The Aboriginal Peoples Survey (APS) is a national survey of Aboriginal peoples (Métis, First Nations peoples living off-reserve and Inuit) living in urban, rural and northern locations throughout Canada. The survey provides valuable data on the social and economic conditions of Aboriginal children and youth (6-14 years) and Aboriginal people (15 years and over).
The Aboriginal Peoples Survey was developed and implemented in partnership with the following National Aboriginal Organizations:
- Métis National Council (MNC)
- Congress of Aboriginal Peoples (CAP)
- Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami (ITK)
- National Association of Friendship Centres (NAFC)
- Native Women’s Association of Canada (NWAC)
The survey includes a broad range of topics such as Aboriginal identity and ancestry, education, language, labour activity, income, health, communication technology, mobility, housing and family background.
Aboriginal organizations, governments at all levels, service providers and researchers will be able to use information from the APS to:
- Inform decision-making (Program/Policy planning and development);
- Support academic research (Educators and researchers).
Collection period:
The APS is collected every 5 years, following the Census.
Target population
The survey collects information from Métis, First Nations people living off reserve and Inuit across Canada who are six years of age and older. Participants are randomly chosen from a list of individuals who identified themselves as an Aboriginal person or as having Aboriginal ancestry in the 2011 National Household Survey. Approximately 50,000 people will be contacted and invited to participate in this survey.
Data collection
Statistics Canada will begin conducting the APS in February and will continue until June 2012. The majority of interviews will be conducted by telephone. Where this is not possible (e.g., in northern regions of Canada and in remote areas), interviews will be conducted in person.
Survey content
The 2012 APS will contain core questions about Household Composition, Identity, Language, Mobility, Health and Housing. The central theme of the survey will provide valuable data on the education and employment of First Nations people living off reserve, Métis and Inuit.
More details on the type of information being collected is available at the following link: