Evaluation for the Future - We need to make sure that government programs and polices are developed and implemented based on strong statistical evidence, have clear target groups and measurable results. In this final phase we assess a selected number of programs that are financed by government to see if they are making a difference in the lives of people and communities. Are we getting the best value from our limited resources? The phase, along with the consolidated Social Audit report, will be ready by late fall in 2003.
The Social Audit is about taking stock, about finding ways to measure what is happening in our daily lives, and about making certain our programs and policies are meeting the real needs of people.
Health is a prerequisite to a good quality of life and, therefore, is one of the most important factors in determining our level of well-being. If we are unhealthy, it negatively impacts many other aspects of our lives. Conversely, if we are healthy, we can act upon the other aspects of our lives to improve our quality of life.
This section helps us to understand
- How healthy we think we are; how healthy we actually are; those illnesses and accidents we are dying of; how long we can expect to live and those personal behaviours that might be related to poor health.
- Positive and negative changes in our health status that have taken place over time.
Although we are healthier than in the past much needs to be improved and, therefore, a wellness strategy has been released by the Provincial Government that sets specific targets on many of the areas highlighted in this section.
1.1 How do we rate our general health?
In 2001, 66% of men and women surveyed in this province rated their health as excellent to very good, almost 5 percentage points higher than the Canadian average. All health regions of the province were at or above the Canadian average of 61.4%, ranging from 61.7% for the Grenfell Health region to 68.3% for the St. John’s Health region.
Almost half of the
province’s seniors (47.1%) rated their health as excellent to very good
compared to 36.5% for Canada.
In the island portion of
the province, men aged 40-59 and women aged 60+ were most likely to indicate
excellent mental health. Forty-three
percent of those aged 18 and older indicated excellent mental health while a
further 48% reported good mental health, similar to 1995. In general, women were slightly less
positive about their mental health than men.
In 2000-01 93% of males and females aged 12 and over, surveyed in this province were found to show no symptoms of depression. These percentages were slightly higher than for Canada at 89% and also marginally higher than a similar study in 1994-95.
1.2 Are our behaviours healthy? What about smoking?
The proportion of Newfoundlanders and Labradorians, aged 12 years and over who said they were daily or occasional smokers continues to decrease although it remains somewhat higher than for Canada.
Boys in this province appear to start smoking somewhat earlier than the Canadian average - about 48% and 41% respectively start before the age of 15.
About half of men in this province who are current daily smokers and of men who are former smokers started before they were 16 years old and before the age of 19 over 80% had started.
About 40% of women who are current daily smokers and of women who have quit smoking had started before they were 16 years old and before they were 19 years old about 77% had started.
1.3 Are our behaviours healthy? How physically active are we?
More Newfoundlanders and Labradorians are reporting they are physically active than in 1994-95; however in 2000-01 we were about 5 percentage points below the Canadian average. Our proportion of physically active 12-19 year-olds is about the same as the national average, for both young men and young women.
What is most striking is
the difference in activity levels reported by young women in the province
compared to young men. Differences are
less dramatic for older ages but women in this province and in Canada are less
physically active than men and the proportion that is physically active
declines with age. The least active
group are Newfoundland and Labrador women aged 65 years and over.
1.4 Are Newfoundlanders and Labradorians overweight?
In 2001, almost half of men and over one third of women in this province between the ages of 20 and 64 were overweight.
1.5 Are our behaviours healthy? How much do we drink?
Our rates of “heavy drinking” are considerably higher than Canada, particularly for men. In this province in a 2000-01 survey, 40.5% of men and 16.3% of women age 12 years and over who said they drank, indicated they had five or more drinks on one occasion twelve or more times in the past year compared to Canada, where the rate for men was 28.3% and for women 11.2%.
1.6 How long can we expect to live? How long can we expect to live disability-free?
Life expectancy at birth is longer than ever before, almost equal to Canada with gradual increases still occurring. The overall life expectancy for the province in 1999 is 77.7 years, an increase of 2.3 years from 1979 when it was 75.4 years. Life expectancy for women is 80.2 years, and continues to be longer than that for men, at 75.2 years although men are closing the gap. Although the life expectancy in Canada is slightly higher, 76.3 years for Canadian men and 81.7 years for women, the relative gap between the province and Canada has been gradually closing in recent years.
Life expectancy for both men and women in this province was higher than in the majority of the main industrialized countries in 1998, the most recent year for which such comparisons are available.
Disability-free life expectancy introduces the concept of quality of life, by speaking to the years of life we can expect to live free of any activity limitation. In 1996, the latest year for which data are available, disability-free life expectancy at birth for men in this province was 65.9 years compared to Canada at 66.9 years. For women in this province it was 70.4 years, similar to Canada at 70.2 years.
1.7 What proportion of seniors requires no assistance
in daily activity?
Women age 65 and over in this province in 2000-01 were slightly less likely to report activity limitations than in Canada as a whole. Similar proportions of male seniors in this province and in Canada reported activity limitations.
1.8 What proportion of the population requires no
assistance in daily activity?
For the most part, a greater proportion of males and females over four years of age in this province report no activity limitation than is the case for Canada.
1.9 Do babies get a good start?
About 5% of babies born
in the province in 1999 had low birth weights (less than 2500 grams) and of
these, 1% had very low birth weights, weighing less than 1500 grams (3.3
lbs). The low birth weight rate for
Canada was 5.6%.
1.10 Are teenagers getting pregnant?
Fewer teenagers are
becoming pregnant in this province compared to Canada. In 1998 the teenage
pregnancy rate in this province was 31.5 pregnancies per 1000 women aged 15 to
19 compared to Canada with 41.7 per 1000.
1.11 Are teenagers having babies?
Fewer babies are being
born to teenage mothers in this province.
The provincial rate has declined considerably from 1991 when it was 31.0
per 1000. In 1999 the rate was 20.1 per
thousand while for Canada it was 18.7 per 1000. In the year 2000, 385 babies were born to mothers aged less than 20
years while in the year 1993 there were 660 such babies.
1.12 If we don’t live until old age, what will we die of?
When a person dies from any cause before the age of 75, the death is considered premature. “Potential life” has been lost. That potential is the difference between “the age at death” and “age 75.” In 1996 the province lost 5,541 years of potential life per 100,000 population. Health regions ranged from 4,181 in Grenfell to 7,432 for Health Labrador while for Canada it was 5,697. The primary causes of potential life loss in 1999 are provided below.
|
Number of years of potential life lost in 1999 -
rates per 100,000 population aged 0-74 |
||
|
Type |
NL |
Canada |
|
Accidents, etc. |
582.0 |
706.6 |
|
Lung cancer |
417.9 |
|
|
Heart Attacks |
389.3 |
312.1 |
|
Suicides |
233.6 |
453.2 |
|
Cerebrovascular |
180.1 |
139.6 |
|
Bowel cancer |
178.6 |
134.7 |
|
Source: Statistics Canada |
||
Potential life loss due to accidents in this province has declined significantly over the years from 1979 when it stood at 2450.6 per 100,000 for men and 681.3 for women. In 1999 the rates were 883.1 for men and 279.8 for women. These rates are lower than for Canada as a whole where the rates in 1999 were 1036.0 per 100,000 for men and 374.5 for women.
1.13 Is cancer a problem?
The three most common cancers for men in this province in 2001, as in Canada, were prostate, bowel, and lung. The rate of lung cancer for men in this province (53 per 100,000 population) was 31% lower than Canada and the rate of prostate cancer (95 per 100,000 population) was about 20% lower while the rate of bowel cancer (72 per 100,000 population) was about 22% higher than Canada.
The three most common cancers for women in this province, as in Canada, were breast, bowel, and lung. The rate of lung cancer in this province was almost half the Canadian average (26 and 47 per 100,000 population, respectively); the rate of breast cancer (95 per 100,000 population) was about 10% lower while the rate for bowel cancer (48 per 100,000 population) was about 26% higher.
For the last 20 years mortality rates due to bowel cancer for men in this province have been similar to those for Canada. Mortality rates for men due to lung cancer have been somewhat higher than Canadian rates since the mid 1990s. The mortality rate for prostate cancer in this province has increased by about 80% since 1979 and in 1999 was slightly higher than the Canadian rate, which has remained relatively stable since 1979.
The provincial and Canadian mortality rates for bowel cancer in women are similar and have been declining over the past 20 years. The provincial mortality rate due to breast cancer is similar to the Canadian rate. The provincial mortality rate for lung cancer in women, historically lower than that for Canada, was approaching the Canadian rate by 1999.
1.14 What about heart attacks and cerebrovascular diseases (strokes, etc.)?
The annual mortality rates due to heart attack, for both men and women, have been steadily declining in this province as in Canada. The provincial rates for heart attacks in 1999 were less than half the rates in 1979. Nevertheless in 1999, provincial mortality rates due to heart attacks are higher than the Canadian rates – about 20% higher for both men and women. The mortality rate due to heart attacks for men in 1999 was 100.5 per 100,000 population - double that for women at 49.8 per 100,000.
The annual mortality rates due to cerebrovascular diseases for both men and women, have also been steadily declining in this province as in Canada. Since 1979 there has been a decrease of over 40% for both men and women (to 62.0 and 47.2 per 100,000 population respectively in 1999). Nevertheless, provincial rates in 1999 are higher than Canadian rates by about 31% for men and 18% for women.
1.15 What about diabetes?
Health professionals
predict an increase in diabetes over the next ten years. In 2001, Newfoundlanders and Labradorians
reported slightly higher rates of this disease with 5.8% of those surveyed aged
12 and over indicating they have diabetes, compared to 4.1% for Canada. As in the rest of the country, older people
accounted for the largest proportions, although considerably higher at 9% of
45-64 year olds and 19.1% of those aged 65 years and over compared to the
national rates at 6% and 12.7% respectively.
Our vision is a population that is educated - that has the basic skills and knowledge for everyday needs and is qualified for labour force participation to meet the requirements of a modern internationally competitive economy.
Education is important to help us enjoy life, for our general health and well-being and to enable us to undertake well-paid, interesting work. An educated population forms the foundation for a modern democratic society.
Education is normally acquired through schooling, from our parents and from our workplaces. To see how educated we are we would ideally test the skills of our population. Since data are not available for skills, we often use education credentials e.g. high school graduation, university degrees, etc.
2.1 What education credentials have we attained?
Newfoundlanders and Labradorians have attained substantially higher levels of education in recent decades. The proportion of the population aged 15 and over with at least high school diplomas has increased from 39.6% in 1979 to 63.6% in 2001.
For 25-34 year-olds the improvement has been even more dramatic – from 54.3% in 1979 to 84.4% in 2001.
In 2001, only 15.4% of those aged 25 to 29 had less than high school compared to 10.3% for Canada.
Nevertheless Newfoundland and Labrador has a smaller proportion of university graduates, 9.5% in 2001 compared to Canada at 15.8% and a higher proportion with less than high school - 36.4% compared to Canada with 27.2%.
2.2 Do men and women have the same levels of education credentials?
In the year 2001 in this province, 87.4% of women, aged 25-34, had graduated from high school or above, compared to 82.7% of men. Women in this age group also had the greater proportion of university degrees: 21.5% compared to 14.8% for men.
2.3 What’s happening with high school graduation rates?
Although high school graduation rates for boys have improved somewhat, they are less likely than girls to finish high school.
The high school drop out rate also fell sharply throughout the 1990s, according to data from the Statistics Canada Youth in Transition Survey. Among 20 year-olds in this province the rate of those who had not completed high school and were not working towards its completion fell from 29% for young men in 1991 to 15% in 1999 and for young women from 19% to 6%. Young men are now at the Canadian average and young women some 3% better than the Canadian average.
2.4 How do our students compare with others?
In the year 2000 Newfoundland and Labrador participated in the first Program for International Student Assessment. Fifteen year-old students from our province scored significantly lower in reading, science and mathematics than the Canadian average, although the performance was at or above the middle of the international range e.g. Germany, the United States and the Russian Federation.
Girls scored significantly better than boys in reading, however there were no significant differences between the scores of boys and girls in mathematics or science.
2.5 How are we doing with literacy in younger children?
In tests done in 2002 about 80% of children in Grade 3 could understand the literal meaning of what they had read. They had difficulty, however, in answering questions about text that required critical thinking skills and had problems in supporting their ideas. In 2002, 79% of children were at a level acceptable for the end of Grade 3 for the reading of a story and 61% for the reading of poetry – an increase from 63% and 49% respectively in 2001. However, only half of children were at a level acceptable for the end of Grade 3 for the reading of “informational” text such as children’s magazines, poetic or visual text such as posters and advertising.
In the listening component of these same tests, over 85% of children demonstrated a literal understanding of text, but only 53% of children were at a level acceptable for the end of Grade 3 for critical thinking. About 77% of students tested were at a level acceptable for the end of Grade 3 for the speaking component in which they had to give a presentation to their class.
The writing skills of Grade 3 students throughout the province have improved considerably since 1995, and by May 2002 over 90% of students were at a level acceptable for the end of Grade 3. This means they were able to write clear and focused content, constructing and organizing sentences in a predictable way that showed at least some flow and variation. They also demonstrated a good grasp of writing conventions and using everyday words and expressions.
2.6 How are we doing with literacy in adults?
In 1989, the last time large-scale testing of the literacy and numeracy skills of adults in this province was carried out, 24% of Newfoundlanders and Labradorians were at the lowest reading skill levels and 29% at the lowest numeracy skill level compared to 16% and 14% respectively, of Canadians. This means they would have difficulties in such everyday tasks as determining the correct amount of medicine to give to a child, transferring information from a catalogue page to an order form or filling out a deposit slip at the bank.
No other major testing of adults has been completed since, although in 1994 a Canada-wide survey included Atlantic Canada. Numbers were too small to provide results for this province.
2.7 Are our children ready to start school?
In a 1994-95 survey, 85% of children were school ready and by the 1996-97 survey this had increased to 89%.
The percentage of children considered “delayed” in the province was similar to Canada as a whole in 1994-95 but by 1996-97 the percentage was lower than Canada.
A higher percentage of
children in Canada as a whole were considered “advanced” compared to the
province in both 1994-95 and 1996-97 when the percentages were 11% for this
province and about 14% for Canada.
2.8 What do our high school graduates do the year after they graduate?
In 2001 almost three-quarters of high school graduates enrolled directly in college or university.
In 1995 and 1996 a consistently large proportion of high school graduates enrolled directly in university. In 2001 this proportion was 45.9%.
The proportion of high school graduates who enrolled directly in college programs has increased by about 5 percentage points between 1995 and 2001 to 25%.
A 1998 study found that about 80% of the 1995 graduating class had enrolled in post-secondary - 64.7% went directly into post-secondary programs while an additional 15% attended as of summer 1997.
How many additional students from the June 2001
graduating class enrolled in post-secondary in the fall of 2002 is not
known. However since in the 1995-96
study 64.7% translated into 80%, in all likelihood 70.9% would translate into something
the same or higher.
A 1999 Canadian study of youth in transition found that Newfoundland and Labrador had the third highest proportion among the provinces of 18-20 year-olds in some form of post-secondary education. Less positively, this province also had the highest proportion, 8.4%, who had enrolled in post-secondary but had dropped out.
2.9 What happens with mathematics for first year students at Memorial University?
Students who successfully completed Advanced Mathematics in High School may register for Mathematics 1000, which is the required course for those wishing to do degrees in business, the sciences and engineering.
First-year students entering Memorial University, who took Academic Math 3200 in high school, must complete a Mathematics Placement Test (MPT) to determine which math course the student is eligible to take at university.
There are considerable regional differences in the performance of students on the MPT.
2.10 Do high school marks predict performance at university?
Although performance of students at university is generally linked to high school performance, the prediction does not hold true for all students.
Students with a high
school average between 70-75% experienced some difficulty in their first
semester at Memorial, about one quarter of them getting a first-semester
average of less than 50%.
2.11 Are the same number of men and women completing university?
In recent years, the largest percentages of undergraduate degrees have been conferred on women. In 2002, women accounted for 61%, an increase of 5 percentage points since 1997.
Women also account for the largest percentage of graduate degrees – 52% in 2001.
2.12 What university degrees do we get?
Women are most likely to graduate with arts degrees, primarily in sociology, English, or psychology. The proportions of women and of men graduating in the arts have declined considerably between 1997 and 2002. Men, who graduate in arts, do so primarily in English, history, sociology and political science.
In 2002, the largest proportion of undergraduate degrees received by men was in science, primarily in biology or computer science. An additional 13% graduated with engineering degrees and 16% with business administration or commerce degrees.
The proportion of women graduating with undergraduate science degrees, primarily in biology, psychology and biochemistry (nutrition), has remained relatively consistent at around 19% and at about 2% for engineering while the proportion graduating in business administration has risen from about 13% to 18% in 2002. The proportion of women who graduate with nursing degrees has risen by eight percentage points.
2.13 What are the graduation rates for Memorial University?
The graduation rates for five-year programs, also including the cooperative degree programs such as engineering and business have been about 80% for the last 10 years. While rates for four-year programs, the typical Bachelor’s degree program, have been consistently lower, there have been improvements, especially in recent years, and in 1998-99 stood at 65%.
2.14 What college diplomas do we get?
The majority of graduates of college one-year and three-year programs are male – about 60% to 70% in one-year programs and about 70% in three-year programs. This is largely due to the continued trend of higher male participation in the traditional one-year trades-related programs, as well as the three-year engineering technology programs. Women continue to dominate the two-year programs (about 60% of graduates) particularly in business-related programs.
There have been substantial increases in the number of men and women graduating from information technology programs as labour market demands have changed.
Between 1997-98 and 1999-00, there has been a slight decline – from 1207 graduates to 1121 graduates. In 1999-00 about 25% of all college graduates graduated from information technology programs.
2.15 What are the graduation rates from the public college?
About 60% of students entering one or two year programs at the College of the North Atlantic complete their programs at the expected graduation date. This graduation rate is considerably lower for three-year programs, in which only about 40% of students entering between1988 to 1995 actually completed at the expected time. Of those who entered in 1996, only about 33% completed at the expected time in 1999.
2.16 How do our graduates perform on national professional certification examinations?
In most years, graduates from this province perform at or above the national average in the following national certification examinations:
Certified General Accountant
Chartered Accountants (CA)
Canadian Nurses Association Testing Registration
Medical Radiography
Medical Laboratory Sciences
Respiratory Therapy
Licensed Practical Nurse
2.17 How do our candidates perform on national apprenticeship examinations?
In most years since 1992, the pass rates on the Interprovincial Red Seal Examinations for candidates from this province have consistently been considerably higher than the national rates.
2.18 Do we continue to participate in education and training?
In 1997, about 19% of Newfoundlanders and Labradorians, the lowest proportion in the country, reported they participated in adult education and training[1] programs compared to the highest proportion in British Columbia at 32%.
More positively, those who do participate in adult education and training programs in this province spend significantly more time engaged than those in other provinces, an average of 307 hours per participant compared with British Columbia at 200 hours and a Canadian average of 209 hours per participant.
The odds of Newfoundlanders and Labradorians receiving employer sponsored education and training was calculated to be the second lowest in the country.
2.19 Do we get training from our employers?
In another survey done in 2001, almost half (48%) of the people reported they had attended courses or seminars provided and/or paid for by their employer. Training, however, is a very broad category and there is no clear idea of exactly what type or extent of training employees actually received. This will require a more detailed question in future surveys.
Nevertheless,
58% reported they had received informal on-the-job training such as learning
how to operate equipment or a computer software program.
The majority felt that
this job training would be somewhat (37%) or a great deal (47%) of use to them
in another job with a different employer.
Prosperous and Self-reliant People
Economic prosperity and economic self-reliance are directly related to our well-being and quality of life. To be prosperous and self-reliant, people need opportunities to find and keep employment in a province with a healthy well-functioning economy.
To determine prosperity and self-reliance, we have focused on a number of relevant issues for families, individuals and children, such as income, source of income, consumption and savings as well as employment patterns.
Although we are more prosperous and self-reliant than in the past, much needs to be improved. The Renewal Strategy for Jobs and Growth released by the provincial government sets out a plan to maintain and build on our economic progress in many of the areas highlighted in this section.
3.1 How does our personal income compare with Canada?
Personal income per capita has risen from $13,000 in 1992 to $16,900 ($15,000 when adjusted for inflation) in the year 2000, some 25.2% lower than Canadian incomes.
Income levels for husband-wife families in this province have remained relatively constant since 1990, at approximately three-quarters of the Canadian income. In 1990, half of two parent families in Newfoundland and Labrador earned more than $35,900. By 2000, this amount had increased by $7,200 to $43,100. After adjusting for inflation, this represented a slight decrease.
3.2 How much income do people in the province earn from full-year, full-time work?
More women than men are employed in full-year, full-time jobs that pay low incomes. Sixteen percent of male full-year full-time workers earned $15,000 or less in 1998 as did 31% of females. On the opposite end, only 1% of women earned over $75,000 compared to 5% of men. Only 25% of women earned $35,000 or more compared to 45% of men.
3.3 How many of us work in low paying jobs?
Consistently over the past five years, more
women than men (15% to 19% more) have earned less than $7.00 per hour.
In 2001, 15% of women surveyed in this province
had worked for minimum wage at some time during the year compared to only 10%
of men.
3.4 How are persons with disabilities faring on income?
In 2001,
14% of the population 18 years of age and older in the province, reported a
physical disability that stopped them from doing their routine activities. Almost
half of these individuals lived in households with incomes of less than $20,000
per annum; 33% had a total household income of less than $15,000.
In 1991, an extensive survey of persons with disabilities found about 7% of people in the province aged 15 to 64 had a disability. Most were between 35 and 54 years of age. Approximately 60% of the 15-64 year olds were not in the labour force at the time and only 27% were employed.
In a 2001 Statistics Canada survey, about 12% of people in the province over 15 years of age had a disability. More current information on labour force participation will be available over the next several months.
3.5 Do we think we are coping financially?
92% of people surveyed in the province in 2001 said they were coping financially while a further 8% reported they had difficulty.
37% of the people in the province said their financial circumstances were good or very good given their annual household income and considering their monthly expenditures on food, housing, transportation, heating, etc. A further 29% considered their financial circumstances to be satisfactory. The highest percentage of people who felt their financial circumstances were good or very good was in the Labrador SSP region (49%) while only 32% said their financial circumstances were good or very good in the Cormack-Grenfell region.
3.6 Do we think we are better off than we were in the past?
The majority of Newfoundlanders and Labradorians surveyed in 2001 said their family’s financial circumstances were about the same as they had been the previous year. About one third in each SSP region considered their households better off.
3.7 How equal are incomes in this province?
In 1999 the province was the same as Canada as a whole but had slightly less income equality than most of the other provinces with the exception of Ontario. The gap between the incomes of those with high incomes and those with low incomes in Newfoundland and Labrador was larger than it was in 1990.
However, Canada and the province have greater income equality than many other countries including Brazil with a Gini Coefficient[2] of .591 in 1997 and France with a Gini Coefficient of .327 in 1995.
3.8 How many of our children live in poverty?[3]
Although the number of children under age 18 living in the province has declined by about 30% since 1991, the number of children living in poverty has not declined at the same rate.
Based on before-tax income, 26.2% of children were living in poverty in 2000 compared to 20.5% in 1991. The proportion of children living in poverty in Canada in 1991 was 18.5% and in 2000, 16.5%.
Based on after-tax income, the rate is lower - 17.8% in 2000, compared to 15.3% in 1991. The provincial rate was higher than in Canada where 14.2% of those under age 18 lived in low-income families in 1991 decreasing to 12.5% in 2000.
During the 1990s about half of all lone parent families were living in poverty. Almost half the children living in poverty in Canada live in lone parent families, primarily headed by women. The greater the number of children in a family, the more likely the family will be poor.
3.9 Do we have many people in the province who say they are hungry?
The great majority of people from the island portion of the province[4], 94% of those surveyed, said they have never been without food because of a lack of money. However 10% had worried about not having enough to eat and 15% felt they could not eat the quality or variety of foods they wanted.
In March 2001, Newfoundland and Labrador had the highest per capita rate of food bank use in Canada at 5.4% of the provincial population. After a decade of increases in food bank use, the numbers of people using food banks in this province had decreased significantly compared to the previous year’s totals. The decline was restricted to the Eastern Avalon Peninsula however, while need continued to grow in regions outside of St. John’s.
3.10 What kind of homes do we live in?
More Newfoundlanders and Labradorians own their own homes than Canadians as a whole. In 1996, 77.1% of the homes in this province were owned compared to 63.2% in Canada. Home ownership in Newfoundland and Labrador was 82% according to a 2001 survey.
Newfoundland homes have an average of seven rooms compared to an average of six rooms in Canadian homes.
Homes in this province were also slightly newer than those in the country as a whole with 54% of them being built after 1971 compared to 50% in Canada.
The average cost of housing in the province in 1996 was 52% lower than in Canada, $70,800 compared to $147,900.
People in Newfoundland and Labrador spend less on shelter according to a 2000 survey; about 16% of average yearly household expenditures compared to about 19% in Canada as a whole. Therefore we have a greater proportion of income available to spend in other areas.
In 2001, about 20% of all households in this province owned a cabin, ranging from a high of 37% in Labrador to a low of 12% in the Northeast Avalon SSP Region.
3.11 How many cars do we own?
In 2000, 82% of Newfoundland and Labrador households owned or leased a car, compared with 88% in Canada as a whole.
3.12 How do we spend our leisure time?
The majority of people in this province and in the country spend the largest part of their leisure time watching television and socializing. We also spend slightly more time on these activities in this province than for Canadians as a whole.
A higher proportion of Newfoundlanders and Labradorians participate in sports, in civic and voluntary activities and in socializing compared to other Canadians. On the other hand, fewer of us participate in paid work, in household work or in reading.
Although we participate less in household work, those of us who do, spend more hours per day compared with Canada as a whole. We also spend more hours per day watching television, in civic and voluntary activities, socializing and in active leisure activities. On the other hand we spend fewer hours per day in paid work, educational activities, reading and also sleeping/personal activities.
3.13 What home production activities are we engaged in?
Home production activities are an important part of our lives
contributing to our overall well-being. Many people do housework, care for
children and do other unpaid work around the house. We also hunt and
fish, repair personal vehicle, cut/saw wood and renovate/or build our houses
and cabins. These home production
activities add to our prosperity.
|
Percent of
Population Participating in Home Production Activities |
|||
|
Home
Production Activities |
Men |
Women |
Total |
|
Grow a
vegetable garden |
19 |
20 |
19 |
|
Renovate or
build a house/cabin |
30 |
22 |
26 |
|
Hunt or
fish for food for self and family |
46 |
16 |
30 |
|
Cut/saw
wood |
36 |
11 |
23 |
|
Make
clothing for self or family (sew/knit) |
2 |
31 |
17 |
|
Repair
car/ATV/ skidoo |
44 |
13 |
28 |
|
Do general
housework |
80 |
97 |
89 |
|
Provide
care for children |
41 |
49 |
45 |
|
Source: Community Accounts, Labour Activity
Survey, 2001 |
|||
Most of those surveyed in 2001 in all SSP regions did general housework. As expected, the relatively urban Northeast Avalon SSP region had the smallest percentages that participated in most other home production activities. Hunting or fishing for food was a common home production activity in all SSP Regions, ranging from 36% to 43% of those surveyed, except for the Northeast Avalon, where only 15% participated.
|
Percent of
Population Participating in Home Production Activities |
||||||
|
Home Production
Activities |
Labrador |
Cormack-Grenfell |
Central |
Eastern |
Avalon |
Northeast Avalon |
|
Grow
a vegetable garden |
20 |
24 |
25 |
18 |
23 |
14 |
|
Renovate
or build a house/cabin |
33 |
25 |
30 |
23 |
25 |
24 |
|
Hunt
or fish for food for self and family |
42 |
38 |
43 |
37 |
36 |
15 |
|
Cut/saw
wood |
32 |
28 |
35 |
31 |
26 |
10 |
|
Make
clothing for self or family (sew/knit) |
20 |
20 |
16 |
18 |
16 |
15 |
|
Repair
car/ATV/ skidoo |
36 |
30 |
31 |
31 |
31 |
22 |
|
Do
general housework |
91 |
90 |
86 |
80 |
87 |
93 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Source: Community Accounts, Labour Activity
Survey, 2001 |
||||||
3.14 What is our personal savings rate?
The
personal savings rate of people in this province has declined from about 13.3%
in 1981 to 1.1% in 2001. This means
that for every $100 of after-tax income, in 2001, we could save $1.10. For Canada as a whole, the personal savings
rate declined from 17.4% to 4.6% over the same time period.
3.15 How much income do we get from market sources?
Over
the past decade, people in this province have obtained about three-quarters of
their total income from market sources compared to about 88% for Canada as a
whole.
3.16 How many of us are employed?[5]
Newfoundland and Labrador’s rate of employment of those aged 20 to 64 has improved over the past 25 years going from 51.7% each month in 1976 to 59.1% in 2001. This trend has followed the country but a gap persists with the Canadian rate of employment still 15 percentage points higher at 73.9% than that of the province.
Because many of the jobs in the province are not full year, the percentage of people actually employed at some time during the year is higher than the 59%. In 2001, about three-quarters of our population had been employed during some portion of the year. Women have substantially closed the gap with men in employment over the past decades.
According to Statistics Canada’s Labour Force Survey, total employment has been growing over time and in 2001 reached an average monthly high of 211,200.
About 95% of those looking for work in 2001 were successful. Some people worked all year while others worked for part of the year.
3.17 How many of us report income from employment and/or self-employment on our income tax returns?
The employment picture looks slightly different if we look at the numbers of people who show income from employment and/or self-employment on their income tax returns. From this source, the number of people in the province who were employed dropped from 279,460 in 1990 to 262,000 in 2000. This was a drop of 8.1% from 75.3% of the population to 67.2% of the population.
The number of people in Canada as a whole who were employed also dropped by 3.5% during the same period of time, however, the decrease was less than in the province.
3.18 What percentage of our working age population participates in the labour force?
During 2001, 70% of our adult population age 20 to 64 participated each month in Newfoundland and Labrador labour markets as either employed or unemployed. This compares with a 79.1% participation rate for Canada.
The province’s participation rate has increased over the past 25 years, due to the increasing number of women entering the work force. The participation rate for women has grown from 35.9% to 64.4% between 1976 and 2001 while the rate for men has dropped from 80.6% to 75.7%. A similar trend exists in the country as a whole.
Because many of the jobs in the province are not full year more than 70% of our total population, an estimated 79% of those aged 18-64 in 2001, are in the labour market for at least part of the year. 87% of men and 72% of women participated in the labour market.
3.19 How many people are in the labour force?
In the
year 2000, income tax returns showed that 267,830 individuals participated in
labour force activities by either being employed or being unemployed and
receiving EI benefits. The
labour force in the province has decreased by 8% since 1991 - from 291,830 in
1990 to 267,830 in 2000. The number of
men in the labour force has decreased by 11% while the number of women has
decreased by 4%. By comparison, the labour force in Canada as a whole has grown
by 14% - 11% for men and 17% for women.
3.20 Do we work in the private sector or in the public sector?
In 2001,
the majority surveyed in all SSP regions reported they worked in the private
sector, ranging from a low of 52% in the Northeast Avalon to a high of 67% in
the Avalon region. The top four sectors
in the province were: Health Care,
which accounted for 14% of jobs in the province, followed by Retail Trade
at11%, Public Administration at 9% and Education at 8%.
In 2001 67% of employees in this province worked in the private sector, up from 60% in 1976. The percentage working in the private sector in Canada has been consistently higher with 78% in 2001 compared to 73% in 1976. This province has consistently since 1976 had a lower proportion of employees working in the private sector than all other provinces, which in 2001 ranged from 69% in Saskatchewan to 81% in Ontario.
3.21 What jobs do we have?
A 2001 survey showed
that the largest occupational category was “Occupations unique to forestry
operations, mining, oil and gas extraction, and fishing, excluding labourers.” This category accounted for only 7% of jobs in the
province. Within
the four top sectors, however, certain occupational categories predominate.
Health:
Childcare and home support workers 27%
Technical and related occupations 21%
Nurse supervisors and registered nurses 15%
Retail Trade:
Cashiers 25%
Retail salespersons and sales clerks 22%
Managers 20%
Public Administration:
Judges, lawyers, psychologists, social workers, ministers 28%
Clerical occupations 11%
Administrative and regulatory occupations 10%
Educational Services:
Teachers and professors 52%
Childcare and home support workers 17%
3.22 How many of us are employed full-year?
About 52% of the people in the labour market worked all year in 2001. Another 43% worked for part of the year and the remaining 5% did not find work at all. The Northeast Avalon and Labrador SSP Regions fared the best in terms of full year employment with 64% and 57% of their labour force working all year. The lowest was the Eastern SSP Region where only 37% found work all year.
3.23 What is the likelihood of being unemployed during the year?
While participation rates are higher, unemployment rates are much lower than is reported in the media. The average monthly unemployment rate in 2001 was 16%.
About 43% of people in the labour market worked for only part of the year in 2001. Within the SSP regions, the Eastern region had the highest percentage of its labour force employed for only part of the year while Northeast Avalon had the lowest percentage. Five percent of the people in our labour force who sought work could not find any during the year.
3.24 How many weeks are part-year workers employed?
Both men and women who
worked for part of the year in 2001 were employed for about 25 weeks on
average. Over 40% of those employed for
part of the year worked 20 weeks or less while another 53% worked between 21
and 40 weeks.
3.25 How many of us work full-time?
Newfoundland and Labrador typically has more of its employment in full-time jobs (i.e. 30 hours per week or more) compared to Canada as a whole. In 2001, 89.2% of the employment in the province for 25 to 64 year-olds was full-time compared with 87.1% for Canada. Full-time employment has declined slightly from a high in 1976 of 94% in this province and 91% for Canada overall.
In 2001, 94% of jobs were full-time for men aged 20 to 64, compared to 81% for women.
The highest percentage of part-time jobs was found in the Northeast Avalon SSP region where 16% of the jobs were less than 30 hours per week. Only 8% of the jobs in the Cormack-Grenfell and Labrador SSP regions were part-time.
3.26 What is the employment rate of youth?
In 2001, 88% of men and 78% of women aged 18 to 24 surveyed in the province said they had had some paid employment during the year.
In 2001, the monthly employment rate of 15 to 24 year old students in full-time studies in Newfoundland and Labrador ranged from a high of 20.6% in December to a low of 14.8% in September. More students in the country as a whole were employed throughout the year with monthly employment rates over 35% in all months in 2001.
In 2001, the monthly employment rate of 15 to 24 year old students in part-time studies in the province ranged from a high of 78.9% in April to a low of 46.7% in February. The Canadian employment rates for part-time students did not fluctuate as they did in this province. Many more part-time students in Canada as a whole were employed throughout the year than in this province. Monthly rates for Canada ranged between 65% and 73%.
3.27 Are we satisfied with our work?
In a 2001 survey, 84% said they were satisfied, with slightly more men than women being satisfied with their work.
3.28 Are we dissatisfied with the hours of work we get each year?
Only about 4% of the workers employed in the province and surveyed in 2001 said they were dissatisfied because they did not work enough hours. The percentages varied from a high of 9.4% in the Eastern SSP region to less than 1% in the Northeast Avalon region.
3.29 What about transfers from government?
The number of people who received Employment Insurance (EI) in this province dropped by about one third between 1992 and 1996, followed by a slight decrease of about 3% between 1996 and 2001. In 1992, 53% of the total labour force -154,235 people - received EI while in 2000 there were 99,740, about 37% of the total labour force. In 2001 there were 99,725 people in this province who received EI.
The number of people who cited home residence as Newfoundland and Labrador and reported EI Benefits on their tax returns peaked in 1992, and has declined since that time. In 1998 about 19% fewer taxfilers from this province reported EI benefits than in 1984.
The number of people receiving Social Assistance at some point during the year has dropped by 30%, from 101,105 in 1992 to 70,885 in 2001.
The number of people receiving Old Age Security (OAS) and/or Canada Pension Plan (CPP) payments is increasing as the population ages. The number receiving the combined OAS and Guaranteed Income Supplement (GIS) increased 55% between 1990 and 2000 and for CPP increased by 65%. In 1996, 11.0% of the total population in the province received OAS and/or GIS and 12.3% received CPP compared to Canada as a whole at 12.1% and 13.5% respectively.
Two-thirds of all seniors who received the OAS in October 2002 in this province also received the GIS, the supplement provided to seniors with low incomes. This province had the highest percentage of seniors in the country that received the GIS, the percentage for the country as a whole being about 35%.
3.30 How self-reliant are we in terms of income?
People in this province get a smaller portion of their personal incomes from earnings and a greater proportion from government transfers than people in the rest of Canada.
In 2000 about 78% of our personal incomes came from earnings compared to 77% in 1994.
Husband and wife families are the most self-reliant in both this province and the country. Lone parent families in this province have not become more self-reliant since 1995 as was the case for Canada. Both family types in this province are considerably more reliant on transfers, particularly on EI, than are families in Canada as a whole.
In 2000 lone parent families, primarily led by women, received about 38% of their income from government transfers - almost 20% from the combination of Employment Insurance (8.2%) and Social Assistance (10.9%). The situation has improved slightly since 1994 when about 40% of their personal incomes came from government transfers.
Single–parent families in Canada are more self-reliant in terms of income, receiving about 22% from government transfers in 2000 compared to about 30% in 1994.
In 2000 husband and wife families relied less on government transfers than did single-parent families, receiving about 18% of their personal incomes from government transfers – about 9% from the combination of Social Assistance (1.1%) and Employment Insurance (7.6%). This is a very slight improvement since 1994 when they received about 20% from government transfers.
Husband and wife families in this province continue to be less self-reliant in terms of income than similar families in Canada, who in 2000 received about 9% of personal income from government transfers (compared to 11% in 1994).
Many people who work either full-time or part-time are eligible for a supplement from Social Assistance because of low earnings or above average needs. Although many who
would be eligible to receive Social Assistance do not seek it, each month there is an average of about 1400 people, approximately 70% of them women, who receive this supplement. In 2001, about 3800 different individuals and families, some 2% of the total labour force, received these supplements.
3.31 Who receives EI?
For the past seven years about 78% of those who received EI were aged 25-54 – the prime labour force ages.
The proportion of the prime labour force receiving EI is somewhat higher than in the early 1990s because youth aged 15-24 are now less reliant on EI.
Men have been more likely than women to collect EI. In 1992, 59% of EI beneficiaries were men. This had increased to 63% by 1998 and remains at that level in 2001.
About 37% of women who received EI in 2001 had previously worked in the Sales and Service occupations compared to only 8% of men while about 30% of men had worked in the Trades, Transport and Equipment Operator sector compared to only 2% of women.
3.32 How many of those aged 25-54, receive EI?
In both 1996 and 2001, one quarter of the women in the province aged 25-54, received EI.
Thirty-nine percent of men in the province aged 25-54 received EI in 1996. In 2001, there was a slight increase to 42%.
3.33 How many weeks do EI claimants work?
EI claimants worked on average 40% more weeks in 2001 than in 1992, an average of 31.5 weeks, compared to 22.5 weeks.
The trend to EI claimants working more has been consistent throughout the province. The Northeast Avalon has been consistently higher.
All age groups have followed the same trend although individuals aged 25-34 have had a slightly higher increase compared to other age groups since 1997.
Men and women EI claimants each had an increase of about 20% in the number of weeks worked between 1992 and 1996. Since that time the number of weeks worked by women has increased only slightly by 3.6% to 29 weeks while the number of weeks worked by men has increased by 24% to 33 weeks.
3.34 How many weeks do claimants collect EI?
Newfoundlanders and Labradorians are collecting EI for shorter periods. The average number of EI benefit weeks paid has decreased by 16% from 26.4 weeks in 1992 to 22.1 weeks in 2001. Men and women received similar average numbers of EI benefit weeks from 1992 to 2001.
These trends are consistent in the two sectors below - Trades, Transport and Equipment Operator, and Sales and Service - the predominant employment sectors of male and female EI claimants respectively.
The picture looks somewhat different for the Fish Processing and Fish Harvesting sectors as shown in the two charts below.
People in all SSP regions are collecting EI for shorter periods. The Northeast Avalon area has had the most dramatic decline among SSP regions.
This trend has been similar for all age groups although individuals aged 24 or less traditionally receive slightly fewer benefit weeks.
3.35 What is the Average Weekly Benefit Rate on EI?
The
average weekly benefit rate has risen by about 10% since 1992 - from $255 to
$280 per week in 2001. Adjusted for
inflation however, the average weekly benefit rate in 2001 was $245, an actual
decrease since 1992 of about 4%.
For
men the average weekly benefit rate has risen by about 10% since 1992, from
$295 to $325 per week in 2001. Adjusted for inflation however, the average
weekly benefit rate in 2001 was $280, an actual decrease since 1992 of about
5%.
In
the same period, female benefit rates have risen by about 11%, to $210 per week
in 2001. Adjusted for inflation, the
average weekly benefit rate in 2001 was $185, an actual decrease since 1992 of
about 3%. The average rate for women in
2001 was only 65% of the average weekly benefit rate of men.
3.36 What about the fishery and EI?
The number of fish harvesters receiving EI in 2001 was 13,685, about the same as in 1992. The number of fish plant workers receiving EI in 2001was 9,510 - 43% lower than in 1992.
For
fishing claims the average weekly benefit rate has risen by about 12% since
1992, from $345 to $385 per week in 2001.
Adjusted for inflation, the average weekly benefit rate in 2001 was
$335, an actual decrease since 1992 of about 3%.
In
the same period, benefit rates for fish plant workers have increased by about
2%, to $250 per week in 2001. Adjusted
for inflation, the average weekly benefit rate in 2001 was $220, an actual
decrease since 1992 of about 10%.
3.37 What proportion of the population under age 65 receives Social Assistance?
15.6% of the population under 65 years of age received Social Assistance in 2001, a decrease from 17.7% in 1991 and 20.5% in 1996.
13.8% of the total population received Social Assistance at some point during the year 2001.
For the great majority of those over the age of 65, Old Age Security plus the Guaranteed Income Supplement replace Social Assistance as a source of income.
3.38 What about youth aged 18-29 on Social Assistance?
The number of youth aged
18-29 on Social Assistance has greatly declined - by 40% between 1991 and 2001,
while the number of those aged 30 and above was approximately the same in 2001
as in 1991. The youth population as a
whole declined by 31% and the population aged 30 and above increased by about
10% during the same time period.
In 1991, about 53% of new Social Assistance cases were between 18 and 29 years old. By 2001 the percentage had declined to about 46%, only about 20% of them single parents. The majority was single persons with no dependants and women outnumber men by about 17%.
The decline in the number of new cases aged 18-29 has been most striking, some 68% between 1991 and 2001. The decline in the number of new cases aged 30 and above has been only slightly less dramatic – a decline of 56% from 1991 compared to 2001.
Disability or illness was a factor for 11% of youth new entrants.
3.39 How many children are in families that receive Social Assistance at some point during the year?
Between 1991 and 2001 the number of children aged 0-17 in the province dropped by 30%. The number of children in households receiving Social Assistance at some point during the year dropped 35.6%, from 35,700 to 23,000.
In 1991 almost one third of all children in the province aged 0-4 years of age were in families who received Social Assistance at some point during that year. By 2001, this proportion had dropped to 25%, some 6200 children.
In an average month in 2001, there were about 17,500 children under the age of 17 in 10,600 families who received Social Assistance.
The
average number of children in families receiving Social Assistance dropped from
1.81 in 1992 to 1.65 in 2001, similar in size to all families in the
province.
In all
SSP regions, the percentage decline between 1991 and 2001 in the number of
children aged 0-17 in families who received Social Assistance was greater
than the percentage decline in the total number of children of that age.
3.40 How many adults with disabilities require Social Assistance?
Persons with disabilities - physical, mental, developmental and/or social - consistently make up about one third of all Social Assistance cases.
3.41 How many years do households receive any Social Assistance?
More than one quarter of all cases received Social Assistance in only 1 year in the period between 1997 and 2002. About 27% received Social Assistance in each of the six years.
3.42 What proportion of households on Social Assistance receives assistance for six or more years?
Only about 18% received Social Assistance for ten or more months in each of the six years between 1997-2002. Almost half (43%) of households who received Social Assistance did so for less than 10 months in any of the years from 1997 to 2002.
In recent years, more people are leaving Social Assistance than entering. In 2001, about 2,700 people left and 2,400 people entered the program each month.
Vibrant, Distinctive and Supportive Communities
The Strategic Social Plan put forward a place-based development approach. By this it meant that our communities play a role in our social and economic well-being. Information on key aspects related to the economy, our involvement in electing representatives to govern, in voluntary agencies as volunteers, and other community activities are included in this section.
This report has a provincial focus, so rather than assessing each community individually, the key indicators related to the well-being of people within the context of their communities are provided on an overall provincial basis.
4.1 What has been the rate of employment growth?
Since 1998, employment growth in the province has averaged 2.9%
annually, second highest of all other provinces and ahead of the national
growth rate of 2.2%.
4.2 Is the number of businesses increasing?
The number of businesses registered in this province has been stable over the period 1999 to 2001. Variations over the three-year period have been small. The only increase in businesses registered was 1% in the Northeast Avalon SSP Region. Labrador and Avalon SSP Regions showed declines of 3%, Eastern 2% and Cormack-Grenfell 1% while Central Region showed no change.
4.3 How diverse is the economy?
When most jobs in an area are concentrated in a small number of industrial sectors, the diversification of the economy is lower than if the same number of jobs were spread out among a greater number of different industrial sectors.
As noted previously, about 42%
of all jobs in the province are found within four industrial sectors - Health Care and Social Assistance, Retail Trade,
Public Administration, and Educational Services. Labrador, which is the least diversified SSP Region, has
51% of jobs clustered within four sectors – 21% in the Mining and Oil and Gas
Extraction sector alone.
In total, more people work in the private sector than in the public sector in all SSP regions. However if we look at the top four sectors in each region, we clearly see the importance of the public sector in the overall job picture.
4.4 What are the rates of domestic and external sales growth?
Real retail sales (in millions of 1997 dollars) have grown in nine of
the last 13 years, with an average annual growth of 1.6%.
Growth in retail sales between 1996 and 2001 was the second strongest
among all provinces (behind Alberta) and outpaced national growth.
Wholesale trade has also benefited from the growth in retail trade, in
addition to increased housing starts and a flourishing oil industry, leading to
average growth of 2.2% annually over the last 13 years.
Similarly, exports have demonstrated real average growth of 2.7% annually over the last 13 years, mainly driven by newsprint, oil, and services, and since 1997, fishery.
4.5 Do we vote?
The highest voter turnout in a provincial election was in 1971 when 86.3% voted. Since then between 70-84% of those eligible have voted. Since Confederation, the proportions voting in provincial elections have been consistently higher than in federal elections, averaging 72% compared to an average of 62% respectively. During the 1990s however, the percentage voting in federal elections was about 55% and in the federal election of 2000, this province had one of the lowest voter turnouts in the country at 57.1%.
4.6 How many special cultural events are held in the province?
In 2002, there were 345 festivals and events held in the province.
4.7 How many people visit our historic sites annually? Our Arts and Culture Centres?
There was an average of 55,745 visitors annually to the Provincial Historical Sites in the province from 1990 to 2001. Visits peaked in 1997 at about 93,500 but by 2001 had dropped to 1990 levels of approximately 45,000 visitors annually.
An average of 156,959 people attended performances at the provinces Arts and Culture Centres each year from 1996-97 to 2001-02. Attendance peaked in 1998-99 at 165,175 while attendance in 2001-02 was 158,516.
4.8 What proportion of students is involved in music and fine arts?
In 2000, 65% of boys and 84% of girls in Grade 6 said they were involved in music activities. In Grade 12, only 44% of girls and 37% of boys reported being involved.
Involvement in drama, dance and visual arts activities is less common than involvement in music for both boys and girls. More girls participate in drama, dance and visual arts at Grade 6 and Grade 12 - 58% and 37% respectively, compared to 41% of boys at Grade 6 and one quarter by Grade 12.
4.9 How much music do we produce in the province?
Between 1995 and 1999, there were 330 musical releases in Newfoundland and Labrador, an average of 66 per year. About 63% of these releases are traditional/Celtic music and Newfoundland and Labrador country music. The remaining 37% of the releases are primarily pop/rock, gospel, country, classical and blues/jazz music.
4.10 Where are our voluntary organizations?
There are more than 4000 voluntary organizations in the province. The Northeast Avalon is the region with the highest population, and has the most organizations. Labrador has the fewest but also has the lowest population of the SSP regions.
4.11 How much do we formally volunteer?
Men aged 15 and over volunteered through a group or organization at about the same rate as other Canadians in 2000, about 27%, compared to 36% of women in the province and 28% of women nationally. There was a slight decrease in the rates of volunteering between 1997 and 2000, while the average numbers of hours spent volunteering increased.
The proportion of those in this province who volunteer is consistently higher for age groups 15-24 and 25-34 than is the case for Canada as a whole.
The number of hours that men volunteer in this province is also higher than for Canadian men and higher than for women in this province.
In 2001, 21% of adults aged 18 to 64 in this province reported they are members of a volunteer organization. 39% of this group did work for one or more organizations during 2001, about one third of them putting in five or more hours of work per week. Almost three quarters volunteered throughout the year.
4.12 What proportion of youth volunteer at least one hour per week?
Students in Grade 6 and Grade 12 are volunteering at somewhat similar rates to adults. About 45% of girls and 35% of boys in Grade 6 volunteer for 1 or more hours per week. In Grade 12 the proportion of girls volunteering for 1 or more hours per week remains the same while the proportion of boys has dropped slightly to about 29%.
4.13 How much informal care do we provide to others without being paid?
Fourteen percent of adults, aged 18 to 64 in this province reported providing care to others on a regular basis without pay in 2001. Over half of those reported caring for seniors, about 40% cared for children other than their own and 20% cared for disabled or sick individuals. In all cases the majority of the caregivers were women.
Thirteen percent of those aged 18 to 64 reported they volunteered in one or more places such as churches, schools or hospitals in 2001. Sixty percent of these people reported volunteering in churches, 43% in schools and about 14% in senior homes and another 13% in hospitals.
4.14 Do we do favours for others?
Ninety-two percent of those surveyed in the island portion of the province in 2001 reported that they do favours for others. The younger age groups did favours more often than the older age groups but there was no difference between men and women.
4.15 What proportion of students is involved in organized activities?
Students in 1998 and 2000 reported considerable involvement in organized activities outside of school such as sports, music, and clubs, etc.
In 2000, seven out of every 10 Grade 6 girls and six out of every 10 Grade 12 girls reported they spent one or more hours per week while 16% of girls in both Grade 6 and Grade 12 reported spending more than 4 hours per week in organized activities outside school.
About 66% of Grade 6 and Grade 12 boys reported they spent one or more hours per week while about 25% reported spending more than 4 hours.
In 2000, students also reported considerable involvement in organized activities within the schools such as sports, band, choir, and clubs, etc. although the percentages were generally lower than for outside school for both Grade 6 and Grade 12. Indeed by Grade 12 half of boys and 46% of girls either had no involvement or less than one hour per week in these activities within the school.
