New report on well-being in Canada co-authored by staff from Statistics Canada and the Vanier Institute.
April 15, 2021
As spring continues to bring warmer weather across Canada, days are longer, people are getting outside more, and families are finding opportunities to engage in activities that enhance their individual and collective well‑being.
Since the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Vanier Institute of the Family has worked closely with leading organizations from across the country, conducting surveys and gathering data to learn about how families are feeling, what they are doing and what they are thinking about the future.
Today, Statistics Canada released Canadians’ Well-being in Year One of the Pandemic, a report co-authored with Nora Spinks and Russell Mann of the Vanier Institute, which explores well-being through a family lens and the diverse impacts of the pandemic on families.
- Family financial well-being has been mixed during COVID. Some families have experienced a dramatic change to their income and a drop in their savings, while others have been saving and paying down debt more than before COVID.
- COVID-19 has magnified the importance of technology as an increasingly important element for well-being. Access to broadband, stable Wi-Fi and personal devices provide connections to work, school, friends and family. Without access to reliable technological resources some families are further disadvantaged and more vulnerable.
- While home schooling and lack of child care has been a challenge for many parents, early-pandemic evidence showed strengthened child-parent bonds in some families.
- Family well-being has been impacted by stress and strain related to life during COVID. Survey data show a decline in those reporting excellent/very good mental health, while many report no major change.
- The pandemic has highlighted the power of nature in coping, managing stress and feeling less isolated and the importance of access to natural environments.
In addition to providing a wealth of data and insights, the report highlights the complex and multifaceted nature of well-being and the importance of connections between people’s employment, technology, the environment, their mental health and their FAMILY.
This report builds on the Vanier Institute’s ongoing research into family well-being and coincides with the launch of the second cycle of two targeted surveys, the Veteran Families Survey and the Family Therapists Survey.
The full report is available at the Statistics Canada website.
Learn more about COVID-19 IMPACTS.
