Standards Program - November 2010

Consultation objectives

The survey was designed to measure client satisfaction with Standards Division services, including classifications and variables, classification search and coding tools, and information about surveys and statistical programs (i.e., statistical metadata).

Consultation methodology

To evaluate its performance, Standards Division gathered client feedback through an Internet-based survey of external users and comprehensive, face-to-face consultations with members of the Data Liberation Initiative External Advisory Committee. As well, quality reviews were conducted of the Integrated Metadata Base program and the implementation of the Chart of Accounts. These reviews produced a set of best practices and recommendations for future work. Another source of information was the report on web traffic for the previous five years.

How to get involved

Individuals who wish to obtain more information or to take part in a consultation should contact Statistics Canada through the Statistical Information Service.

Please note that Statistics Canada selects participants for each consultation to ensure feedback from a representative sample of the target population for the study. Not all applicants are asked to participate in a given consultation.

Results

Compared with 2006 levels, client satisfaction with the products and services provided by Standards Division improved. Divisional activities continued to meet or mostly meet the targets set by the agency, with the exception of the targeted annual percentage increase in the number of electronic page views of statistical metadata and classifications.

For external clients, the level of satisfaction with the information supporting surveys and statistical programs, i.e., the Definitions, Data Sources and Methods section of the Statistics Canada website, rose from 3.63 to 3.74 out of 5.

As a percentage of the total page views for the Statistics Canada website, page views for the Standards program remain high. Results and comments from the client surveys indicate that clients want access to statistical metadata and classifications from the Statistics Canada website homepage. It was not obvious to users that this meta-information was located in the Key resources module on the homepage and this may explain the slower than expected growth rates in the web traffic.

Statistics Canada thanks participants for their participation in this consultation. Their insights guide the Agency's web development and ensure that the final products meet users' expectations.