully considered and incorporated into the survey when possible. Question wording adheres as closely as possible to questions established by the Harmonized Content Committee at Statistics Canada.

The questionnaires follow standard practices and wording used in a computer-assisted interviewing environment, such as the automatic control of flows that depend upon answers to earlier questions and the use of edits to check for logical inconsistencies and capture errors. The computer applications for data collection were tested extensively.

Sampling

This is a sample survey with a cross-sectional design. The survey series sample consisted of a total of 6,206 individuals from the 2022 Indigenous Peoples Survey (IPS) respondents.

IPS respondents were asked to participate in future Statistics Canada surveys by providing a phone number and/or email address. Those who provided a valid phone number or valid email address were considered as in scope for the SSFNPMI.

The IPS sample was selected from respondents who reported an Indigenous identity or ancestry on the 2021 Census questionnaire. Specifically, the sample was selected from responses to questions 23, 24, 26 and 27 on the long-form census questionnaire, either the 2A-L questionnaire or the 2A-R questionnaire. The main IPS sample is stratified by geography, Indigenous identity and age group. A supplement sample was drawn for Nunavut Inuit and was stratified by community and education level.

Sampling unit:
The sampling unit of this survey is a person.

Data sources

Data collection for this reference period: 2024-05-21 to 2024-12-15

Responding to this survey is voluntary.

Data are collected directly from survey respondents and derived from other Statistics Canada surveys.

Data collection for the survey series:
1st collection period: May 21, 2024 to June 9, 2024;
2nd collection period: September 3, 2024 to September 22, 2024;
3rd collection period: November 18, 2024 to December 15, 2024.

Respondents were contacted through email or telephone for each survey in the series. Data were collected directly from survey respondents either through an electronic questionnaire (EQ) or through computer assisted telephone interviewing (CATI).

In addition to English and French, the questionnaires are available to view online in Inuktitut and Inuinnaqtun.

For the first survey in the series, to enhance the data from the survey and to reduce response burden, Statistics Canada will combine the information provided by respondents with data from the 2022 Indigenous Peoples Survey (IPS). Statistics Canada may also combine the information provided with data from other surveys or administrative sources including other surveys in the Survey Series on First Nations People, Métis and Inuit.

For the second and third surveys in the series, to enhance the data from these surveys and to reduce response burden, Statistics Canada will combine the information provided by respondents with information from personal and household tax data as well as the 2022 Indigenous Peoples Survey (IPS). Statistics Canada may also combine the information you provide with data from other surveys or administrative sources including other surveys in the Survey Series on First Nations People, Métis and Inuit.

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

Error detection

Electronic files containing the daily transmissions of completed respondent survey records were combined to create the "raw" survey file. Before further processing, verification was performed to identify and drop duplicate and non-response records. Records that did not meet minimum response criteria were identified and removed.

Imputation

Imputation is a process used to determine and assign replacement values to resolve problems of missing, invalid, or inconsistent data. This is done by changing some of the missing values and the responses on the record being edited to ensure that a plausible, internally consistent record is created. Imputation was performed for some variables on the Indigenous Peoples Survey, which were incorporated into the SSFNPMI. Additionally, total personal income was imputed for the SSFNPMI.

Estimation

The estimation of population characteristics from a sample survey is based on the premise that each person in the sample represents a certain number of other persons in addition to themselves. This number is referred to as the survey weight

The weighting of the sample for the SSFNPMI- has multiple stages to reflect the stages of sampling, participation and response to get the final set of respondents. The steps for weighting, including non-response adjustment and calibration, are described in chapter 7 of the SSFNPMI User Guide.

These steps adjust the weights so that they align with the target population, with regards to certain characteristics, such as age-sex groups by region. To the extent that these characteristics are correlated with the variables of interest, these adjustments can improve the accuracy of the survey estimates. Variance estimation is based on a two-phase bootstrap. Please refer to section 7.5 of the User Guide for how to use the variance multiplicative factor when calculating estimates of sampling error, such as variance, standard error or confidence intervals.

Quality evaluation

While quality assurance mechanisms are applied at all stages of the statistical process, the validation and review of data by statisticians is the final verification of quality prior to release. Validation measures that were implemented include:
a) verification of estimates through cross-tabulations;
b) consultation with stakeholders internal to Statistics Canada

Disclosure control

Statistics Canada is prohibited by law from releasing any information it collects that 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

This methodology type does not apply to this statistical program.

Data accuracy

Survey errors come from a variety of different sources. One dimension of survey error is sampling error. Sampling error is defined as the error that arises because an estimate is based on a sample rather than the entire population. Sampling error can be expressed through a confidence interval or coefficient of variation.

Response rates
The Survey Series on First Nations People, Métis and Inuit (SSFNPMI) is carried out in multiple stages, each of which results in some non-response. The paragraphs below summarize the response rate at each stage for each survey in the survey series.

Response rates by survey stage for Survey Series on First Nations People, Métis and Inuit — Health Care Access and Experiences (SSFNPMI-HCAE):
2022 Indigenous Peoples Survey (IPS): 52.3%
2022 Indigenous Peoples Survey (IPS) respondents who agreed to participate in future surveys: 30.4%
Panel participants who responded to the SSFNPMI-HCAE: 34.0%
Cumulative response rate: 3.8%

Cumulative Response Rate: The cumulative response rate takes into account the response from the parent survey, those who opted to participate in future surveys, and the response rate of the SSFNPMI-HCAE.

Response rates by survey stage for Survey Series on First Nations People, Métis and Inuit — Well-being and Impacts of Rising Prices (SSFNPMI-WIRP):
2022 Indigenous Peoples Survey (IPS): 52.3%
2022 Indigenous Peoples Survey (IPS) respondents who agreed to participate in future surveys: 30.4%
Panel participants who responded to the SSFNPMI-WIRP: 32.7%
Cumulative response rate: 3.3%

Cumulative Response Rate: The cumulative response rate takes into account the response from the parent survey, those who opted to participate in future surveys, and the response rate of the SSFNPMI-WIRP.

Response rates by survey stage for Survey Series on First Nations People, Métis and Inuit — Emergency Preparedness and Extreme Weather (SSFNPMI-EPEW):
2022 Indigenous Peoples Survey (IPS): 52.3%
2022 Indigenous Peoples Survey (IPS) respondents who agreed to participate in future surveys: 30.4%
Panel participants who responded to the SSFNPMI-EPEW: 32.6%
Cumulative response rate: 3.4%

Cumulative Response Rate: The cumulative response rate takes into account the response from the parent survey, those who opted to participate in future surveys, and the response rate of the SSFNPMI-EPEW.

Non-sampling errors
Non-sampling errors can be defined as errors arising during the course of virtually all survey activities, apart from sampling. They are present in both sample surveys and censuses (unlike sampling error, which is only present in sample surveys). Non-sampling errors arise primarily from the following sources: non-response, coverage, measurement, and processing.

Measurement errors (sometime referred to as response errors) occur when the response provided differs from the real value (for example, if someone accidently clicks and selects the wrong box); such errors may be attributable to the respondent, the interviewer, the questionnaire, the collection method or the respondent's record-keeping system. Such errors may be random or they may result in a systematic bias if they are not random.

Processing error is the error associated with activities conducted once survey responses have been received. It includes all data handling activities after collection and prior to estimation. Like all other errors, they can be random in nature, and inflate the variance of the survey's estimates, or systematic, and introduce bias. It is difficult to obtain direct measures of processing errors and their impact on data quality especially since they are mixed in with other types of errors (non-response, measurement, and coverage).

Non-response bias
To mitigate potential nonresponse bias, the survey weights are adjusted for total non-response, using available auxiliary information from the Indigenous Peoples Survey (IPS). Respondent weights were calibrated on the (National) population totals by Indigenous identity (First Nation, Métis or Inuit), sex, geography and age group (15 to 24 years, 25 to 34 years, etc. up to 65 years and over).

Coverage error
Coverage errors consist of omissions, erroneous inclusions, duplications and misclassifications of units in the survey frame. Since they affect every estimate produced by the survey, they are one of the most important types of error. Coverage errors may cause a bias in the estimates and the effect can vary for different sub-groups of the population. This is a very difficult error to measure or quantify accurately.

The SSFNPMI covers the population of First Nations people living off reserve, Métis and Inuit, aged 15 and over, as of May 11, 2022 and living in private dwellings who agreed to participate in follow up surveys on the 2022 Indigenous Peoples Survey.

Excluded from the survey's coverage are:
- First Nations people, Métis and Inuit who are residents of reserves and other Indigenous settlements and in certain First Nations communities in Yukon and the Northwest Territories (NWT);
- Full-time residents of institutions, for example, inmates of penal institutions and chronic care patients living in hospitals and nursing homes.