Target group profiles (TGP) provide Census Profile variables for a subset, or target group, of the population. This TGP is for the population with activity limitations.
The target group 'dimension' contains persons who indicated via the Disability Screening Questions on the 2021 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.
Target group profiles (TGPs) provide data for a specific group of persons (a "target group"). All variables in the Target Group Profile are ‘person-level’ variables: their age, their gender, their family status (e.g., are they in a census family), the languages they speak, and so on. Because TGPs deal with the universe of persons, they do not contain any family- or household-specific variables. For example, the average family size, household income or renter/owner status are variables that do not relate to a person, but to a family or household, and so they are not included in TGPs.
25% vs 100% samples – Comparing values with publicly accessible data
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. Variables that are available in both the 25% sample and the 100% sample will have different values depending on the source of the data. For example, the total population of a city taken from the 25% sample (a Target Group Profile) will differ from that taken from the 100% sample (the online Census Profile).