Testing Scroll Retention Article 4

Family Day, which was recently celebrated in many provinces throughout Canada, encourages residents to spend additional quality time with their families and highlights the importance of family relationships. In 2024, three-quarters (75%) of Canadians reported having a high level of satisfaction with their family relationships.

Canadians who reported having high satisfaction with their family relationships were more likely to report having better overall well-being, according to several indicators from Canada's Quality of Life Framework. They were also more likely to report being hopeful about the future and less likely to report having poor mental health.

Satisfaction with family relationships also varied geographically. For example, residents of Newfoundland and Labrador were more likely to report having high satisfaction with their family relationships (82%) than those of Ontario (75%) and British Columbia (72%).

Satisfaction with family relationships is linked to family structure and age

Men and women reported having similar levels of high satisfaction with their family relationships in 2024, but there were differences across age groups and categories of family structure.

Married people (81%) and widows/widowers (82%) were more likely to report having high satisfaction with their family relationships than people in common-law relationships (71%), those who were single and never married (69%) and those who were separated or divorced (62%).

These differences across family structures may be due in part to age, as seniors were more likely than younger age groups to report having high satisfaction with their family relationships. Nearly four in five seniors (79%) reported having high levels of satisfaction, compared with 72% each for adults aged 25 to 34 years and 45 to 54 years.

When examined together, age and family structure play a shared role in satisfaction with family relationships, reflecting how family dynamics change over the course of a lifetime. In particular, single youth (aged 15 to 24 years) were more likely to report having high satisfaction with their family relationships (76%) than single adults 25 years and older (63%). Meanwhile, seniors who were separated or divorced were more likely to report having high satisfaction with their family relationships (69%) than younger separated or divorced adults (59%).

Looking at current living arrangements (i.e., the number of people living in a household) reveals different nuances than those of marital status. Canadians living in households with two or more people were more likely to report having high satisfaction with their family relationships (76%) than those living alone (66%). Similarly to marital status, age played a role in satisfaction with family relationships, particularly for people who lived alone. Seniors who lived alone were more likely to report having high satisfaction with their family relationships (75%) than younger adult age groups (59%). Conversely, people who did not live alone across all age groups reported having similar levels of satisfaction with their family relationships.

The Canadian Social Survey (CSS) – Quality of Life, Housing and Trust also asked Canadians about their total number of children, regardless of whether the children lived at home, including biological children, stepchildren and adopted children. Compared with people without children (71%), those with two (78%) or three or more (80%) children were more likely to report having a high satisfaction with their family relationships. Meanwhile, three in four Canadians with one child (75%) reported having high satisfaction with their family relationships.

Immigrants are more likely to report having high satisfaction with their family relationships

The last census highlighted that immigrants in Canada made up the largest share of the population in 150 years and are shaping our ethnocultural landscape into the future. According to the latest data from the CSS, high satisfaction with family relationships was more commonly reported among immigrants (78%) than non-immigrants (74%) in 2024. Recent immigrants, who may have left behind family and friends in their country of origin, were no less likely to report having high satisfaction with their family relationships. In fact, 82% of immigrants who had been in Canada for fewer than 10 years reported having high satisfaction with these relationships.

Satisfaction with family relationships is associated with other indicators of well-being

Canadians who reported having high satisfaction with their family relationships in 2024 were nearly twice as likely to report being hopeful about the future (63%) compared with those with neutral or low satisfaction with their family relationships (35%). This is consistent with previous studies, which found that hopefulness is associated with living in larger households and the presence of children, while a less hopeful outlook is related to economic and social challenges.

Relatedly, Canadians who reported having high satisfaction with their family relationships were less likely to self-report having poor or fair mental health (13%) compared with those who were less satisfied with their family relationships (39%). The presence of strong family relationships can provide some measure of support for individuals dealing with mental health challenges. Conversely, toxic family relationships and family violence are linked to poor mental health outcomes.

Family relationships are a crucial part of social structure and play an important role in the overall well-being of individuals. Users can access the most recent statistics on this important issue on Statistics Canada's Quality of Life Hub. The Hub includes new statistics collected from the CSS – Quality of Life, Housing and Trust, collected from October 18 to December 2, 2024, released today.