Description: The survey measures the assets and debts of families and unattached individuals. The objectives of the survey are: to describe the financial situation of Canadians; to determine the manner in which wealth is distributed among the population; to develop a profile of persons holding different types of assets and debts; to assess future consumption capabilities and potential financial vulnerability; and, to assess the extent to which individuals' current assets will provide them with an income in retirement. Six previous household asset and debt surveys were conducted, between 1955 and 1984. The survey was conducted in 1999; future plans for the survey have not been finalized at this time

Who/what is surveyed: Economic families in selected dwellings in the ten provinces. Detailed questions are asked of persons 15 years and older.

How the data is collected: Personal interviews plus record linkage to administrative data when authorized by the respondent

Geographic detail: Canada, excluding Yukon, the Northwest Territories and Nunavut

Demographic detail: age, sex, marital status, family composition; citizenship, immigration status, mother tongue; education

Information collected:

For each person 15 years and older:

Demographic information:
- age, sex, marital status, family composition (for every person in household)
- citizenship, immigration status, mother tongue
- education

Labour market characteristics:
- current employment
- 1998 employment

Registered Pension Plan (RPP) - Accumulated Value:
- accrued RPP benefits from current and prior employment
- RPP benefits in pay
- RPP credits split following divorce or separation

Income (1998):
- employment earnings
- investment income
- government transfers
- pension income
- total income
- other tax form data (income tax paid, pension adjustment, RPP contributions, and RRSP contributions)

For the economic family as a whole:

Household transfers:
- financial support provided to persons outside the household
- financial support received from persons outside the household

Behaviours and attitudes:
- use of credit
- payment of debts
- method of financing purchases
- bankruptcy, financial assistance

Assets (current value, at time of survey):
- savings and investments (in bank accounts, term deposits, mutual funds, stocks, bonds, RRSPs, RRIFs, RESPs, DPSPs, annuities, etc.)
- property, vehicles, household contents
- equity in business
- life insurance

Debts (amount owing at time of survey):
- mortgages
- credit card balances, charge accounts, and lines of credit
- loans (including student loans)

Sample size: 23,000 dwellings. The unit of observation is the economic family, including unattached individuals, occupying a dwelling.

Reference period: Month of interview; income data is for 1998

Release dates: Release is planned for the fall of 2000.

Response rates: Approximately 75%

What makes the data valuable: The information from this survey will provide the most comprehensive picture of the net worth of Canadians that has been available for over 15 years. This will make it possible to better assess the ability of families and unattached individuals to sustain themselves financially in the event of retirement or unforeseen events such as disability, or unemployment. Because of the large number of demographic information collected by the survey, the results will also help in determining the financial needs of groups such as lone parents, seniors and the disabled.

Products and services:
The results of the survey will be made available through:
1) analytical articles and reports
2) database files such as public-use microdata files
3) standard tabulations, custom retrievals, remote access.

Responsible division: Income Statistics