The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Canadian families and children

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Release date: July 9, 2020
COVID-19: A data perspective More information PDF version
Infographic: The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Canadian families and children
Description: The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Canadian families and children

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Canadian families and children

We asked Canadians what it is like to be a parent during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Here are some of the participants’ responses:

Screen time, reading and physical activity were the most popular activities

Percentage of participants who said that their children engaged in selected activities at home daily or almost every day


Table 1
Table summary
This table displays the results of Table 1 Percent (appearing as column headers).
Percent
Screen time 89
Reading books or stories 62
Physical activities 61
Games 23
Music, drama or visual arts 21
Developing other skills 18

Parents’ top concerns were children’s opportunities to socialize with friends and balancing child care, schooling and work

Percentage of participants who were very or extremely concerned about their children’s…


Table 2
Table summary
This table displays the results of Table 2 Percent (appearing as column headers).
Percent
Opportunities to socialize with friends 71
Amount of screen time 64
Loneliness or isolation 54
General mental health 46
School year and academic success 40

Percentage of participants who were very or extremely concerned for their families in terms of…


Table 3
Table summary
This table displays the results of Table 3 Percent (appearing as column headers).
Percent
Balancing child care, schooling and work 74
Managing their child's or children's behaviours, stress levels, anxiety and emotions 61
Having less patience, raising their voice, or scolding or yelling at their children 46
Staying connected with family or friends 43
Getting along and supporting each other 37
Feeling lonely in their own home 30

Parents of young school-aged children were the most likely to be very or extremely concerned about balancing child care, schooling and work


Table 4
Table summary
This table displays the results of Table 4 Percent (appearing as column headers).
Percent
Preschool-aged children only 70
School-aged children aged 4 to 11 80
School-aged children aged 12 to 14 55
Children of various ages 76

For more information, please check out the Daily article: https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/daily-quotidien/200709/dq200709a-eng.htm.

Source: Statistics Canada, Impacts of COVID-19 on Canadians: Parenting During the Pandemic: Data Collection Series, June 2020.

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Published by authority of the Minister responsible for Statistics Canada.

© Her Majesty the Queen in Right of Canada as represented by the Minister of Industry, 2020

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