This is the third survey in the Portrait of Canadian Society Series. The purpose of this survey is to help us better understand how the rising cost of basic needs such as food, transportation and housing is affecting Canadians' spending behaviour and their ability to meet day-to-day expenses.
Your voice counts! Your participation in this survey gives government and other types of organizations the necessary information to plan and deliver services and support to families, during and after the pandemic.
Information from partially completed or unsaved questionnaires may also be retained and used.
For more information, please visit the Portrait of Canadian Society Series page.
Collection period:
Collection methods:
Survey participation:
Confidentiality
Data are collected under the authority of the Statistics Act, Revised Statutes of Canada, 1985, Chapter S-19. Your information will be kept strictly confidential.
Data sharing agreements and record linkage
To enhance the data from this survey and reduce the response burden, Statistics Canada will combine the information you provide with information from the General Social Survey–Social Identity, the Canadian Social Survey–COVID-19 and Well-being and the Survey on COVID-19 and Mental Health.
Topics covered in the survey
The survey asks question about
- the impacts of rising prices
- Canadians' ability to meet day-to-day expenses
- borrowing and saving money
- stress related to financial issues.
Published data
Statistics Canada publishes the results of its surveys in many formats. To find all the documents related to this survey, follow the links below and type the name of the survey in the search engine located at the left of your screen to filter the results.
Data: You will find tables, profiles of a community or region, thematic maps, public use microdata files, and data visualization tools.
Analysis: You will have direct access to Stats in brief (e.g., releases from The Daily, fact sheets), articles and reports, and journals and periodicals.
Survey-specific questions
- What is the survey series Portrait of Canadian Society?
- How and why was I selected?
- What does the project involve?
- Where can I find more information about this project?
- What will the surveys be about?
- How much time will it take me to participate in this project?
- What are the benefits of participating in this project?
- I do not want to participate because I don't have time. Is my participation mandatory?
- How will you safeguard the confidentiality of my information?
What is the survey series Portrait of Canadian Society?
The survey series Portrait of Canadian Society is a new Statistics Canada initiative. It involves asking the same group of participants to complete four brief online surveys over a one-year period.
For now, this is an experimental project which is part of a larger effort to modernize our data collection methods and activities. Thanks to you and all of the people who agree to participate, we will be able to test this new collection method. The goal is to collect important data on Canadian society more efficiently, more rapidly and at a lower cost compared to traditional survey methods.
How and why was I selected?
You recently participated in the General Social Survey on Social Identity (GSS-SI), the Canadian Social Survey–COVID-19 and Well-being or the Survey on COVID-19 and Mental Health. Selecting people who have already participated in a survey simplifies our data collection process. Since we already know basic information, such as your age and sex, we don't need to ask those questions again. Your participation is very important because you represent many other Canadians with characteristics similar to yours.
What does the project involve?
It's very easy to participate in the survey series Portrait of Canadian Society. We will send you an invitation to participate in the first survey by email or text message. Once you receive the invitation, you will be able to complete the questionnaire at your convenience. You will receive an invitation for a new survey approximately every few months, until all four of the surveys are complete. After that, we will no longer contact you for this project, except to provide the survey results to you.
Where can I find more information about this project?
You can find more information about this project at Portrait of Canadian Society.
What will the surveys be about?
The subjects will vary and will touch on current issues. All of the surveys will aim to better understand Canadians' perspectives on societal trends and changes.
How much time will it take me to participate in this project?
Each survey will take a maximum of five to ten minutes to complete. As the surveys are completed online, you will be able to participate at any time that is convenient for you during the collection period.
What are the benefits of participating in this project?
You will be helping us to implement a new method of data collection that will provide information on Canadian society more quickly and cost effectively.
You will also receive your own results after we compile and anonymize all of the data. You will therefore be able to compare your results to the general trends captured by the surveys.
I do not want to participate because I don't have time. Is my participation mandatory?
We would greatly appreciate your cooperation, but participation is not mandatory. Please note, however, that each survey will only take a maximum of five to ten minutes of your time, and you can do it online whenever it is convenient for you.
How will you safeguard the confidentiality of my information?
As with all Statistics Canada surveys, any information provided will remain confidential pursuant to the Statistics Act.
Statistics Canada takes the privacy of Canadians very seriously. Published data can never identify you or your household.
To find out more about the measures in place to safeguard the confidentiality of your information, visit Statistics Canada's Trust Centre.