Whether it’s a friend, a family member or even a stranger, having someone we can depend on when we need it contributes to our sense of belonging and overall well-being. That is, people who say they have someone to count on are more likely to report a strong sense of belonging to their local community, high life satisfaction, and positive self-rated general and mental health.
Fortunately, the majority of Canadians say they have someone to count on. From January to March 2022, three in four residents of the provinces aged 15 and older reported that they always or often have people to depend on when needed. Those living in rural areas (78%) were slightly more likely than urban dwellers (75%) to say they have someone to count on.
Having someone to count on also varied by age. More than 8 in 10 youth aged 15 to 24 (82%) and seniors aged 75 and older (83%) reported always or often having someone to depend on when needed. Women (77%) were slightly more likely than men (74%) to say they have someone to count on.
The Quality of Life Hub is an online portal for information and data related to the Quality of Life Framework. The hub is currently in development, and additional quality of life indicators, data and visualizations will be added over time. Currently, pages with definitions, metadata and links to relevant data products are available on the hub for all indicators within the framework’s society domain. Additional pages with information on indicators for the prosperity, health, environment and good governance domains will be added in the coming months. Stay tuned for more updates!
Contact information
For more information, contact the Statistical Information Service (toll-free 1-800-263-1136; 514-283-8300; infostats@statcan.gc.ca) or Media Relations (statcan.mediahotline-ligneinfomedias.statcan@statcan.gc.ca).