Analysis

Description: This discussion paper begins by providing the reasons for why equivalization methods are used. Following this, the square root scale is described and the motivations for using the square root scale are discussed. Third, a series of new tests are conducted to evaluate the efficiency of the square root scale, and these results are discussed in some detail as they reveal many insights. The final section of the paper raises considerations for creating Market Basket Measure (MBM) thresholds for different types of families, such as unattached individuals and those including seniors or persons with disabilities.

The paper also provides an opportunity for the public and stakeholders to share feedback and comments in measuring poverty by different family characteristics in Canada.

Description: This report examines the energy poverty rates using the data from the 2021 Census. It presents the energy poverty rates by various dwelling and household characteristics. It examines the how energy poverty rates change when indirect payments for dwelling energy are estimated and included in the definition.

Description: This research paper examines shelter and transportation costs within census metropolitan areas (CMAs). The paper begins by describing a proposed methodology for delineating urban and suburban sub-regions within CMA Market Basket Measure (MBM) regions. It then presents new shelter and transportation costs based on the new delineations and assesses the extent to which differences in costs between urban and suburban sub-regions differ. The analysis concludes by examining how the new delineations would impact the estimation of poverty rates had they been implemented. This paper also provides an opportunity for the public and stakeholders to provide feedback and comments.

Description: This discussion paper describes considerations for applying the Market Basket Measure (MBM) methodology onto a purely administrative data source. The paper will begin by outlining a rationale for estimating MBM poverty statistics using administrative income data sources. It then explains a proposal for creating annual samples along with the caveats of creating these samples, followed by a brief analysis using the proposed samples. The paper concludes with potential future improvements to the samples and provides the opportunity for reader’s feedback.

Description: This paper provides provisional poverty rates for the 2022 and 2023 reference years using a previously published regression model. The model has been updated to use most recently available data from Distributed Household Economic Accounts (DHEA), the Canadian Income Survey (CIS) and Consumer Price Indexes (CPI).

Description: This article summarizes findings from an upcoming study in American Economic Journal: Applied Economics that compares absolute intergenerational income mobility rates – the fraction of adult children in the population whose income is higher than that earned by their parents at the same age, in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden and Finland. This article also discusses the findings of a pilot study in Measuring Distribution and Mobility of Income and Wealth which examines the impact of parental education on the transmission of income between generations using census data from the Intergenerational Income Database.

Description: This discussion paper addresses options and considerations related to two Market Basket Measure (MBM) research agenda items: (1) Updating the other necessities basket component; and (2) the potential creation of a communication services component in the MBM methodology. It also provides an opportunity for the public and stakeholders to provide feedback and comments on the considerations presented in this paper.

Description: Release published in The Daily – Statistics Canada’s official release bulletin

Description: There is considerable policy interest in engaging hard-to-reach populations in Canada and integrating them into the tax system so they can receive the benefits intended to support them. Using the Longitudinal Immigration Database, this study provides insights into the tax-filing behaviour of newly landed immigrants and their families over time in Canada.

Description: Release published in The Daily – Statistics Canada’s official release bulletin

Description: Release published in The Daily – Statistics Canada’s official release bulletin

Description: Release published in The Daily – Statistics Canada’s official release bulletin

Description: Release published in The Daily – Statistics Canada’s official release bulletin

Description: Release published in The Daily – Statistics Canada’s official release bulletin

Description: Release published in The Daily – Statistics Canada’s official release bulletin

Description: This infographic presents some highlights from the 2022 Canadian Income Survey data.

Description: Canada’s Poverty Reduction Strategy introduced the Official Poverty Line for Canada and a dashboard of 12 indicators to track progress on poverty reduction for Canadians and their households. This infographic presents trend information for Canada's official poverty rate and the associated 12 indicators.

Description: Release published in The Daily – Statistics Canada’s official release bulletin

Description: Release published in The Daily – Statistics Canada’s official release bulletin

Description: Using data from the 2021 Census of Population, this infographic examines the prevalence of low income among persons in one-parent families with an immigrant parent. This infographic explores the prevalence of low income among persons in one-parent families according to the parent’s admission category and racialized group, as well as the presence of young children in the family.

Description:

Since the 2010 Survey of Household Spending redesign, statistics on the annual proportion of households reporting expenditures and the annual average expenditure per reporting household have not been available for many good and service categories. To help fill this data gap for users, a statistical model was developed in order to produce approximations of these statistics. This product consists of data tables and a user guide.

Description:

The Northern Market Basket Measure (MBM-N) is an adaptation of the Market Basket Measure (MBM) that, at present, reflects life and conditions in two of the territories - Yukon and Northwest Territories. As with the MBM, the MBM-N is comprised of five major components: food, clothing, transportation, shelter and other necessities. This discussion paper describes a proposed methodology for the five components found in the MBM-N, as well as its disposable income.

Description:

Statistics Canada has undertaken a broad range of initiatives designed to understand the impacts of COVID-19 on Canadians. This research paper highlights experimental methods designed to measure the impact of the pandemic on month-by-month family income trends of Canadians long before detailed annual statistics become available. The approach integrates weekly earnings available from the Canadian Labour Force Survey (LFS) together with information specific to government transfers including special COVID-19 benefits collected through administrative data sources and imputation. The objective is to shed light on the impact of labour market disruptions on Canadians and their families and the extent to which emergency benefits introduced by the government offset these disruptions. This paper describes the data sources used, estimation strategies employed, initial results, limitations, and potential future developments.

Description:

This study of data from the Distributions of Household Economic Accounts compares households' economic well-being from a macro-economic accounts perspective, as measured by net saving and net worth for each generation when the major income earner for a household in one generation reached the same point in the life cycle as the major income earner for a household in another generation. The study finds that while younger generations have higher disposable income and higher consumption expenditure than older generations when they reached the same age, their net saving is relatively similar. As well, younger generations' economic well-being may be more at risk due to the COVID-19 pandemic since they depend more on employment as a primary source of income, they have higher debt relative to income, and they have less equity in financial and real estate assets from which to draw upon when needed.

Description: As the first goal outlined in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, Canada and other UN member states have committed to end poverty in all its forms everywhere by 2030. This 2020 infographic provides an overview of indicators underlying the first Sustainable Development Goal in support of eradicating poverty, and the statistics and data sources used to monitor and report on this goal in Canada.

Description: As the tenth goal outlined in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, Canada and other UN member states have committed to reduce inequalities within and among countries by 2030. This 2020 infographic provides an overview of indicators underlying the tenth Sustainable Development Goal in support of reduced inequalities, and the statistics and data sources used to monitor and report on this goal in Canada.

Description:

This study uses longitudinal data combining information from the Postsecondary Student Information System (PSIS) with data from personal income tax (T1 Family File) to analyze the impact of short-duration credentials (certificates and diplomas from colleges and universities), completed after an undergraduate degree, on the outcomes on the labour market of graduates from Canadian public universities.

Description:

Based on data from the 2018 Study on International Money Transfers, this study examines the money transfer methods used by immigrants and non-permanent residents to send money to relatives or friends living outside Canada. The target population includes Canadian residents born in official development assistance-eligible countries in 2017, the majority of whom were immigrants from low- and middle-income countries. It first examines differences in sending fees between non-electronic and electronic money transfer methods by region of destination. It also examines the factors associated with the use of EMT methods versus traditional methods.

Description:

This article provides a high level overview of those living in social and affordable housing by painting a portrait of them based on the results of the 2018 CHS. Socio-demographic and household characteristics are examined using housing indicators such as core housing need.

Description:

The Government of Canada offers various financial incentives for parents to save for their children’s postsecondary education by contributing to a Registered Education Savings Plan (RESP). However, RESP participation rates tend to rise substantially with family income, and previous research has demonstrated that family wealth was the single most important reason for this trend (among factors that could be examined). This study explores whether differences in parental literacy, numeracy and financial literacy can further account for some of the gap in RESP participation by level of family income.

Description:

These highlights provide a brief summary of the report " The Value of Words: Literacy and Economic Security in Canada", the latest monograph released using data from the International Adult Literacy Survey. Canada, like many other industrialized countries, is increasingly being forced to face the literacy problem within its own borders. Over the past decade, the issue has become more prominent on the national policy and research agenda. There has been little systematic research in Canada, however, on the relationship between literacy and income security. Using data from the Canadian component of the International Adult Literacy Survey (IALS), this study seeks to fill this research gap. An in-depth exploration of the links between literacy and economic security will build on existing knowledge and will also provide useful insights that will help shape public policy.

Description:

"Generational equity" is a topic that has gradually risen higher and higher on the agenda of governments at all levels. In fact, it is a matter not just for government policy, but a topic that touches many Canadians directly: young and old, parents and grandparents. Canadian policy makers increasingly have to deal with issues associated with the relative status of individuals between successive generations. The reform of public pension programs presents the most obvious example, but there are many other developments that raise the same type of issue. Indeed, the heightened concern over government fiscal policies is due in large part to the readiness of many to view government deficits and debt as a burden on future generations. Generational equity, however, is also a concern of individual Canadians and their families. The allocation of resources between the young and the old within the family is becoming an increasingly important issue for many, especially in light not only of an aging population but also the belief that those just entering the labour force will likely not attain the standard of living to which their parents have become accustomed.

The contributors to this book examine the operation of government taxes and expenditures from a generational perspective. In part the motivation for bringing these essays together is to offer comprehensive and up-to-date information on the age incidence of government finances. This motivation, however, also has to do with the development of a new accounting framework, Generational Accounting, that has gained some currency in many industrialized countries, particularly in the United States. It is a truism to say that good analysis requires good data, and certainly Statistic Canada's central role is to offer high-quality data in support of analysis and decision making. But the opposite is equally true, if not as obvious: good data requires good analysis. That is to say, new analytical frameworks often highlight the need to organize existing data in different ways, as well as the need for the development of new types of data. This is certainly one of several reasons that Statistics Canada has sought to develop a strong analytical capacity, and to maintain strong ties with the research community. This book is meant to contribute to this process by examining Canadian data through the lens of Generational Accounting, and by analyzing some of the issues that arise.

Description:

A quarterly newsletter designed to keep data users and other interested persons broadly informed about the Survey of Labour and Income Dynamics. It provides updates on survey developments and issues as they arise. Every issue also includes a brief description of newly released documents in the SLID research paper series.