Collecting demographic information

Use these questions when collecting demographic information in public opinion research surveys. The wording should be followed exactly to facilitate cross-comparison and non-response analysis as these questions come primarily from Statistics Canada 2021 Census of Population data. However, the preamble and the order of the questions can be modified.

Required demographic questions

The following set of questions must be included in all surveys.

For online surveys

Gender

What is your gender?

Female
Male
Or please specify
Prefer not to answer

Gender is the standard variable, rather than sex, and results are reported for men, women, and non-binary people.

Age

In what year were you born? [Show year: YYYY]

[If the respondent prefers not to provide a precise birth year, show:]
Would you be willing to indicate in which of the following age categories you belong?

18 to 24
25 to 34
35 to 44
45 to 54
55 to 64
65 or older
Prefer not to answer

Education

What is the highest level of formal education that you have completed?

Less than a High School diploma or equivalent
High School diploma or equivalent
Registered Apprenticeship or other trades certificate or diploma
College, CEGEP or other non-university certificate or diploma
University certificate or diploma below bachelor's level
Bachelor's degree
Post graduate degree above bachelor's level
Prefer not to answer

Geographic Location

May I have the first three characters of your postal code?

[Enter the first three characters]
Prefer not to answer

Language Spoken at Home

What language do you speak most often at home? [Accept all that apply]

English
French
Other [Specify or do not specify depending on the needs of the study]
Prefer not to answer

Ask respondents to indicate more than one language only if they are spoken equally at home.

Household Income

Which of the following best describes your total household income last year, before taxes, from all sources for all household members?

Under $20,000
$20,000 to just under $40,000
$40,000 to just under $60,000
$60,000 to just under $80,000
$80,000 to just under $100,000
$100,000 to just under $150,000
$150,000 and above
Prefer not to answer

For telephone surveys

Gender

What is your gender?

Female
Male
Or please specify
[Do not read] Prefer not to answer

Gender is the standard variable, rather than sex, and results are reported for men, women, and non-binary people.

Age

In what year were you born? [Record year: YYYY]

[If the respondent prefers not to provide a precise birth year, ask:]
Would you be willing to tell me in which of the following age categories you belong?

18 to 24
25 to 34
35 to 44
45 to 54
55 to 64
65 or older
[Do not read] Prefer not to answer

Education

What is the highest level of formal education that you have completed? [Read list]

Less than a High School diploma or equivalent
High School diploma or equivalent
Registered Apprenticeship or other trades certificate or diploma
College, CEGEP or other non-university certificate or diploma
University certificate or diploma below bachelor's level
Bachelor's degree
Post graduate degree above bachelor's level
[Do not read] Prefer not to answer

Geographic Location

May I have the first three characters of your postal code?

[Record: First three characters]
[Do not read] Prefer not to answer

Language Spoken at Home

What language do you speak most often at home? [Read list and accept all that apply]

English
French
Other [Specify or do not specify depending on the needs of the study]
[Do not read] Prefer not to answer

Ask respondents to indicate more than one language only if they are spoken equally at home.

Household Income

Which of the following best describes your total household income last year, before taxes, from all sources for all household members? [Read list and accept one answer only]

Under $20,000
$20,000 to just under $40,000
$40,000 to just under $60,000
$60,000 to just under $80,000
$80,000 to just under $100,000
$100,000 to just under $150,000
$150,000 and above
[Do not read] Prefer not to answer

Household Telephone Status

Does your household subscribe to a home phone service, also known as a landline?

Yes
No
Don’t know
[Do not read] Prefer not to answer

How many working cellphones does your household have?

0
1
2
3
4 or more
Don’t know
[Do not read] Prefer not to answer

Optional demographic questions

Depending on the needs of your study, you may include one or more of these questions.

For online surveys

Disability

Are you a person with a disability*?

* A person with a disability is a person who has a long-term or recurring impairment (such as vision, hearing, mobility, flexibility, dexterity, pain, learning, developmental, memory or mental health-related) which limits their daily activities inside or outside the home (such as at school, work, or in the community in general).

Yes
No
Don’t know
Prefer not to answer

Sexual Orientation

What is your sexual orientation?

Heterosexual (i.e. straight)
Lesbian or gay
Bisexual or pansexual
Or please specify [Specify or do not specify depending on the needs of the study]
Prefer not to answer

Results can be reported as heterosexual or LGB+ (lesbian, gay bisexual, pansexual or another sexual orientation that is not heterosexual).

Indigenous Group

Are you First Nations*, Métis or Inuk (Inuit)?

* First Nations includes Status and Non-Status Indians

No, not First Nations, Métis or Inuk (Inuit)
Yes, First Nations, (North American Indian)
Yes, Métis
Yes, Inuk (Inuit)
Prefer not to answer

If respondents select “yes”, do not include the following question about visible minority identity as well.

Visible Minority Identity

Are you...? (Check all that apply):

White
South Asian (e.g., Indian, Pakistani, Sri Lankan)
Chinese
Black
Filipino
Arab
Latin American
Southeast Asian (e.g., Vietnamese, Cambodian, Laotian, Thai)
West Asian (e.g., Iranian, Afghan)
Korean
Japanese
Or please specify [Specify or do not specify depending on the needs of the study]
Prefer not to answer

Employment Status

Which of the following categories best describes your current employment status? [Accept one answer only]

Working full-time, that is, 30 or more hours per week
Working part-time, that is, less than 30 hours per week
Self-employed or doing unpaid work for a family member’s business or farm
Unemployed, that is, looking for work, temporarily laid off, or starting a new job within a month
Not in the workforce, that is, not available or not able to do paid work due to school, family responsibilities, disability or retirement, for example
Prefer not to answer

Working full-time, part-time and self-employed are often reported together as “Employed”.

Mother Tongue

What is the language you first learned at home as a child and still understand? [Accept all that apply]

English
French
Other [Specify or do not specify depending on the needs of the study]
Don’t know
Prefer not to answer

Ask respondents to report two languages or more only if those languages were learned at the same time at home before the person started school.

For telephone surveys

Disability

Are you a person with a disability*?

Yes
No
[Do not read] Don’t know
[Do not read] Prefer not to answer

Sexual Orientation

What is your sexual orientation? Would you say you are...?:

Heterosexual (i.e., straight)
Lesbian or gay
Bisexual or pansexual
Or please specify [Specify or do not specify depending on the needs of the study]
[Do not read] Prefer not to answer

Results can be reported as heterosexual or LGB+ (lesbian, gay bisexual, pansexual or another sexual orientation that is not heterosexual).

Indigenous Group

Are you First Nations*, Métis or Inuk (Inuit)?

* First Nations includes Status and Non-Status Indians

No, not First Nations, Métis or Inuk (Inuit)
Yes, First Nations, (North American Indian)
Yes, Métis
Yes, Inuk (Inuit)
[Do not read] Prefer not to answer

If the respondent selects “yes”, do not include the following question about visible minority identity as well.

Visible Minority Identity

Are you...? [Read list and accept all that apply]:

White
South Asian (e.g., Indian, Pakistani, Sri Lankan)
Chinese
Black
Filipino
Arab
Latin American
Southeast Asian (e.g., Vietnamese, Cambodian, Laotian, Thai)
West Asian (e.g., Iranian, Afghan)
Korean
Japanese
Or please specify [Specify or do not specify depending on the needs of the study]
[Do not read] Prefer not to answer

Employment Status

Which of the following categories best describes your current employment status? Are you…? [Read list and accept one answer only]

Working full-time, that is, 30 or more hours per week
Working part-time, that is, less than 30 hours per week
Self-employed or doing unpaid work for a family member’s business or farm
Unemployed, that is, looking for work, temporarily laid off, or starting a new job within a month
Not in the workforce, that is, not available or not able to do paid work due to school, family responsibilities, disability or retirement, for example
[Do not read] Prefer not to answer

Working full-time, part-time and self-employed are often reported together as “Employed”.

Mother Tongue

What is the language you first learned at home as a child and still understand? [Read list and accept all that apply]

English
French
Other [Specify or do not specify depending on the needs of the study]
[Do not read] Don’t know
[Do not read] Prefer not to answer

Ask respondents to report two languages or more only if those languages were learned at the same time at home before the person started school.

Recruitment screeners

Based on the research objectives, one or more demographic questions can be used to recruit participants for a study. To help design your recruitment screener, refer to demographic questions for online or telephone surveys.

Participants must be informed of the general subject and purpose of the research and be reassured that their answers will remain anonymous and confidential. The interviewer notes can be adapted depending on the needs of the study and all suggested demographic questions are optional.

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Collecting demographic information

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Required demographic questions

For online surveys

For telephone surveys

Optional demographic questions

For online surveys

For telephone surveys

Recruitment screeners

Resources from Statistics Canada

Census of Population

Labour force

Definitions

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