There are two strategies one could employ to look at population changes over this five year period (1981-86). One would be to take the total population of one ethnic group, say Italian for Canada, Quebec and Montreal in the 1981 census and compare these findings with the total populations of Italians for these three regions in 1986. Studying these figures would show population change on steadfastness by either natural increase of immigration relative to itself. This does not give the entire picture regarding population changes of one group. supplement and not necessarily a substitute to the to this would be to take a percentage of this particular ethnic group for all three regions and compare how they changed from 1981 to 1986
The age of the populations form eleven groupings as given in the 1981 census. They are under 15 years of age, and increase by 5 to 10 year increments until the grouping of “over 65 years of age group” is reached . For a more simplified comparison of age changes between 1981 and 1986, the ages could be grouped into three categories. These could be under 34 years (young), 34 years to 59 years (middle age) to 60 years and over (senior). Since these groups are arbitrarily chosen and uneven selections, it is not desirable to compare each age group to one another but rather compare the total of one age group in 1981 to the total of the same group in 1986.
The study of both age and ethnic groups in each region can of course be interlinked to help research the causes for each demographic outcome.
To better comprehend population changes in ethnic groups from 1981 to 1986 a good source of information is Government Document Census 1986, Focus on Ethnic Diversity in Canada. This gives many bar graphs, statistical tables and outlines immigration trends.
For example in the Ethnic Diversity in Canada p. 33 (Census 1986 statistics Canada Catalog 98-132 much information on the trends of changing population of British, French and other ethnic groups before and up to 1986 is given. Information about the declining rate of emigration from the United Kingdom to Canada before 1961 to 1986 is outlined. For the decline in the French ethnic group the description gives another reason that being, the declining birth rate evident from the 1986 census. A further example given is that persons of non French and British ethnic origin were youthful in 1986, 37% were under the age of twenty.
This is the conclusion to some of the many examples of how one can further analyse the data given from census matrices.
