Social Trends

1
Social Trends
Presentation by François Nault, Assistant
Director, Centre for Education Statistics,
Statistics Canada To the Canadian Language and
Literacy Research NetworkSaturday June 19, 2004

2
Demographic Trends
3
Immigration is an increasingly important
component of population growth in Canada
4
The number of births peaked in 1990 and has been
rapidly declining since
5
The school age population will peak and then
decline at different period depending on the level
6
Full-time enrolments in colleges and in
universities increased 25 between 1985 and 2000
despite a 10 decline in the 18-24 population
Source ESIS, CCSIS and USIS
7
Growth concentrates in certain urban regions
Census Metropolitan Area Growth Rates
() 1996-2001

20
16
12
Chicoutimi - Jonquière, QC
8
4.0
Trois - Rivières, QC
St. John's, Nfld. Lab.
Greater Sudbury, ON
Thunder Bay, ON
Saint John, NB
4
Regina, SK
0
Canada
-4
Halifax, NS
Toronto, ON
London, ON
Victoria, BC
Québec, QC
Oshawa, ON
Windsor, ON
Kingston, ON
Hamilton, ON
Montreal, QC
Calgary, Alta.
Kitchener, ON
Abbotsford, BC
Saskatoon, SK
Vancouver, BC
Ottawa - Hull, ON
Sherbrooke, QC
Edmonton, Alta.
Winnipeg, Man.
-8
St.Catherines - Niagara, ON
8
The elderly population represents an increasing
percentage of the total population
9
Life Expectancy (both sexes) at Age 45 by
Lifestyle and Disability
Disability free life expectancy
10

Smoking continues to be the major preventable
cause of health problems
Current smokers aged 15, by sex, Canada 1985 to
mid-2001
Current smokers, aged 15-19, by sex, Canada 1985
to mid-2001
11
In the 1990s, over 50 of Canadians aged 15 and
over were physically inactive during leisure-time
12
Immigration Trends
13
Immigrants are increasingly from Asia and Middle
East visible minorities concentrate in urban
areas
14
How do Canadian metropolitan areas compare?
Foreign-born as a of metropolitan population,
2000/2001
Source Statistics Canada, 2001 Census
Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2001 U.S.
Census Bureau, 2000
15
Proportion of immigrants among the school-age
population (ages 5 to 24), selected census
metropolitan areas, 1991, 1996, 2001
16
Proportion of visible minorities among the
school-age population (ages 5 to 24), selected
census metropolitan areas, 1991, 1996, 2001
17
Proportion of the school-age population (ages 5
to 24) with non-official home languages, selected
census metropolitan areas, 1991, 1996, 2001
18
Immigrant students overall have lower literacy
than other students, but this disadvantage
disappears over time
19
Children
20
Children who experienced vocabulary problems (as
measured with the PPVT-R) are twice as likely to
experience school achievement problems two years
later.
21
While largely a transitory state, vulnerability
touches a significant proportion of children
1994
1996
56.2
Not Vulnerable
14.9
71.1
71.9
15.7
Vulnerable
28.1
28.9
13.2
Newly Vulnerable
22
Children with persistent low learning scores have
characteristics associated with disadvantage
Source NLSCY, 1994-1995, 1996-1997, 1998-1999
23
Children experience parental separation at
increasingly younger ages, especially in
common-law relationships
Children Born into a Two Parent Family who have
Experienced Parental Separation, by Age and Type
of Parental Union, Canada
Children Born to a Lone Parent or who have
Experienced Parental Separation by Age and Year
of Birth, Canada
50
Year of Birth
40
Common-law
30
Common-law
20
then married
10
Married
0
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
Age of Child
24
Boys tend to be more sensitive to parental
separation
Girls
R20.25
Boys
R20.71
PISA\YITS 2000
25
Education
26
Canada ranked second in reading literacy
Source Programme for International Student
Assessment, 2000.
27
The countries that rank high are those where
students of low socio-economic background do well
28
Who is in persistent low income?
Relative incidence of persistent low income from
1993-1998
29
Students in French minority schools did poorly
relative to those in the majority schools
30
The literacy gap between disabled and
non-disabled students varies across provinces,
particularly for cognitively/emotionally disabled
students
No disability
Physical disability
Cognitive/ emotional disability
31
Use of special education classes varies
significantly across provinces and seems to be
higher where performance for students with
disabilities are lower.
32
Aboriginal People
33
Aboriginal families concentrate a the low end of
the income distribution
34
More than four out of 10 Aboriginal children were
living in lone-parent families in metropolitan
areas in 1996
35
Aboriginal youth in custody over-represented in
almost all regions
36
Proportion of the school-age population (ages 5
to 24) with Aboriginal identity, selected areas,
1991, 1996, 2001
37
Grade repetition and dropping out are much more
frequent for aboriginal students than for other
students, even after controlling for
socio-economic status
38
Grade repetition for aboriginal students
increases at transition years as students adjust
to the schooling environment and the challenges
of curriculum
39
Adjustment to school may be facilitated by
pre-elementary programs. Attendance of aboriginal
children in pre-elementary programs specifically
designed for them has increased steadily since
the early 1990s.
40
Reading literacy for aboriginal students is below
average, with the difference being much greater
for males.
41
Aboriginal students are more likely to be
disengaged from school. Males in general are more
disengaged.
42
Thank you