Analysis

This article compares the personal networks of adults aged 25 to 64 living alone with those of adults living in a couple. It provides data on size of networks, frequency of contact and feelings of social loneliness. It also examines the extent to which people living alone are more likely to have personal networks of lower or higher quality than those living in a couple when various factors are taken into account. Data are from the 2008 General Social Survey.

This chapter, entitled Senior Women, provides an overview of the situation of senior women in the population, analyzed from an historical perspective when applicable. We will examine their sociodemographic characteristics, including life expectancy, diversity, and family situation. Various factors are also associated with this population's well-being, such as social life, economic situation and health; we will therefore explore social networks and subjective well-being, volunteering, and the most recent trends in the labour force participation and income of senior women. Finally, we will present the most prevalent chronic health conditions in senior women, their lifestyle habits, the formal and informal care to which they have access, and the causes of death.

This article looks at how Canadian seniors (those aged 65 and older) use the Internet compared with baby boomers (those aged 45 to 64 - the seniors of tomorrow). It examines the closing gap between Internet use rates of seniors and boomers, and describes differences in the types of online activities, as well as in the intensity of Internet use.

The Internet's rapid and profound entry into our lives quite understandably makes people wonder how, both individually and collectively, we have been affected by it. When major shifts in technology use occur, utopian and dystopian views of their impact on society often abound, reflecting their disruptiveness and people's concerns. Given its complex uses, the Internet, both as a technology and as an environment, has had both beneficial and deleterious effects. Above all, though, it has had transformative effects.

Are Canadians becoming more isolated, more reclusive and less integrated in their communities as they use the Internet? Or, are they becoming more participatory and more integrated in their communities? In addition, do these communities still resemble traditional communities, or are they becoming more like social networks than cohesive groups?

To address these questions, this article organizes, analyzes and presents existing Canadian evidence. It uses survey results and research amassed by Statistics Canada and the Connected Lives project in Toronto to explore the role of the Internet in social engagement and the opportunities it represents for Canadians to be active citizens. It finds that Internet users are at least as socially engaged as non-users. They have large networks and frequent interactions with friends and family, although they tend to spend somewhat less in-person time and, of course, more time online. An appreciable number of Internet users are civically and politically engaged, using the Internet to find out about opportunities and make contact with others.

This article compares the personal networks of adults aged 25 to 64 living alone with those of adults living in a couple. It provides data on size of networks, frequency of contact and feelings of social loneliness. It also examines the extent to which people living alone are more likely to have personal networks of lower or higher quality than those living in a couple when various factors are taken into account. Data are from the 2008 General Social Survey.

This chapter, entitled Senior Women, provides an overview of the situation of senior women in the population, analyzed from an historical perspective when applicable. We will examine their sociodemographic characteristics, including life expectancy, diversity, and family situation. Various factors are also associated with this population's well-being, such as social life, economic situation and health; we will therefore explore social networks and subjective well-being, volunteering, and the most recent trends in the labour force participation and income of senior women. Finally, we will present the most prevalent chronic health conditions in senior women, their lifestyle habits, the formal and informal care to which they have access, and the causes of death.

This article looks at how Canadian seniors (those aged 65 and older) use the Internet compared with baby boomers (those aged 45 to 64 - the seniors of tomorrow). It examines the closing gap between Internet use rates of seniors and boomers, and describes differences in the types of online activities, as well as in the intensity of Internet use.

The Internet's rapid and profound entry into our lives quite understandably makes people wonder how, both individually and collectively, we have been affected by it. When major shifts in technology use occur, utopian and dystopian views of their impact on society often abound, reflecting their disruptiveness and people's concerns. Given its complex uses, the Internet, both as a technology and as an environment, has had both beneficial and deleterious effects. Above all, though, it has had transformative effects.

Are Canadians becoming more isolated, more reclusive and less integrated in their communities as they use the Internet? Or, are they becoming more participatory and more integrated in their communities? In addition, do these communities still resemble traditional communities, or are they becoming more like social networks than cohesive groups?

To address these questions, this article organizes, analyzes and presents existing Canadian evidence. It uses survey results and research amassed by Statistics Canada and the Connected Lives project in Toronto to explore the role of the Internet in social engagement and the opportunities it represents for Canadians to be active citizens. It finds that Internet users are at least as socially engaged as non-users. They have large networks and frequent interactions with friends and family, although they tend to spend somewhat less in-person time and, of course, more time online. An appreciable number of Internet users are civically and politically engaged, using the Internet to find out about opportunities and make contact with others.