Overview
The Canadian Index of Wellbeing (CIW) has launched its 3rd national report: How are Canadians Really doing? Examining eight domains of wellbeing from 1994 to 2014, the report concludes:
There is a massive gap between Canadians’ wellbeing and GDP, and it has continued to grow since the 2008 recession. While the recession dealt a short term blow to the economy, it stole our leisure time, our volunteer time, our living standards, even our sleep – and we never got these things we value, back.
Based in the Faculty of Applied Health Sciences at the University of Waterloo, the CIW tracks 64 indicators from 1994 to 2014 to provide a comprehensive analysis of what Canadians have told us is of vital importance to their quality of life. While economic data are part of the index to capture changes in living standards, the CIW also reports on fluctuations in community vitality, democratic engagement, leisure and culture, education, environment, healthy populations and time use to measure what matters most to Canadians.
Report findings include:
- Living standards rose 23% from 1994 until the 2008 recession, then plummeted almost 11%. More Canadians experience food and housing insecurity and employment is more precarious.
- Leisure and Culture is down more than 9%. In 2014, household spending on culture and recreation was at its lowest point since 1994. Canadians are spending less time away on vacation and participating or volunteering in leisure and cultural activities.
- The environment domain declined by 2.9%.
- Time crunch remains an ongoing challenge. We are spending almost 30% less time with our friends. Commute times are longer and only 35% of us are getting enough sleep.
- Life expectancy is up and ratings for mental health are slightly better, but Canadians’ overall health ratings are worse.
- Education is the only domain to keep pace with GDP. Nine out of 10 students now complete high school; but tuition fees and access to regulated child-care spaces remain important challenges.
- Community Vitality is strong but volunteering fell by 15% after the recession.
- Although voter turnout increased recently, barely one-third of Canadians in 2014 expressed a high degree of confidence in Parliament – down 14 per cent since 2003.
See page 21 of the report for findings on child care in Canada including that there are only child care spaces to cover one in four children in regulated centre-based care.