Canada and the World
Current Events with a Canadian Perspective
Last update
24 February 2011
Quality of Life Declining in Canada
Researchers are finding ways of assessing how well or
poorly people live by looking beyond economic indicators
Mae West once said “I’ve been rich and I’ve been poor. Rich is better.” But, wealth is not the only determinant of happiness or quality of life, although it is frequently tied to numbers such as per capita shares in gross domestic product.
Even economist Simon Kuznets, whose work enabled the development of GDP measurement, once said that, “the welfare of a nation can scarcely be inferred from a measurement of national income as defined by the GDP.”
The Institute of Wellbeing
Affiliated with the University of Waterloo, Ontario, Canada, the Institute of Wellbeing
is one of a number of non-
In assessing livings conditions it says it “takes into account the full range of social, health, environmental, and economic concerns of citizens.”
The Institute’s signature product is The Canadian Index of Wellbeing (CIW). The first report, entitled “How are Canadians Really Doing?” was published in June 2009. It covers three topics, living standards, healthy populations, and community vitality.
Report on Living Standards
According to the CIW, Canadians in general enjoyed a rise in personal disposable
income per capita of 28.8 percent between 1981 and 2008. That said, the already better
off 20 percent of the population improved their living standards with an after-
And, there was “little progress…in reducing poverty” while social safety supports dropped in availability and quality.
Meanwhile, the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce reports that the quality of working
life in Canada is declining. Reporting on the bank’s Job Quality Index, Canadian
Press (November 3, 2009) writes: “CIBC says its job quality index -
There are more part-
Trends in the Health of Canadians
The Canadian Index of Wellbeing points out that Canadians generally have good health and long life expectancies in a world where this is a minority benefit. But that’s not the whole story. There are differences in health quality between social groupings.
More highly educated and wealthy Canadians are less likely to have diabetes and other chronic conditions. As well, all Canadians, regardless of income group, believe the quality of the country’s health care system has declined in recent years.
The report also notes that “health-
Another worrying trend is that there is a decline in the percentage of teenagers reporting excellent or good health.
Measuring Community Vitality
The report is quite positive about the vitality of Canada’s communities. Criteria for measuring in this area include; level of crime, amount of volunteering, experience of discrimination, participation in group activities, and number of close relatives.
Crime statistics have been showing a general decline for several years, which the CIW says is an indicator of stronger community relationships. This is also evidenced in an increase in compassion and support from family and friends.
Future Index of Wellbeing Reports
The Institute of Wellbeing says it intends to issue more reports covering topics such as: education, democratic engagement, arts, culture and recreation, time use, and the environment.
At some point all these individual sectors will be combined to produce a composite index. This will be a single number that will be adjusted on a continuing basis so that Canadians will be able to judge whether the quality of their lives is improving or declining.
© Canada and the World, February 2011
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HOW ARE CANADIANS REALLY DOING?
In December 2009, the Institute of Wellbeing published a report How are Canadians really Doing that looked into the lives of specific groups such as First Nations people and youth.
Some of the findings:
“More and more Canadians are having a hard time making ends meet. Telling indicators include an increasing number of Canadians working for minimum wage, a 42 percent increase in new clients at Credit Canada, and a 20 percent increase in the number of Canadians turning to food banks each month.”
“Median income for First Nations people in Canada falls about $11,000 below that
of the non-
“Young people are also increasingly at risk of low income, partly due to delays in their transition to independence. In fact, the percent of young adults in their 20s who live at home has doubled over the past three decades. Earnings of young adults relative to other earners have also been falling over the past 20 years and young adults are entering employment later than ever before.”
“Canadians [are] caught in a time crunch, struggling to meet the competing demands of: a workplace that can reach out to them 24/7; children and parents who need a supportive environment; and their own needs to refresh body and mind through family time, leisure, and culture activities.”
Former Saskatchewan Premier Roy Romanow
June 2010