Household spending and savings

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Key indicators

Selected geographical area: Canada

Average annual spending on goods and services per household - Canada
(2021)

$67,126
Median net worth of Canadian families - Canada
(2019)

$329,900

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All (81)

All (81) (30 to 40 of 81 results)

31. Consumer Price Inflation by Frequency of Purchase Archived
Articles and reports: 11-621-M2010084
Geography: Canada
Description:
This special study analyses price movements using three groupings of the CPI items based on frequency of purchase (frequent purchases, non-frequent purchases and contractual purchases), to provide a better understanding of the sources of consumer inflation and to help shed light on people's perception of inflation.
Release date: 2010-06-09
32. Changes in family wealth Archived
Articles and reports: 75-001-X200810613212
Geography: Canada
Description:
Buoyed by rising incomes coupled with stable inflation and low interest rates, Canadians went on a spending spree between 1999 and 2005. However, much of the increased spending was financed through credit, as the personal savings rate slumped and per capita debt jumped. This paper divides families into seven cohorts, based on the year of birth of the major income recipient, and compares family assets and debts in 2005 with the situation in 1999 to provide a rough life-cycle portrait of Canadian families.
Release date: 2008-09-24
33. Retail Trade: How the Provinces Fared in 2007 Archived
Articles and reports: 11-621-M2008071
Geography: Canada, Province or territory
Description:
Using data from the monthly Retail Trade Survey this study examines the sales for the year 2007. This annual review describes sales growth and trends by trade groups such as new motor vehicle dealers, supermarkets and general merchandise stores. This study focuses on provincial sales.
Release date: 2008-05-26
34. The Dynamics of Housing Affordability Archived
Articles and reports: 75F0002M2008001
Description:
Shelter is the biggest expenditure most households make and its affordability can have an impact on the wellbeing of household members. For this reason, housing affordability is closely watched by a wide range of stakeholders - from housing advocates to policy analysts - interested in the welfare of Canadians. Measuring affordability involves comparing housing costs to a household's ability to meet them. One common measure is the shelter-cost-to-income-ratio (STIR). The 30% level is commonly accepted as the upper limit for affordable housing. Housing affordability is also a critical input to Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation's core housing need indicator which is used by governments to help design, deliver, fund and evaluate social housing programs. This report, jointly authored by Statistics Canada and CMHC, focuses purely on the dynamics of housing affordability, not on core housing need. It examines the likelihood of spending 30% or more of household income on shelter, how often this occurs, whether it is occasional or persistent, and contrasts those spending 30% or more to those spending less. Cross-sectional estimates indicate that around 19% of Canadians lived in households spending more than the affordability benchmark in 2002. Longitudinally however, less than 9% lived in households that spent above the benchmark in each year between 2002 and 2004, while another 19% lived in households spending above the benchmark for either one or two years. The attributes associated with the highest probabilities of living in a household spending above the affordability benchmark were: living alone, being a female lone parent, renting, being an immigrant, or living in Vancouver or Toronto. In addition, those living in households experiencing some kind of transition between 2002 and 2004 period had a higher probability of exceeding the benchmark at least once during the period. Such transitions included renters with a change in rent-subsidy status, those who changed from owner to renter or vice versa, those who changed family type (for example, marrying or divorcing), and those who moved between cities. Notably, those experiencing these transitions did not exceed the benchmark persistently.
Release date: 2008-01-25
35. Spending patterns in Canada and the U.S. Archived
Articles and reports: 75-001-X200710913195
Geography: Canada
Description:
In addition to sharing a border, Canada and the United States share many demographic and economic characteristics. Both countries have aging populations and low unemployment rates. Consumer spending has also been similar, although differences exist in certain areas. A comparison of spending patterns in Canada and the U.S. between the early 1980s and 2003.
Release date: 2007-12-19
36. Blowing up a storm - snowblowers in Canada Archived
Articles and reports: 16-002-X200700310456
Geography: Canada, Province or territory, Census metropolitan area
Description:
Snowblower ownership is affected by a variety of socio-economic, cultural and climatic factors. This article shows household ownership of gas-powered snowblowers in 2006, by province, using data from the Households and the Environment Survey. It also presents data on snowblower ownership in certain cities, juxtaposed with data on average snowfall.
Release date: 2007-12-10
37. Canada's top online spenders: Who are they and what are they buying? Archived
Articles and reports: 88-003-X20070019624
Geography: Canada
Description:
The Internet has changed the way many Canadians conduct their everyday activities, from viewing weather, news and sports to banking and paying bills. It has also changed the way many shop. In 2005, Canadians placed almost 50 million online orders valued at $7.9 billion. However, many of these orders were made by a relatively small group of people. In fact, Canada's top online spenders represented fewer than 7% of adult Canadians and accounted for three-quarters of total online expenditures to consumers. Who are these Canadians and what are they buying?
Release date: 2007-05-10
38. What Canadian households spend on culture goods and services Archived
Articles and reports: 87-004-X20030049503
Geography: Canada
Description:
Using data from the Survey of Household Spending (SHS), this article explores household spending on culture goods and services over a five year period, from 1999 to 2004, and examines differences in average spending by household type.
Release date: 2006-11-02
39. Consumer demand for entertainment services outside the home Archived
Articles and reports: 63-018-X20060029223
Description:
In recent years, while Canadians have spent more on entertainment at home, there has concurrently been an increase in demand for entertainment outside the home. The entertainment services outside the home discussed in this article include attendance at movie theatres, performing arts and spectator sports events and admissions to heritage institutions. This shift in preferences along with growth in incomes, population and prices caused the consumer market for entertainment services to expand from $2.3 billion in 1998 to $3.2 billion in 2003, an increase of 41%.
Based primarily on Survey of Household Spending data from 1998 and 2003, this article examines changes over the five year period in household spending on entertainment services. In particular, it investigates how spending changed in each province and for some household types and each household income quintile. It also looks at how the performance of entertainment services providers may have been affected by such changes. As the entertainment services market grows, the providers of these services face the challenge of retaining existing customers and attracting new ones. Knowing how consumer characteristics such as income, type of household and geographical location affect entertainment spending can enable suppliers to better provide and market their services.
Release date: 2006-06-27
40. Out-of-pocket spending on prescription drugs Archived
Articles and reports: 75-001-X200510913149
Geography: Canada
Description:
While spending on prescription drugs still constitutes less than 1% of the overall household budget, the average expenditure rose 71% between 1992 and 2002. Lack of universal coverage for prescription drugs could adversely affect seniors on fixed incomes and people with specific medical conditions. Spending is most affected by province of residence.
Release date: 2005-12-22

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Analysis (81)

Analysis (81) (60 to 70 of 81 results)

61. The facts on Internet shopping from home Archived
Articles and reports: 88-003-X20010025758
Geography: Canada
Description:
Consumers can browse the Web for purchasing ideas, to place orders and even pay for purchases over the Internet. Canadians have started doing so. Statistics Canada has been monitoring household Internet use for some time. With e-commerce as an emerging phenomenon, the 1999 Household Internet use survey (HIUS) collected detailed information on Internet shopping for the first time.
Release date: 2001-05-02
62. Canada benefitting from cruising boom Archived
Articles and reports: 87-003-X20010025635
Geography: Canada
Description:
They are becoming the new highways for international tourism traffic to Canada - cruise ships sailing the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans are bringing international visitors to Canada in unprecedented numbers.
Release date: 2001-04-24
63. 100 years of income and expenditures Archived
Articles and reports: 11-008-X20000035386
Geography: Canada
Description:
This article looks at Canadians' incomes and expeditures in the 20th century.
Release date: 2000-12-12
64. Household spending on health care Archived
Articles and reports: 82-003-X20000015302
Geography: Canada
Description:
This article examines changes in household spending on health care between 1978 and 1998. It also provides a detailed look at household spending on health care in 1998.
Release date: 2000-10-20
65. Pension Coverage and Retirement Savings of Young and Prime-aged Workers in Canada: 1986-1997 Archived
Articles and reports: 75F0002M2000009
Description:
This paper provides data from several household surveys to document how pension coverage of young and prime-aged workers has evolved in Canada between the mid-1980s and the mid-1990s.
Release date: 2000-10-05
66. Incentive Effect on Response Rates for the 1997 Canadian Survey of Household Spending Archived
Articles and reports: 62F0026M2000004
Description:
The Survey of Household Spending (SHS), which replaced the periodic Family Expenditure Survey (FAMEX) in 1997, is an annual survey that collects detailed expenditure information from households for a given calendar year. Due to the heavy response burden placed on respondents of this survey, it was decided for the 1997 survey to perform a test of incentive effect on response rates. Two incentives were used: a one-year subscription to the Statistics Canada publication Canadian Social Trends and a telephone calling card. The response rate data was analysed using Fisher's exact test and some non-parametric methods. After controlling for a discovered interviewer assignment effect, it was found that there was some evidence of a telephone card effect in the western and eastern most regions of Canada, while there was no evidence of any effect for the magazine. These findings were somewhat corroborated by a separate study testing effects of incentives on respondent relations. All these results will be discussed in this paper.
Release date: 2000-08-31
67. Saving for retirement: RRSPs and RPPs Archived
Articles and reports: 75-001-X19990024602
Geography: Canada
Description:
The two principal tax-assisted vehicles for retirement income planning in Canada are registered retirement savings plans (RRSPs) and employer-sponsored registered pension plans (RPPs). Using 1996 tax data, this study compares various groups of workers and their retirement saving patterns.
Release date: 1999-06-09
68. The gambling industry: raising the stakes Archived
Articles and reports: 63-016-X19980044488
Geography: Canada
Description:
This article presents an updated statistical portrait of the gambling industry in Canada. It examines economic output, jobs and government revenue, and provides provincial comparisons.
Release date: 1999-04-15
69. Rural and Urban Household Expenditure Patterns for 1996 Archived
Articles and reports: 21-006-X1998004
Geography: Canada
Description:
A defining feature of rural populations is that they are distant from major metropolitan centres. Thus, households in rural areas have different needs than those in urban areas and, therefore, different spending patterns. In 1996, the total expenditure of an average Canadian household was $49,054. Rural households spent an average of $42,620 while urban households had an average spending of $50,283. This article gives an overview of the differences and similarities in the spending patterns of rural and urban households.
Release date: 1999-03-30
70. "Can I Help You?": The Rise in Household Spending on Services Archived
Articles and reports: 63F0002X1999021
Description:
Consumer expenditures by households are increasingly a driving force behind economic growth, and are affected by several factors. Consumer tastes can shift over time, as new commodities are introduced and others become outdated. Changes in the demographic, economic and social characteristics of consumers can also affect consumer preferences, as can shifts in the relative prices, utilities and quality levels of various goods and services.
Based on Family Expenditure Survey data for both 1986 and 1996, this study examines how the household consumption of services has shifted over the past decade. Particular attention is paid to spending on: communications services; finance and real estate services; food and beverage services; traveler accommodation services; amusement and recreation services; and personal and household services. Insights are also provided on why household spending patterns for specific service commodities have changed from 1986 to 1996.
Release date: 1999-01-28

Reference (1)

Reference (1) ((1 result))

1. User Guide for the Survey of Household Spending, 2021
Surveys and statistical programs – Documentation: 62F0026M2023001
Description: This guide presents information of interest to users of data from the Survey of Household Spending (SHS). It includes descriptions of the survey terms and variables definitions as well as of the survey methodology and data quality. The guide also includes a section describing various examples of estimates that can be drawn from the survey data.
Release date: 2023-10-18

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Date modified:: 2024-06-28