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The Social and Economic Environment

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The Social and Economic Environment 13 TheThe socialsocial andand economiceconomic his set of 11 topics describes the environmentenvironment nature of the Canadian Tpopulation in the mid-1990s and recent trends in the composition of society that have an influence on individual and societal well-being. Many of these topics can be considered measures of social health; because this Report is about the health status of individuals, social health is treated here as a determinant. In the case of poverty, unemployment, stress, and violence, the influence on health is direct, negative, and often shocking for a country as wealthy and as highly regarded internationally as Canada. Other indicators described here have a more indirect influ- ence on health: age and family composition, the birth rate, immigration, and school readiness. 14 The social and economic environment This section provides important background The Index of Social Health provides a new detail on population characteristics that serve as summary of the health of Canadian society and how standard classification variables in most of the balance this has changed since 1970 (Topic 11). The index of this Statistical Report: age and sex composition, suggests that quality of life has declined since the early social status as revealed by education and income and, 1980s, even as economic output grew. Since this occasionally, by household type, and province/ followed several years when social health and eco- territory of residence. The aging of Canadian society, nomic output moved in a near-perfect relationship, it disparities in social status, and interprovincial/ suggests that policy choices starting over a decade ago territorial comparisons provide recurring themes that have led to a divergence of the two trends. The impli- underlie the patterns of findings in much of this cation is that a different course in economic and social Report. policy could restore the positive trend in social health. Overview On data sources and gaps Many of the trends revealed in this section are The 1996 Census provides most of the data for this familiar: an aging population (Topic 1) and declining section. The major shortcoming is an absence of a birth rate (Topic 3), a large increase in couples living routinely published measure of income disparity, common law with children (Topic 2) as well as many which has not been updated by Statistics Canada since more children in single-parent families (Topic 2), 1991. As the prime suspect in the disparities of health increased immigration, especially from Asia (Topic 4), that are described in the later sections of this Report, falling real incomes (Topic 6) despite increased labour income disparity is an important part of the policy force participation by women (Topic 7), and puzzle. Perhaps even more revealing would be data on stubbornly high unemployment among youth concentrations of wealth in addition to income, but (Topic 7). such information is simply not available. Statistical Report on the Health of Canadians The social and economic environment 15 1 Population age and sex The bulk of the Canadian population is concen- Introduction trated in Ontario (38%) and Quebec (24%) (Table 1). The characteristics of a population have an inevitable There are three times as many people living in the impact on the social and economic situation of a Prairies and British Columbia (29%) as there are in country. A population’s age and sex composition can the Maritimes and Newfoundland (9%). The vast also affect various aspects of health, including general differences in provincial population size are illustrated fertility rate (Topic 3), the use of health care services by the ratio of the largest (Ontario) to the smallest (Topics 15–29), mortality rates (Topic 82), prevalence (Prince Edward Island), which is 83:1. The territorial of activity limitation (Topics 58 and 59), and chronic populations are even smaller than that of the smallest conditions (Topic 68), among others. province. This topic describes the age and sex composi- From 1991 to 1997, British Columbia had the tion of the Canadian population. highest population growth rate (almost 20%) of all the provinces, which was almost double the 11% growth of Canada as a whole.1,2 Only Newfoundland The Canadian population had a decrease in population, with just under a 1% In 1997, there were just over 30 million people living negative population growth rate from 1991 to 1997.1,2 in Canada, almost equally divided between men and The proportion of the population made up of 1 women (Table 1). From 1971 to 1997, the Canadian the youngest Canadians (age 0–19) decreased from 1,2 population grew by 8.7 million people. approximately 39% in 1971 to 27% in 1996 (Fig. 1b),4 In 1996, the Canadian rate of “dependency” (a illustrating the aging of the “baby boom” generation. standard demographic measure relating population This decrease was more than offset by the increase in age 0–19 and 65+ as a percentage of the total the number of Canadians between the ages of 20 and population) was in the lowest third of the range of 64, from 53% in 1971 to 61% in 1996, as well as an 3 other OECD countries (Fig. 1a). In 1996, one-quarter even greater increase in the population age 65 and (27%) of the population was age 19 and younger, and over — from 8% in 1971 to 12% in 1996. 12% was age 65 and older. The Netherlands, Switzerland, and Japan had the lowest rates of dependency, although theirs were not significantly lower than that of Canada. Ireland had the highest On definitions and methods A complete census of population is conducted every rate of dependency, owing to the large concentration five years in Canada. Population data for intercensal of youth in its population. years are based on estimates by Statistics Canada, derived from the previous census (1996 in the current case) and from data from administrative sources on Differences among groups births, deaths, and migration. There is little gender variation by age in the Canadian These estimates are revised periodically as more population. While there are more women than men in complete data become available for intercensal years. the oldest age groups (65–74 and 75+) as a result of The next census will be in 2001. the longer life expectancy for women (Topic 84), there are virtually equal numbers in all younger age groups (Table 1). Statistical Report on the Health of Canadians 16 The social and economic environment 3. Organisation for Economic Co-operation and References Development. OECD Health Data 98 (CD-ROM). 1. Statistics Canada. 1996 Census: Postcensal population estimates. The Nation Series (CANSIM Matrix 6367). 4. Statistics Canada, Health Statistics Division. Health Indicators, 1999 (Statistics Canada Cat. No. 82-221- 2. Statistics Canada. 1996 Census: Population by age and XCB). sex. The Daily, April 15, 1997 (Statistics Canada Cat. No. 11-001-XIE). See the Statistics Canada Internet site: www.statcan.ca. Figure 1a. Dependency rates,* selected OECD Figure 1b. Proportion of the population, by age, countries, 1996 Canada, 19711996 70 Netherlands 24 13 Switzerland 23 15 Age 20-64 60 Japan 23 15 Canada 50 Finland 25 14 Belgium 24 16 40 Spain 24 16 Age 0-19 Australia 28 12 30 France 26 15 % of population United Kingdom 25 16 20 United States 29 13 Age 65+ Ireland 33 11 10 40 30 20 10 0 5 10 15 20 Age 0-19 Age 65+ 0 Dependency rate (%) 1971 1976 1981 1986 1991 1996 1997 * Population age 0–19 and 65+ as a percentage of the total population. Source: Statistics Canada, Health Statistics Division, Health Indicators, Source: Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, 1999 (Statistics Canada Cat. No. 82-221-XCB). OECD Health Data 98 (CD-ROM). Statistical Report on the Health of Canadians The social and economic environment 17 Table 1. Characteristics of the population, by age and sex and by province/territory and sex, Canada, 1997 Total Male Female Number Number Number (’000) % (’000) % (’000) % Total, all ages 30,287 100 15,000 50 15,287 50 Age 0–4 1,916 6 982 3 934 3 Age 5–9 2,049 7 1,050 3 1,000 3 Age 10–14 2,027 7 1,035 3 992 3 Age 15–17 1,224 4 627 2 597 2 Age 18–19 800 3 410 1 390 1 Age 20–24 2,034 7 1,032 4 1,002 3 Age 25–34 4,767 16 2,409 8 2,359 8 Age 35–44 5,172 17 2,596 9 2,576 9 Age 45–54 3,978 13 1,995 7 1,983 7 Age 55–64 2,593 9 1,281 4 1,312 4 Age 65–74 2,127 7 984 3 1,144 4 Age 75+ 1,598 5 599 2 999 3 Newfoundland 564 2 281 1 282 1 Prince Edward Island 137 0.5 68 0.2 69 0.2 Nova Scotia 948 3 467 2 481 2 New Brunswick 762 3 377 1 383 1 Quebec 7,420 24 3,657 12 3,763 12 Ontario 11,408 38 5,636 19 5,771 19 Manitoba 1,145 4 568 2 577 2 Saskatchewan 1,023 3 508 2 515 2 Alberta 2,847 9 1,432 5 1,415 5 British Columbia 3,933 13 1,954 6 1,980 7 Yukon 32 0.1 16 0.05 15 0.05 Northwest Territories 68 0.2 35 0.1 33 0.1 Source: Statistics Canada, 1996 Census: Postcensal population estimates, The Nation Series (CANSIM Matrix 6367). Statistical Report on the Health of Canadians 18 The social and economic environment 2 Marital status and family composition 1986.5 This decline was largely due to the increase in Introduction common-law and single-parent families.
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