Statistics on Household and Family Housing

The survey of Household Spending is the only annual comprehensive source of household and family expenditure data in Canada. It also provides records from an annual survey which provides data on dwellings and their characteristics, the occupants of the dwellings and the equipment at the disposal of the occupants. Statistics Canada also maintains an annual survey, the Homeowner Repair and Renovation Survey, to provide calendar year data on the housing repair and renovation expenditures in owner-occupied households.

Summary

Survey on Household Spending

Since 1997, the Survey of Household Spending has incorporated the content of the former Household Facilities and Equipment Survey and the Survey of Family Expenditures, to offer an annual data source on households, their characteristics and their spending patterns.

Household Expenditures

Data are presented for detailed expenditure categories under the following headings:

• shelter expenses;
• furnishing and equipment;
• cost of running the home;
• food, alcohol and tobacco products;
• clothing;
• health care;
• transportation;
• recreation and education, and more.

Dwelling characteristics and household equipment
The dwelling characteristics presented include the type of dwelling, whether repairs are needed, tenure (owned or rented), year of move, period of construction, number of rooms and bathrooms, and the age and type of heating equipment and fuel used. Information is presented about the presence in the household of appliances, communications and entertainment equipment, and vehicles owned.

Breakdowns are also available for all the following categories:

• food;
• shelter;
• household operation;
• household furnishings and equipment;
• clothing;
• transportation;
• health care;
• personal care;
• recreation;
• education;
• tobacco products and alcoholic beverages;
• games of chance;
• personal taxes, insurance payments and pension contributions;
• gifts of money and contributions and miscellaneous expenditures.

Household Facilities and Equipment Survey

The former Household Facilities and Equipment Survey provided annual estimates of household facilities and equipment present in the home based on a sample which represents virtually all private households in Canada. This survey was last conducted in 1997 and the Survey of Household Spending now collects the data.

Homeowner Repair and Renovation Survey

Statistics Canada maintains an annual survey to provide calendar year data on housing repair and renovation expenditures by homeowners. In the past, the survey also served as a vehicle for the collection of a full range of household shelter expenditures - the Shelter Cost Survey.

Shelter Cost Survey

Conducted in 1987 and 1990, this household survey provided estimates of shelter expenditures, including details on housing repair and renovation.

Social Statistics - Family Housing

The Housing, Family and Social Statistics Division conducts research and analysis of census data and other survey and administrative data. It publishes reports on the socio-economic characteristics of the population and subsets of the population. There are four main subject matter areas:

• social conditions of Canadians;
• immigration and ethno-cultural data (except language);
• data on the Aboriginal population;
• persons with disabilities.

The main surveys and databases are:

Aboriginal Peoples Survey
A second Aboriginal Peoples Survey (APS-2) will follow the 2001 Census. The first APS was conducted in 1991, the survey collected information on social and economic characteristics of the Aboriginal population including language, education, health, housing, work, income, communication technology and mobility.

Participation and Activity Limitation Survey
The 2001 Participation and Activity Limitation Survey (PALS), formally know as the Health and Activity Limitation Survey (HALS), is designed to collect data on adults and children's whose everyday activities may be limited because of a health related condition or problem. 

Ethnic Diversity Survey
The first postcensal survey on Ethnic Diversity is now completed. The survey will provide information on ethnic and cultural backgrounds of people in Canada, and how these backgrounds relate to their lives today. It will also provide information to better understand how Canadians of different ethnic backgrounds interpret and report their ethnicity.

General Social Survey
This is an annual household survey that provides a very broad range of users with statistical information on the living conditions and well being of Canadians. The GSS has three principal objectives; to:

• gather data on social trends in order to monitor temporal changes in the living conditions and well-being of Canadians;
• gather information on specific social issues and problems of current or emerging interest;
• analyze and disseminate data on social conditions and issues.

Canadian Social Trends (CST)
Canadian Social Trends is commencing its 14th year of publication. In clear, easy-to-digest articles, this quarterly journal analyzes and integrates Statistics Canada data sources to explore a wide array of social conditions ranging from families to the Internet.

The Longitudinal Immigration Database (IMDB)
The Longitudinal Immigration Database combines administrative records on immigration and taxation into a comprehensive source of data on the economic behaviour of the immigrant (taxfiler) population in Canada. It is the only source of data that provides a direct link between immigration policy levers and the economic performance of immigrants. The database currently covers the period 1980 to 2000 and is updated annually. The IMDB is managed by Statistics Canada on behalf of a federal-provincial consortium led by Citizenship and Immigration Canada.

Costs

These statistics may be available in print reports. The General Social Survey and postcensal surveys data files for public use are available on CD-ROM. Depending on the product and the client's request, costs may be applicable in obtaining these statistics.

Additional Information

For more information on these surveys, you may contact:

Client Services and Dissemination
Housing, Family and Social Statistics Division
Telephone: 613-951-5979
Fax: 613-951-0387
E-mail: hfsslf@statcan.ca

New Brunswick Contact(s):
SERVING ATLANTIC CANADA
Advisory Services
Statistics Canada
1888 Brunswick Street
Halifax, Nova Scotia  B3J 2G7
Fax: 902-426-9538
Toll-free (information): 1-800-263-1136
Toll-free (publications): 1-800-267-6677
TTY Toll-free (hearing impaired): 1-800-363-7629
E-mail: infostats@statcan.ca
Web site: http://www.statcan.ca/start.html

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National Contact(s):
Statistical Reference Centre
Statistics Canada
Room 1500
Main Building
Holland Avenue
Ottawa, Ontario  K1A 0T6
Fax: 1-877-287-4369
Toll-free (information): 1-800-263-1136
Toll-free (publications): 1-800-267-6677
TTY Toll-free (hearing impaired): 1-800-363-7629
E-mail: infostats@statcan.ca
Web site: http://www.statcan.ca/start.html