Creating an Automated Edit and Imputation System for the Survey on Quebec Accommodation Establishment Occupancy

• Activity Number: 444
• Type: Contributed
• Date/Time: Tuesday, August 6, 2013 : 2:00 PM to 3:50 PM
• Sponsor: Survey Research Methods Section
• Author(s): Catherine Fontaine*+ and Luc Côté
• Companies: Institut De La Statistique Du Quebec/Statistics Quebec and Institut De La Statistique Du Quebec/Statistics Quebec
• Keywords: item nonresponse ; imputation ; accommodation establishment

Abstract

The Survey on Quebec Accommodation Establishment Occupancy is used to collect monthly data about accommodation establishments. Following the survey redesign that took place in 2011, an automated edit and imputation system (SIVEMEH) was created to handle item nonresponse for total rental income. One of the requirements of this improved system was to consider, when available, income from a previous month, current income (by category) and establishment type as auxiliary variables. These requirements have led to a system using composite imputation. The main imputation methods are nearest neighbour imputation and historical imputation. In some cases, the number of rooms occupied and the number of rooms available are also imputed to preserve the relationships between these variables and rental income. Large establishments received special attention during the creation of the system. This paper discusses the steps leading to the development of this improved imputation system and the first results obtained since its implementation in 2012. Future work is also discussed.