Moving moments: Social progression in Canada over time

Released: 2026-04-09

Released today, the third special edition issue of Insights on Canadian Society highlights recent trends in Canadian society across key well-being domains, including financial well-being, health, and demographics.

Financial challenges affect life experiences and decisions across generations

Over the past few years, many Canadians have found themselves facing greater financial difficulty. Based on Canadian Social Survey data collected from summer 2021 to spring 2025, a new study, "Stretching the loonie: A time series analysis of financial difficulty and quality of life," found that younger adults aged 25 to 44 years were more likely to report that they experienced financial difficulty (37%) compared to adults aged 65 years and older (21%). As well, younger adults who experienced financial difficulty were less likely than older adults to report high life satisfaction and hope for the future—both key well-being indicators.

These findings are important, because financial factors can play a role in the retirement decisions of Canadians. The study "Retirement and post-retirement employment among older Canadians," based on data from the Labour Force Survey and the Survey of Financial Security, finds that a rising number of Canadian retirees aged 55 years and older returned to work after retirement (increasing from 7% of retirees in 2019 to 10% in 2023). The study finds that in addition to factors such as education, family debt is associated with a higher probability of working after retirement.

Chart 1 
Proportion of retired Canadians aged 55 and older who were working after retirement, selected years, 2005 to 2023

While financial challenges can drive life decisions and affect well-being, some decisions, such as pursuing higher education, reduce the likelihood of being in persistent low income. For example, the gap between the percentage of men (7%) and women (10%) who persistently fell under the low-income measure was 3 percentage points overall—but this gender gap was much wider among men and women without a high school diploma (9 percentage points) than among those with a university degree (less than 1 percentage point). These findings are summarized in a new StatsCAN Plus article, "Education helps reduce the risk of low income—especially among vulnerable groups," which uses longitudinal data to examine the low-income dynamics of vulnerable groups across several years, from 2016 to 2022.

Health behaviours and risks are evolving over time

Another facet of well-being is the connection between health and health behaviours. An increasing trend toward lower consumption of alcohol may reflect broader shifts in physical health behaviours, primarily among younger Canadians. The study "Changes in alcohol consumption from 2015 to 2024," based on data from the Canadian Community Health Survey (CCHS) and the Canadian Health Survey on Children and Youth, found that in 2015, four in five (80%) adults aged 18 and older who drank alcohol in the previous year reported doing so at least once a month. This proportion fell to 73% in 2024, and the decline was mainly driven by people aged 18 to 34.

Meanwhile, the growing prevalence of obesity signals other changes to the physical health of Canadians. The infographic, "Weight change over time and obesity in Canada," draws on data from the Canadian Health Measures Survey and the CCHS to explore trends in Canadians' weight over time, as well as how obesity may impact health. Findings indicate that over the past few decades, obesity has become more prevalent in Canada. This can be a signal for concern as the odds of having a chronic health condition increase the longer someone has obesity.

Beyond physical health, the podcast episode, "Canada's Happiness Crisis (And Why It's Not All Doom and Gloom)," discusses the importance of measuring quality of life and happiness, how they are measured, and how indicators that track well-being can be used to help policymakers navigate these periods of change.

The demographic landscape of Canada is shaped by evolving identities

Another well-being signal among younger Canadians can be seen in the intentions to have children, which show recent signs of change. A new study using Canadian Social Survey data, "Making plans for the future: Canadians' intentions to have biological children," noted that in 2024, nearly two-thirds (64%) of Canadians aged 15 to 24 years said they wanted at least one, or another, child—up from 53% in 2021, and the largest increase among age groups.

Beyond natural demographic changes, the identity of people in Canada continues to evolve. Using linked data from the Census of Population, the article "Response mobility to Indigenous identification questions in Canada, 2016 to 2021," examines the prevalence of response mobility among the Indigenous population—which refers to how individuals respond to a self-identification question about their Indigenous identity. The article also explores how response mobility may impact certain socioeconomic and demographic trends among Indigenous people.

Products

The issue titled "Special edition, issue 3—Moving moments: Social progression in Canada over time" is now available in Insights on Canadian Society (Catalogue number75-006-X).

Contact information

For more information, or to enquire about the concepts, methods or data quality of this release, contact us (toll-free 1-800-263-1136; 514-283-8300; infostats@statcan.gc.ca) or Media Relations (statcan.mediahotline-ligneinfomedias.statcan@statcan.gc.ca).