Canadian Household Panel Survey (CHPS)
The CHPS was a national longitudinal survey designed to follow Canadian households annually, collecting data on family structure, education, labor market outcomes, income, wealth, health, and use of social services, etc. CHPS contained content similar to the U.S. Panel Survey of Income Dynamics and the British Household Panel Survey; however, many novel features related to human capital accumulation over the lifecycle were also employed in CHPS. While CHPS was only piloted for one year, it now serves as the foundation for HRSDC and Statistics Canada’s new Adult and Family Longitudinal Platform (AFLP), which will soon begin following individuals ages 15+ annually. The AFLP will serve as a centerpiece in its new data collection portfolio.
From the beginning, researchers from the Centre for Human Capital and Productivity were involved in developing content and questions regarding human capital formation for CHPS. In addition to standard measures of educational attainment, employment and labor market experience, worker occupation and industry, CHPS also contained new content not commonly found on large longitudinal household surveys. Based on experiences with CHPS, we expect the AFLP to contain similar innovative information on the following:
- Numeracy and literacy testing at regular intervals for adults
- Measures of parental time and goods inputs for child development, including preschool and child care arrangements
- Enrolment status and the name of the secondary and post-secondary institution
- Measures of post-secondary tuition, financing, and repayment
- Post-secondary course of study and grades
- Self-rating of different skills used on the job
- Self-rating of different skills acquired, including channels of skill acquisition, for adults
- Questions regarding job offers
