Taking charge: Perceptions of control over life chances - ARCHIVED

This paper uses the 2003 General Social Survey (GSS) to examine the extent to which Canadians aged 15 and over feel a sense of mastery, or responsibility for what happens to them in life. A mastery scale, comprised of seven indicators measuring such elements as the respondent's perceived control over things that happen in life, problem solving capability, feelings of helplessness and the ability to accomplish goals, was used in the analysis. A statistical model was also designed to examine the influence of a number of socio-demographic, family, economic, community and well-being characteristics on the respondent's sense of personal control.