2002 General Social Survey, Cycle 16

Aging and Social Support: Tables

This report presents a brief overview of the information collected in Cycle 16 of the General Social Survey (GSS), “Aging and Social Support.” For a detailed analysis, please see Caring for an aging society (Catalogue no. 89-582-XIE).

The General Social Survey has two principal objectives: first, to gather data on social trends in order to monitor changes in Canadian society over time, and second, to provide information on specific social issues of current or emerging interest. The main objective of the 2002 GSS was to provide data on the aging population. The survey will allow detailed analysis of characteristics of family and friends who provide care to seniors, characteristics of seniors receiving informal and formal care; links to broader determinants of health (such as income, education and social networks); and people’s retirement plans and experiences.

This is the second time that the GSS has collected information on social support. Data from the 1996 GSS on “Social and Community Support” focused on caregiving and receiving for the entire population. The 2002 GSS is the first time Statistics Canada has devoted an entire survey to the collection of detailed information on care provided to people aged 65 years and over.

The target population included all people 45 and over, except residents of the Yukon, Nunavut and the Northwest Territories. Data was collected each month from February to December 2002. Over this period, a total of 24,870 people were successfully interviewed, yielding a response rate of greater than 86%. For further information on methods and data quality, please refer to the section at the end of the report.