How LSIA Data was Collected
Introduction
Data for the LSIA 1 and LSIA 2 was collected by means of in-depth personal interviews. Those interviewed were the Primary Applicant and, where applicable, the Migrating Unit Spouse.
Questions asked at the interviews came from a written questionnaire. The Migrating Unit Spouse questionnaire contained a subset of the questions asked of the Primary Applicant.
See: LSIA Questionnaires
Data for wave 1 of the LSIA 3 was collected using a written questionnaire, which the respondent completed and mailed back. For wave 2, information was collected using computer assisted telephone interviewing. Details of these questionnaires is available.
See: LSIA Questionnaires
Data collection waves
Each Primary Applicant (and where applicable the migrating unit spouse) was interviewed a number of times. Each interview was part of a data collection wave.
For LSIA 1 there were three data collection waves:
- Wave 1 covered the period prior to arrival and (approximately) the first six months since migration.
- Wave 2 covered the period six to 18 months after migration
- Wave 3 covered the period 18 to 42 months after migration
For LSIA 2 there have been two data collection waves:
- Wave 1 covered the period prior to arrival and (approximately) the first six months since migration
- Wave 2 covered the period six to 18 months after migration
For LSIA 3 two data collection waves have been competed:
- Wave 1 covered the period prior to arrival and the first six months since arriving from offshore or being granted an onshore visa
- Wave 2 covered the period six to 18 months since offshore arrival/grant of onshore visa
There is also a third wave planned to cover the period 18 to 42 months since offshore arrival/grant of onshore visa
The dates of these collection waves are as follows:
| Data Collection Wave | Date |
|---|---|
| LSIA 1 - Wave 1 | March 1994 to December 1995 |
| LSIA 1 - Wave 2 | March 1995 to February 1997 |
| LSIA 1 - Wave 3 | March 1997 to February 1999 |
| LSIA 2 - Wave 1 | March 2000 to January 2001 |
| LSIA 2 - Wave 2 | April 2001 to March 2002 |
| LSIA 3 – Wave 1 | August 2005 to October 2005 |
| LSIA 3 – Wave 2 | August 2006 to October 2006 |
| LSIA 3 – Wave 3 (proposed) | August 2008 to October 2008 |
Interviewing in languages other than English
More than 40% of LSIA 1 and LSIA 2 interviews were conducted in languages other than English. The use of over 50 languages by respondents led to a mix of interpreting methods during interviews. Of these, more than half were conducted with the assistance of friends or members of the respondent's family. The remaining non-English interviews were conducted with the assistance of an accredited interpreter or through a bilingual interviewer.
With wave 1 of the LSIA 3, persons who had difficulty with English were able to gain access to an interpreter by contacting a toll free number. For wave 2 of the LSIA 3, wave 1 information was used to identify people who had difficulty with English. Bilingual phone interviews with these people were then conducted.