Reduced Quality of Life

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Key messages:

• The pandemic has had unprecedented impacts on Canadians' quality of life, with lowest levels of life satisfaction reported since start of time series in 2003.
• The share of Canadians rating their life satisfaction as 8 or above on a 0 to 10 scale decreased from 72% in 2018 to 40% in June 2020.
• Youth and immigrants experienced largest declines in life satisfaction since the start of the pandemic.
• While declines in quality of life are experienced across the country – some regions have been affected more than others.

The pandemic has had unprecedented impacts on Canadians' quality of life, with lowest levels of life satisfaction reported since start of time series in 2003

Finances, health and social contacts are three pillars of quality of life – all have been impacted by COVID-19.

Since the pandemic, average life satisfaction in Canada declined from 8.1 in 2018 to 6.7 in June 2020 – a drop of 1.4 points on a 0 to 10 scale.

• This is about three-times the size of the decline associated with being unemployed as opposed to employed (in non-pandemic times).

The share of Canadians rating their life satisfaction as 8 or above decreased from 72% in 2018 to 40% in June 2020.

Outcomes are similar in the UK, where life satisfaction has declined by -1.2 points.

Canadians' ratings of their life satisfaction, 2018 and June 2020

Differences observed across vulnerable population groups – youth and immigrants experienced largest declines in life satisfaction

• Since the pandemic, average life satisfaction among youth declined by -1.8 points compared with -1.2 points among older Canadians.
• Before the pandemic, life satisfaction was generally similar among immigrants and the Canadian-born.
• Since the pandemic, average life satisfaction declined more among immigrants from Asia (-1.8 points) and USA/Europe (-1.7 points) than among individuals born in Canada (-1.3 points).
• Average life satisfaction reported by women and men did not differ significantly before or during the pandemic.

Average life satisfaction, by age group, Canada, 2018 and June 2020

Average life satisfaction, by immigration status, Canada 2018 and June 2020

While declines in quality of life are experienced across the country – some regions affected more than others

Declines in average life satisfaction have been smaller in Atlantic Canada and in Manitoba/ Saskatchewan (at -1.1 points) and larger in British Columbia (at -1.5 points).

Initial estimates based on a small set of explanatory variables indicate that about one-third of the decline in life satisfaction in Canada is attributable to an unemployment effect.

Life satisfaction is a valuable umbrella measure for gauging quality of life. Ongoing data collection (e.g. Canadian Perspectives Survey Series) allows quality of life to be monitored through the pandemic.

Average life satisfaction, by province/region, 2018 and June 2020