Stats Can: A Portrait of Seniors in Canada

March 7, 2007

Some highlights below  that might be of particular relevance to public libraries:

 

Population aging

Between 1981 and 2005, the number of Canadians aged 75 to 84 more than doubled, from 2.8% to 4.6%.  Over the next 15 years, the share of the total population in this age group is projected to remain fairly stable at around 5%. It is between 2026 and 2041 that the largest increase in the 75 to 84 years age group is projected to occur. The share of the total population in this age group is projected to increase from 6.9% to 9.7% over this period. The continued aging of the baby boom generation is a primary factor behind this trend.

Senior men and women

Most seniors are women, and this is especially so in older age groups. In 2005 women accounted for 52% of persons aged 65 to 69. However, differences in life expectancy between women and men have begun to narrow and consequently the gender composition of older age groups is expected to become more even in the coming years. There is already some evidence of this shift. For example, between 1981 and 2005, the share of persons aged 80 to 84 who were men increased from 37% to 39% (Chart 1.3).  

Inter-provincial comparisons

There are considerable inter-provincial differences in the share of provincial populations comprised of seniors. Seniors’ share of the population is largest in Saskatchewan (14.8%), Nova Scotia (14.2%) and Prince Edward Island (14.1%) and the smallest in Alberta (10.5%) and Ontario (12.8%). Seniors will account for a growing share of the population in all provinces and territories in the decades ahead. However, there are considerable differences in the magnitude of the projected increase.  Increases projected in Ontario (7.1 percentage points), British Columbia (8.3 percentage points) and Alberta (8.7 percentage points) (Chart 1.4).  Overall, across the ten provinces, the share of the population comprised of seniors will increase least in Ontario and the West and most in the Atlantic provinces.

The distribution of seniors across urban and rural areas

Canada is increasingly urban. Between 1981 and 2001, the share of all Canadians residing in large urban centres (also known as Census metropolitan areas) increased from 57.8% to 64.6%, while the shares residing in smaller cities and towns and in rural areas declined.

 Across the provinces and territories, the share of seniors residing in rural areas characterized by moderate, weak or no metropolitan influence is highest in the Northwest Territories (77%), Newfoundland (55%), Saskatchewan (47%), New Brunswick (43%) and Nova Scotia (40%) and is lowest in Ontario (9%) and British Columbia (13%)  In this respect, there is considerable variation between provinces in the extent to which services provided to seniors (and non-seniors) must reach individuals residing outside of urban centres.

 

Seniors in Canada’s cities and towns

Across Canada’s 27 CMAs, there is considerable variation in the share of the population comprised of seniors. The shares are largest in St. Catherines-Niagara and Victoria, at 17%, followed by Trois- Rivières and Thunder Bay, at 16% and 15% respectively (Chart 1.7). In contrast, seniors account for less than 11% of the population in five CMAs, including Calgary (9.1%), St. John’s (10.6%), Oshawa (10.6%), Edmonton (10.7%) and Ottawa-Gatineau (10.9%). Between 1986 and 2004, Saguenay, Trois-Rivières, and Greater Sudbury were the three CMAs in which the share of the population comprised of seniors increased most, with increases of more than five percentage points (Table 1.6).

Across Canada’s smaller cities and towns, there is tremendous variation in the share of the population comprised of seniors. Among cities with populations of 25,000 to about 150,000, Penticton has the highest concentration of seniors with almost one-quarter of its residents aged 65 or older (23.9%) Seniors account for about 17% of the population in Peterborough, Orillia and Owen Sound.

Among towns with populations under 25,000, Elliot Lake has the highest concentration of seniors, with one-quarter of its residents aged 65 or older (Chart 1.9). Seniors account for about one-fifth of all residents in Tillsonburg, Cobourg, Yorkton and Swift Current.

Finally, there is considerable variation in the rate at which cities and towns are aging. Considering urban areas with populations of about 10,000 to 150,000, the combined share of the population aged 65 or older increased from 11.5% to 13.4% between 1991 and 2001 -- a gain of 1.9 percentage points.

Table 1.7 includes cities and towns that are ‘aging rapidly’ - that is, those in which the share of the population comprised of seniors increased by 2.5 percentage points or more over this period.3 These ‘rapidly aging’ communities have been broadly organized into three groups based on selected demographic characteristics.

 

Immigration and place of birth of seniors

A relatively large proportion of seniors in Canada are immigrants. In 2001, 28.6% of persons aged 65 to 74 and 28% of those aged 75 to 84 were immigrants (Table 1.11). These proportions compared to 21.3% in the 25 to 54 age group. There are considerable variations across the ten provinces in this respect. Only 3% of seniors in Newfoundland and Labrador are immigrants compared with 39% and 41% of seniors in British Columbia and Ontario respectively.

For the moment, seniors born in other places than Canada or a European country still represent a minority of the total population (Table 1.12)

 

Amounts and sources of income

The financial situation of seniors in Canada improved significantly over the last 25 years.

 

Wealth

Improvements in the financial characteristics of seniors are not only evident in terms of the annual income, but also in terms of their wealth, defined as total assets minus total debts.

Seniors spent a larger share of their consumption dollar on recreation in 2003 than they did in 1982, with an increase of about 2 to 4 cents of each dollar.

 

Continuous learning, work and participation in society

Introduction

One of the fundamental characteristics that will distinguish the next generation of seniors from the current one is its higher level of educational attainment.

In the years ahead, the share of seniors with a postsecondary education will continue to increase as the baby boom generation replaces previous generations of seniors.

Higher levels of educational attainment are associated with many different outcomes, such as health behaviours, volunteering and giving, voting and political involvement, and literacy. Hence, the changing educational composition of seniors may be associated with a shift in the behaviours, expectations and experiences among the population aged 65 and older.

 

Literacy

In today’s knowledge intensive society, literacy skills are a critical factor influencing quality of life. Literacy skills enable people to seek out, understand and apply information and help them make informed decisions regarding their health, housing, finances and other matters. Literacy skills are also a foundation upon which the acquisition of other proficiencies, such as computer skills, is built.

Compared with individuals in younger age groups, seniors were far more likely to have low levels of literacy and numeracy (Table 3.1.1).   

The evidence in Chart 3.1.3 suggests that the literacy profile of seniors may change in the years ahead. There may be a ‘generational effect’ in that individuals in the baby boom generation may have stronger literacy skills than individuals in the generations that preceded them.

Older workers were less likely than younger workers to have participated in self-directed learning.

Money and time were the primary factors that prevented workers from taking the additional training they wanted or needed.

 

Median age of retirement8

The median age of retirement has fallen dramatically in the past two decades.

 

The social networks of seniors living alone

Seniors living alone can be at a particular risk of social isolation if there are few people in their life to whom they feel close or with whom they can talk and socialize

 

Help provided by seniors to persons not living with them

A significant proportion of older Canadians help other people, and they do so in many different ways.

 

Part 2: Seniors receiving care because of their health status

In recent years, the proportion of seniors living in private households has been on the rise. Among these seniors, and especially among the elderly, many have a long-term health problem (see Section 2.1 on health). While many seniors with a long-term health problem are independent and are able to remain in their houses, many also require help to conduct their daily activities.

 

4.4 Organization involvement and volunteering

The next generation of seniors, that is those who are now aged 55 to 64, are also more likely to belong to certain types of organizations than current seniors and younger persons. Among the four age groups, they were the most likely to participate in political parties or groups, as well as the most likely to be involved in cultural, education or hobby organizations such as theatre groups, book clubs or bridge clubs. In 2003, almost one in four 55- to 64-year-old women was active in a cultural, education or hobby organization (24%).

 

It is also notable that the association between the level of education and the likelihood of participation is stronger for certain types of organization than for others. For example, 55- to 64-year-olds with a university degree were almost five times more likely to be involved in a cultural, education or hobby organization than those who had less than high school (40% versus 8%)

 

Volunteering

The proportion of people who volunteer their time to charities or other non-profit organizations tends to decline with age.

While they are slightly less likely to volunteer, seniors who volunteer are more likely to contribute a greater average number of hours to their activities.

The analysis of the 2004 Canada Survey of Giving, Volunteering and Participating (CSGVP) has shown that people who have a university degree are much more likely to be a volunteer.

 

Active forms of political participation

Seniors are more likely to vote, at all levels of government, than younger persons.  Like the rest of the population, seniors are least likely to vote in municipal elections.

 

Sense of belonging

As illustrated in Chart 4.6.5 seniors are more likely than younger persons to report that they have a very strong sense of belonging to their local community, to their province, and to Canada.

 

5.1 Leisure and outlook on life

[Men] increased time in leisure activities(1.2 more hours a day of TV watching, more than twice as much time spent reading - over an hour per day).

[Women] also increased the amount of time on leisure pursuits (an increase of 1.2 hours a day in TV watching and 0.5 hours more a day reading).

 

5.3 Computer and the Internet use

Use of the Internet and emails

Between 1990 and 2003, the share of households with a personal computer increased from 16% to 67%.  Internet penetration followed suite, with the share of households accessing the Internet from home more than tripling between 1997 and 2003, rising from 16.0% to 54.5%. The share of senior-led households with home Internet access increased from 3.4% to 22.7% and access among households headed by someone aged 55 to 64 increased more than four-fold (Chart 5.3.1).

In 2003, about one-third of men aged 65 to 74 used the Internet or email compared with less than one-quarter of women. Men aged 75 or older were more than twice as likely as women to use these technologies. Education is also correlated with ‘connectedness’. Among seniors aged 65 to 74, individuals with a post-secondary educational credential were more than twice as likely as those with no such credential to use the Internet (at 45.5% and 20.6% respectively)

 Individuals in their late fifties and early sixties use the Internet for many of the same purposes as individuals in younger age groups. For example, at least 85% of Internet users in all age groups use the Internet for email (Chart 5.3.7). Similarly, individuals aged 56 to 65 who use the Internet are as likely as younger users to search for health or government information. In contrast, Internet users aged 56 to 65 are less likely than their younger counterparts to use the Internet to do their banking, to purchase goods or services, to download music or to participate in chat groups or on-line discussions. The majority of older users (73%) feel that their computer skills meet their current needs.

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