CANADIAN STUDIES IN POPULATION

Canada (Edmonton) 08

1996 - VOLUME 23, NUMBER 1

98.08.1 - English - K. Bruce NEWBOLD, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign (U.S.A.)

The ghettoization of Quebec: Interprovincial migration and its demographic effects (p. 1-21)

Drawing upon the 1991 Statistics Canada Public Use Micro File (PUMF), this paper describes the nature of the interprovincial migration flows originating within Quebec and arriving in Quebec between 1986 and 1991. Both the overall population and specific personal attributes such as level of education, mother tongue and age are considered in order to determine the demographic impacts of migration on the province of Quebec. Results suggest that migration flows into and out-of the province continue a trend observed between 1976-81 and 1981-86, with an overall loss of population through migration. English speaking migrants represented a large proportion of the outmigrants and a small proportion of the inmigrants to Quebec. Quebec must rely upon return migrants as a source of population growth. (CANADA, PROVINCES, INTERNAL MIGRATION)

98.08.2 - English - Bill MARR and Doug McCREADY, Wilfrid Laurier University, Waterloo, Ont. (Canada)

The application of household life cycle variables to spending patterns using Canadian data (p. 23-47)

This paper addresses the economic problem: to what extent can fife cycle variables add to the explanation of Canadian household spending on food, shelter, transportation, and clothing? Using household data from four Surveys of Family Expenditures, we find that a revised household life cycle model is preferred to a traditional family life cycle model and life cycle variables do add to our understanding of different household spending patterns, but the majority of any explanation of those patterns emanate from other socio-economic variables. Life cycle variables play a secondary, although still important, explanatory role. (CANADA, FAMILY CONSUMPTION, LIFE CYCLE, HOUSEHOLD, MODELS)

98.08.3 - English - Bertrand DESJARDINS, Université de Montréal, Montréal, Qué. (Canada)

Demographic aspects of the 1702-1703 smallpox epidemic in the St-Lawrence valley (p. 49-67)

Data compiled by the "Programme de recherche en démographie historique" of the Université de Montréal were used to number and characterize deaths within the population of European extraction from the 1702-1703 smallpox epidemic in the St-Lawrence valley. Between 6% and 6.5% of the settled population in the late fall of 1702 was eliminated by the disease; adding the death of an extra 25% of newborns, the epidemic's toll reached some 1,300. A significant proportion of adults died among the Canadian-born population, surpassing 10% for women of childbearing ages in particular. This proves that contrary to what most observers have written, smallpox was not prevalent among the non-native population during the 17th century. (CANADA, HISTORICAL DEMOGRAPHY, MORTALITY, SMALLPOX)

1996 - VOLUME 23, NUMBER 2

98.08.4 - English - Frank TROVATO and N. M. LALU, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alb. (Canada)

Causes of death responsible for the changing sex differential in life expectancy between 1970 and 1990 in thirty industrialized nations (p. 99-126)

In Western societies before the turn of this century life expectancy at birth for women was either below that of men or only slightly above. By the late 1920s and over the post-War years, the female advantage grew substantially, from approximately two to three years at the beginning of this period, to between five and seven years at present. During the last two decades, some nations have witnessed a constriction of this differential. For another set of countries the gender based gap in survival is still widening, but its magnitude has been getting smaller. In a third group of countries the life expectancy difference between men and women is relatively large and continues to diverge. We execute a decomposition analysis of sex differences in life expectancy at birth for thirty nations between 1970 and 1990. Our results indicate that although there are substantial variations by country with respect to magnitude of cause contribution, the most important cause-of-death components contributing to sex differences in overall survival between 1970 and 1990 are heart disease (largest effect), accidents and violence excluding suicide, and lung cancer. In countries where there has been a narrowing of the sex gap, in comparison to women, men have tended to make larger improvements over time in terms of heart disease (male rates reducing more than those of females), accidents/violence excluding suicide (male rates reducing more than those of females), lung cancer (female rates going up while male rates reducing or not increasing as rapidly). In the closing section of this study we discuss what the future might hold for the sex differential in life expectancy in the industrialized world. (EXPECTATION OF LIFE AT BIRTH, DIFFERENTIAL MORTALITY, SEX DIFFERENTIALS, CAUSES OF DEATH)

98.08.5 - English - Feng HOU, Lewis Odhiambo OMWANDA, Department of Sociology, University of Western Ontario, London, Ont. (Canada), Violet KASPAR and Samuel NOH, Department of Psychiatry, Clarke Institute of Psychiatry, University of Toronto (Canada)

Differential effects of sociodemographic factors across birth orders among Canadian women (p. 127-145)

The Cox proportional hazards models were applied to the 1984 Canadian Fertility Survey data to examine the varying associations of selected socioeconomic factors with the likelihood and timing of first, second, third, and fourth births among Canadian women of reproductive ages. The results indicated that women's religiosity, rural residence, marriage cohort, and previous birth intervals were consistently and significantly related to the likelihood and timing of all orders of birth. However, the two prominent determinants of fertility, mother's education and early career experience, were related significantly only to the first two births, and even then the effect of education was non-monotonic: more educated women tended to have their first child earlier than those who were less educated, but were less likely to have a second child. The findings of this study revealed the complexity of the ways in which education and employment influence women's fertility behavior. (CANADA, FERTILITY DETERMINANTS, DIFFERENTIAL FERTILITY, SOCIO-ECONOMIC DIFFERENTIALS, BIRTH ORDER)

98.08.6 - English - S. MITRA, Emory University, Atlanta, GA (U.S.A.)

Another look at the logit transformation of the survivorship function (p. 147-163)

In support of the logit transformation of the life table survivorship function l(x), Brass has noted that when a variable assumes values between 0 and 1 its logit varies from - µ to µ. Not only that, if the variable is a function of x, which l(x) certainly is, then the logit "will vary almost linearly with the x variable." If that is the case, then the logits of the life table functions of any two life table survivorship functions must exhibit strong linear relationship and indeed they do. In this paper it has been shown that while that strong linear relationship between the two logits is an empirical fact, it is definitely not due to the linearity between the logit of l(x) and x. The empirical linear relationship between the two logits can certainly hold for other nonlinear functional relationships between the logit and x. The field of such relationships can be considerably narrowed down by introducing necessary restrictions that the l(x) function must meet. (METHODOLOGY, SURVIVORSHIP FUNCTION, LOGIT)

98.08.7 - English - Zenaida R. RAVANERA and Fernando RAJULTON, Population Studies Centre, The University of Western Ontarion, London, Ont. (Canada)

Stability and crisis in the family life course - Findings from the 1990 General Social Survey, Canada (p. 165-184)

This paper examines the flow of family life course events between ages 30 and 54. The life course is viewed from three perspectives: chronological age, social time and historical time. Using the data collected in 1990 through the General Social Survey (Cycle 5), this study finds some interesting differences in the life course patterns among birth cohorts of men and women spanning three quarters of the 20th century. Stability in the family life course is implied by the 'typical' sequences of events such as marriage followed by childbearing and rearing, which in turn is followed by launching of children. There exists a crisis in the sense that marital dissolutions are increasingly taking place, but that some sort of stability in the family life course is restored in that there is also an increasing proportion of reconstituted families through remarriage. Some of these findings are interpreted against historical backgrounds. (CANADA, FAMILY LIFE CYCLE, DIVORCE, REMARRIAGE)

1997 - VOLUME 24, NUMBER 1

98.08.8 - English - Norman B. RYDER, Princeton University (U.S.A.)

Migration and population replacement (p. 1-26)

Three stable population models are described. The first two are closed to migration, with fertility fixed at the current level and at replacement. The third has fixed amounts of migration, with fertility at the current level. An alternative using fixed migration rates is considered. The models are exemplified with current Canadian data, for the first century and ultimately, paying special attention to age distribution. The role of migrant age is examined. Replacement by migration is an acceptable alternative to replacement by fertility, and much preferable to a closed model with current fertility. Limitations on the usefulness of the exercise for policy are assessed. (CANADA, DEMOGRAPHIC MODELS, STABLE POPULATION, POPULATION REPLACEMENT, MIGRATION)

98.08.9 - English - Don KERR and Denis MORISSETTE, Demography Division, Statistics Canada (Canada)

Census coverage evaluation and demographic analysis in Canada (p. 27-43)

Statistics Canada has produced population and family estimates, fully adjusted for coverage error, from 1971 to the present. Several procedures, developed by both demographers and statisticians have historically played an important role in evaluating census coverage in Canada. Most methods can be grouped as involving either (i) demographic analysis (macro-level approaches), or (ii) case by case matching procedures and record linkage techniques (micro-level approaches). The present paper reviews selected procedures, and suggests possible avenues for future research. It is argued that there is substantial potential in increasing the emphasis placed on demographic analysis in the estimation of census coverage, particularly in improving estimates for specific age and sex groups. (CANADA, METHODOLOGY, POPULATION CENSUS, COVERAGE)

98.08.10 - English - Eric FONG and Milena GUILA, University of Toronto (Canada)

The effects of group characteristics and city context on neighborhood qualities among racial and ethnic groups (p. 45-66)

In this paper, we argue that the structural contexts of the city in conjunction with group characteristics are important to explain variations in neighborhood qualities among racial and ethnic groups. We further argue that these city structural contexts have different effects on the attainment of neighborhood qualities of racial and ethnic groups. Analyses based on a unique data set from the 1991 Canadian Census supports our arguments. Policy implications of the results are also discussed. (CANADA, RACE RELATIONS, ETHNIC GROUPS, URBAN SOCIOLOGY)

98.08.11 - English - M. V. GEORGE, Shirley LOH et Ravi B. P. VERMA, Population Projections Section, Statistics Canada (Canada)

Impact of varying the component assumptions on projected total population and age structure in Canada (p. 67-86)

The objective of this paper is to study the relative impact of the range of component assumptions, namely: fertility, mortality, and immigration, on the projected total population and age structure, using Canadian population projections from 1993 to 2041. The effect of the high or low assumptions of each component on the variability in projected population size and age structure is measured as the deviation from the medium scenario, while controlling for the effect of the other two components. Two factors are found to have significant effect on the variation of the projected total population: the range of the component assumption, and the pace at which the assumption reaches its horizon value. Each component has its own unique effect on each age group. For example, immigration is the only component to have a significant effect across the age groups 0-14, 15-64 and 65+. (CANADA, POPULATION PROJECTIONS, AGE DISTRIBUTION, METHODOLOGY)

98.08.12 - English - Gerry B. HILL, William F. FORBES, University of Ottawa (Canada), Jean-Marie BERTHELOT, Statistics Canada (Canada), Joan LINDSAY, Ian McDOWELL, University of Ottawa (Canada), and Russell WILKINS, Statistics Canada (Canada)

The entropy of health and disease: Dementia in Canada (p. 87-100)

The object of this paper is to combine two concepts which have developed on the interface between public health and demography: health expectancy and the analysis of linkage in demographic models. The paper addresses, in the general case, the question: what are the marginal effects of changes in incidence or mortality rates on the expectation of life with, and without, a particular irreversible, non-communicable disease or type of disability? A simple model of disease in a population is described, and general solutions for the two components of the expectation of life are obtained. Formulae for the entropies (elasticities) of these expectations in relation to changes in incidence and mortality rates are derived. It is shown that, under certain conditions, the entropy of the expectation of disease free life, with respect to changes in incidence, can be approximated by an extension of Sullivan's index. Data on dementia among elderly Canadians, obtained from the Canadian Study of Health and Aging, are used for illustration. (CANADA, EPIDEMIOLOGY, LIFE EXPECTANCY, MODELS, METHODOLOGY)

Back to Home page