The household- and family-level Target Group Profiles provide data from the Census Profile for specific demographic groups (target groups). Target Group Profiles are often based on 'person characteristics', such as visible minority status, immigrant status or age and therefore do not show the Census Profile variables that apply to families and households. For this reason, the Community Data Program placed a custom order for household- and family-level Target Group Profiles, for which definitions were created for the target group household or family.
This table contains counts for the following, with each contained in a separate file:
- Census families with at least one person with activity difficulties
- Economic families with at least one person with activity difficulties
- Households with at least one person with activity difficulties
- Persons not in census families with activity difficulties
The target group 'dimension' contains persons who indicated via the Disability Screening Questions on the 2016 Census that they experienced activity difficulties with the following frequencies:
- Always
- Always or Often, and
- Always, Often or Sometimes
- Total, persons with and without activity difficulties
If a person responded to more than one activity difficulty type (e.g., seeing and hearing), then the greater frequency would be used for that person. For example, if seeing = always AND hearing = sometimes THEN activity difficulty frequency = always).
The DSQ follow the social model of disability and require that a limitation in daily activities be reported for the identification of a disability—the presence of a difficulty alone is not sufficient. To identify persons with a disability, the DSQ first measure the degree to which difficulties are experienced across various domains of functioning and then ask how often daily activities are limited by these difficulties.
Note that the Disability Screening Questions were used on the Census to identify respondents who should be included in the Canadian Survey on Disability. Not all those who responded as having an activity difficulty will be actually disabled and the data are considered to contain a certain number of "false positives". Users may wish to consult the Canadian Survey on Disability tables for comparison.
Misleading Label for Total Counts
The total counts for households, economic families and census families in these tables are labeled in a misleading manner.
This label should indicate that the counts are for the Total number of households. The subsequent labels identify households with at least one person with activity limitations, according to the frequency with which these limitations occur. The tables for economic families and census families are similarly mislabeled.
Target Group Profile Totals
The labels used for the Target Group Profiles are the same as the labels used for the Census Profile. If you are viewing a Target Group Profile table, then the "Total population in private households" or "Total - Generation status for the population in private households" is the total for that particular target group.
For example, if you use the Target Group Profile for recent immigrants, then the "Total population" is equal to the total population of recent immigrants. Please be aware that for some 2021 Target Group Profiles, the target group (e.g., Indigenous and visible minority groups or age groups) is split out into categories in a separate dimension (e.g., Total, Indigenous identity, First Nations, Métis, Inuk), so will also include a Total population variable. In these cases, the Total population variables are for the entire population.
25% vs 100% samples
The 2021 short form Census questionnaire was sent out to 100% of all households. The 2021 long form Census questionnaire was sent out to 25% of all households. Target Group Profiles are produced using the 25% sample.
When calculating the prevalence of certain target group variables in the total population, it is better to use total population values taken from this Census Profile, which was produced entirely using the 25% sample, as opposed to the standard Census Profile which uses the 100% sample for numerous variables.