Quality of life indicators by census subdivision
Additional information
How to use this tool
The clickable map allows users to visualize data for six indicators of quality of life across four levels of geography: province/territory, census division, census subdivision, and census metropolitan area, where sufficient data were available.
The levels of geography and quality of life indicators can be selected using the "Layer selection" button in the top right of the map. The user can zoom in or out to change the level of detail. The data are also available in table form below the map.
For example, consider Markham, Ontario: 44.5% of people in the census subdivision of Markham reported high life satisfaction. Zooming out, 45.0% of people in the York census division reported high life satisfaction. Zooming out further to the census metropolitan area, 43.8% of people in Toronto reported high life satisfaction. At the provincial scale, 46.3% of Ontarians reported high life satisfaction.
Data sources
The data used in this dashboard are from the Canadian Social Survey (CSS) (opens in new window), using pooled estimates across 13 waves collected between April 2021 and June 2024. The Canadian Social Survey is a voluntary, cross-sectional, quarterly survey that collects information on well-being, health, time use, confidence in institutions, and other social issues. The target population for the CSS is all non-institutionalized persons aged 15 or older living off-reserve within the 10 provinces of Canada. Exclusions represent fewer than 2% of the Canadian population aged 15 and older. Population-level estimates were determined using survey and bootstrap weights to reflect the underlying population of Canada.
Definitions
High life satisfaction: Proportion of the population who selected 8, 9 or 10 when asked the following question: "Using a scale of 0 to 10, where 0 means "Very dissatisfied" and 10 means "Very satisfied", how do you feel about your life as a whole right now?"
Strong sense of meaning and purpose: Proportion of the population who selected 8, 9 or 10 when asked the following question: "Using a scale of 0 to 10, where 0 means "Not at all" and 10 means "Completely", to what extent do you feel the things you do in your life are worthwhile?"
Always or often has a hopeful outlook: Proportion of the population who selected "Often" or "Always" when asked the following question: "Thinking about your life in general, how often would you say you have a hopeful view of the future?"
Rarely or never feels lonely: Proportion of the population who selected "Rarely" or "Never" when asked the following question: "How often do you feel lonely?"Often or always has someone to count on: Proportion of the population who selected "Often" or "Always" when asked the following question: "How often would you say you have people you can depend on to help you when you really need it?"
Strong sense of belonging to local community: Proportion of the population who selected "Very strong" or "Somewhat strong" when asked the following question: "How would you describe your sense of belonging to your local community?"
Limitations
The percentages of the population reporting positive outcomes for each well-being indicator were based on pooled estimates across multiple waves of the Canadian Social Survey. Different geographic areas were not surveyed equally in every wave of the Canadian Social Survey, therefore well-being indicators in some geographic areas may be more heavily biased toward certain years and seasons than others. Well-being indicators such as life satisfaction have been observed to change from one collection period to the next. There are also potential seasonal influences on how respondents answer survey questions, and these data were not adjusted for seasonality. Survey framing effects can also impact the distribution of responses related to well-being on the Canadian Social Survey. These factors may explain some of the variation across geographic areas.
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