Insights on Canadian Society

Experiences of Canadians with long-term symptoms following COVID-19

by Sianne Kuang, Steven Earl, Janine Clarke, Dianne Zakaria, Alain Demers, and Samina Aziz

Release date: December 8, 2023

This study uses data from the Canadian COVID-19 Antibody and Health Survey to describe the current COVID-19 landscape, including infection, reinfection, and acute and long-term symptoms. This study also examines how peoples’ experiences with the virus have evolved in the context of growing immunity, emerging variants, new treatments, and relaxation of public health measures.

Self-employment among women in Canada

by Sharanjit Uppal

Release date: December 4, 2023

This study uses historical data from the Labour Force Survey, from 1976 to 2022, to provide a profile of self-employment among women in Canada; looking at changes in the self-employment rate, type of self-employment and the top occupations among the self-employed. It also uses data from the 2001 and 2021 Censuses of Population to profile self-employment among various population groups.

Food insecurity among Canadian families

by Sharanjit Uppal

Release date: November 14, 2023

This study examines the relationship between income and food insecurity, looking at families most at risk, as well as the possible role of assets and debts in food insecurity.

Postsecondary educational attainment and labour market outcomes among Indigenous peoples in Canada, findings from the 2021 Census

by Alexandria Melvin

Release date: October 27, 2023

This article uses data from the 2021 Census of Population to report on postsecondary educational attainment among Indigenous adults aged 25 to 64 years, including changes in educational attainment since 2016. This article also describes labour market outcomes among Indigenous adults and highlights outcomes for those with higher levels of education.

Mental disorders and access to mental health care

by Ellen Stephenson

Release date: September 22, 2023

Using data from the 2022 Mental Health and Access to Care Survey, this article provides updated prevalence estimates for some of the most common mental disorders, including mood, anxiety, and substance use disorders. These results are compared to those from the previous 2012 and 2002 Canadian Community Health Survey – Mental Health cycles. This article also describes some key aspects of mental health care services in Canada.

Dwelling satisfaction among older adults: Dwelling characteristics and their influence on satisfaction

by Stephanie Cheng

Release date: September 7, 2023

Using the 2021 Canadian Housing Survey, this study examines dwelling satisfaction as a key indicator of housing needs for older adults aged 55 years and older. It explores the associations between overall dwelling satisfaction and various dwelling characteristics, including tenure type, dwelling type, and specific dwelling aspects.

Education and earnings of Canadian-born Black populations

by Katherine Wall and Shane Wood

Release date: August 22, 2023

This study uses the 2021 Census to describe the educational attainment and earnings of the Canadian-born Black population, focusing on three groups: 1) those with at least one African-born parent (African-origin); 2) those with at least one Caribbean-born parent (Caribbean-origin) and 3) those whose parents were both born in Canada (Canadian-origin). Comparisons are drawn with the non-racialized, non-Indigenous population, both second generation and third generation or more. The study provides a descriptive analysis of the demographic and educational characteristics of the three Canadian-born Black populations, followed by a regression analysis examining factors affecting earnings, including educational attainment, job characteristics, and other factors.

Quality of employment and labour market dynamics of health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic

by Anthony J. Blackwell

Release date: August 10, 2023

Using new data from the Labour Force Survey, this article explores how the COVID-19 pandemic and increasing levels of unmet labour demand in the health care industry have affected the health care labour force. Specifically, this article looks at various aspects of employment quality among health care workers, including absences, overtime and wages, and changes in work quality over the course of the pandemic. The article proceeds to explore how these changing job characteristics affected health care workers and their likelihood to leave their current positions.

Non-permanent residents in Canada: Portrait of a growing population from the 2021 Census

by Catherine Tuey and Nicolas Bastien

Release date: June 20, 2023

Using data from the 2021 Census, this article provides a portrait of non-permanent residents living in Canada. More specifically, this article takes a closer look at the socio-demographic picture of non-permanent residents, such as age, place of residence, place of birth, living arrangements, education and occupation. The article also examine information on the non-permanent resident type and report on those who came to Canada to work, study or seek refugee protection.

An examination of gender differences in social and democratic values in Canada

by Mandana Mardare Amini

Release date: May 30, 2023

Using data from the General Social Survey –Social Identity– this study examines Canadians’ agreement with values that are often seen as shared by the Canadian population such as human rights, respect for the law, gender equality, English and French as Canada’s official languages, ethnic and cultural diversity, and respect for Indigenous cultures. Specific attention is given to gender differences in personal beliefs.

Women living in subsidized housing in Canada

by Farhana Khanam

Release date: April 11, 2023

In Canada, the need for suitable and affordable housing has been recognized as critically important by all levels of government. More recently, the social challenges directly and indirectly related to the COVID-19 pandemic, including lockdown measures, fluctuations in the housing market, impacts on the labour market, and obstacles to finding alternate housing, could all affect the ongoing demand for subsidized housing.

Using data primarily from the 2021 Canadian Housing Survey, this study applies a gender lens to examine the characteristics of Canadians living in subsidized housing. It examines the experiences of renters in subsidized housing and their satisfaction with their dwelling and neighbourhood, drawing comparisons with their counterparts living in non-subsidized rental housing.

Online harms faced by youth and young adults: The prevalence and nature of cybervictimization

by Darcy Hango

Release date: February 21, 2023

Using multiple surveys, this article examines cyberbullying and cybervictimization among Canadian youth and young adults aged 12 to 29. With rates of online and social media use being high among young people, there is an increased risk of online forms of bullying and victimization. This paper examines the prevalence of cyberbullying and cybervictimization among young people, with a focus on identifying the at-risk populations, behaviours related to prevalence, such as internet and smart phone usage, and the association of online victimization with other forms of victimization, such as fraud and assault.

Rising prices and the impact on the most financially vulnerable: A profile of those in the bottom family income quintile

by Sharanjit Uppal

Release date: February 8, 2023

This study uses the 2022 Portrait of Canadian Society Survey to examine the impact of rising inflation on the lowest income Canadians. Using multiple pre-pandemic data sources, the study also takes a closer look at people living in the bottom income quintile, examining their family income, debt and assets levels, as well as some indicators of economic hardship.

Early career job quality of racialized Canadian graduates with a bachelor’s degree, 2014 to 2017 cohorts

by Diane Galarneau, Sylvie Brunet and Liliana Corak

Release date: January 18, 2023

Racialized Canadians are generally more likely than their non-racialized, non-Indigenous counterparts to pursue a university-level education. Despite this, their labour market outcomes are often less favourable. Using data from the integrated file of the Postsecondary Student Information System, the 2016 Census and the T1 Family File, this article compares the employment earnings, unionization rate and pension plan coverage rate of racialized graduates with a bachelor’s degree with those of non-racialized, non-Indigenous graduates, two years after graduation.

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