Ethno-Racial Groups in Toronto, 1971-2001: A Demographic and Socio-Economic Profile Michael Ornstein Institute for Social Research York University January 2006 Acknowledgments I thank Dr. Doug Norris, until recently Director-General of the Social and Demographic Statistics Branch of Statistics Canada, for facilitating access to the Census data on which this Report is based and for much helpful advice. Also at Statistics Canada, I thank Hugues Basque for computer support, and Sylvie Charest for facilitating my visits to Ottawa, and Derrick Thoms for help using the Census datafiles. I thank Anne Oram at the Institute for Social Research at York University for proofreading this manuscript. Disclaimer Any errors in this Report are the responsibility of the author. ISBN 1-55014-450-2 © Michael Ornstein The entire text of this Report (PDF) is at: www.isr.yorku.ca To purchase a printed copy of this Report for $25, please write: [email protected] To reach the author write: [email protected] Index List of Tables ................................................................................................................................. i List of Charts ................................................................................................................................ ii Summary ...................................................................................................................................... iii Introduction .............................................................................................................. 1 1. Identifying Ethno-Racial Groups in the Toronto CMA Using the Canadian Censuses ............................................................................................................. 5 Identifying Ethno-Racial Groups in the 2001 Census ............................................................. 5 The Minimum Size and Number of Ethno-Racial Groups ................................................ 6 Other Persons with a Single Response to the Question about Ancestry ............................ 8 Persons with More than One Ancestry .............................................................................. 8 Combinations of General and Specific Answers ............................................................... 8 Persons with “Canadian” Ancestry .................................................................................... 8 All Other Multiple Responses ............................................................................................ 9 Identifying Ethno-Racial Groups in the 1971 to 1991 Censuses ....................................... 9 Ethno-Racial Group Membership is Not Permanent ....................................................... 10 Global Categories of Ethno-Racial Groups in the Toronto CMA, 1971-2001 ...................... 11 The Changing Ethno-Racial Composition of the Toronto CMA, 1971-2001 ....................... 12 Aboriginal Groups ........................................................................................................... 12 European Groups ............................................................................................................. 12 Arab and West Asian Groups .......................................................................................... 13 South Asian Groups ......................................................................................................... 13 East Asian Groups ........................................................................................................... 14 African Groups ................................................................................................................. 14 Caribbean Groups ............................................................................................................ 15 South and Central American Groups ............................................................................... 15 Ethno-Racial Groups and Membership in Visible Minorities ............................................... 16 Conclusion ............................................................................................................................. 18 2. Demographic Characteristics ............................................................................ 19 Age Distributions ................................................................................................................... 19 Aboriginal Groups ........................................................................................................... 20 European Groups ............................................................................................................. 21 Arab and West Asian Groups .......................................................................................... 21 South Asian Groups ......................................................................................................... 22 East Asian Groups ........................................................................................................... 22 Caribbean Groups ............................................................................................................ 23 South and Central American Groups ............................................................................... 23 Immigration to Canada .......................................................................................................... 23 European Groups ............................................................................................................. 24 Groups from Outside of Europe ....................................................................................... 24 First and Home Languages .................................................................................................... 26 Household Composition of Ethno-Racial Groups ................................................................. 28 Summary and Implications .................................................................................................... 32 3. Education .......................................................................................................... 34 Aboriginal Groups ........................................................................................................... 36 European Groups ............................................................................................................. 37 Arab and West Asian Groups .......................................................................................... 38 South Asian Groups ......................................................................................................... 39 East Asian Groups ........................................................................................................... 40 African Groups ................................................................................................................. 41 Caribbean Groups ............................................................................................................ 42 South and Central American Groups ............................................................................... 43 Conclusion ............................................................................................................................. 44 4. Employment ...................................................................................................... 46 Labour Force Characteristics, Occupations and Employment Income .................................. 48 Aboriginal Groups ........................................................................................................... 48 European Groups ............................................................................................................. 49 Incomes of Non-European Groups .................................................................................. 51 Arab and West Asian Groups .......................................................................................... 51 South Asian Groups ......................................................................................................... 52 East Asian Groups ........................................................................................................... 53 African Groups ................................................................................................................. 54 Caribbean Groups ............................................................................................................ 55 South and Central American Groups ............................................................................... 56 Regression Analysis of Ethno-Racial Differences in Income ............................................... 57 Effects of Age, Education and Immigration .................................................................... 58 Estimated Effects of Ethno-Racial Group Membership on Employment Income ........... 59 Employment Income: 1970-2000 ......................................................................................... 62 Summary and Conclusion ...................................................................................................... 64 5. Family Income and Poverty .............................................................................. 67 Aboriginal Groups ........................................................................................................... 71 European Groups ............................................................................................................