What is the difference between a census and a sample survey?
A census collects information from every person in a group. When you collect data about the age of everyone in your class in the Census at School project, you are conducting a class census. The national census collects information about every person living in Canada, including age, sex and language. Unlike a census, a sample survey collects information from only part-a ‘sample’-of the total population being studied. The results are then used to draw conclusions about the whole group. For example, you could collect data from 10 of the 30 students in a class to estimate the average age of the 30 students. On a larger scale, Statistics Canada’s Labour Force Survey questions over 50,000 households across Canada every month to estimate the total number of unemployed Canadians. Another method of collecting information is to use administrative records from governments and other organizations. This can be an easier, faster, less expensive and more efficient way of gathering information than co
