This survey collects information about housing needs and experiences from a sample of Canadian households. Data from the Canadian Housing Survey will be used to help understand and address issues such as access to affordable housing, and to improve housing conditions.
Your information may also be used by Statistics Canada for other statistical and research purposes.
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Confidentiality
Data are collected under the authority of the Statistics Act, Revised Statutes of Canada, 1985, Chapter S-19. Your information will be kept strictly confidential.
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Record linkage
To enhance the data from this survey and to reduce response burden, Statistics Canada will combine the information you provide with data from:
- longitudinal immigration database (IMDB)
- personal tax data.
Statistics Canada may also combine the information you provide with data from other surveys or administrative sources.
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Block Information on Topics covered in the survey
Topics covered in the survey
The survey asks questions about
- housing needs
- social and affordable housing
- subsidized housing
- forced moves
- satisfaction with dwelling and neighborhood
- household’s social interactions with the community
- health
- homelessness
- socio-demographic characteristics
- access to transportation
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Published data
To see results from cycles 1 and 2 of the Canadian Housing Survey (CHS), please click on the following links:
Cycle 1:
- First results from the Canadian Housing Survey, 2018
- One in ten Canadian households living in core housing need in 2018
- Results from the new Canadian Housing Survey, 2018
- First-Time Homebuyers in Canada, 2018
- Canadian Housing Survey, 2018: A portrait of renter households living in social and affordable housing
- A portrait of Canadians who have been homeless, 2022
Cycle 2:
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Block Information on Frequently asked questions
Survey-specific questions
- Why should I participate?
- Why are you collecting this information and what will it be used for?
- What type of housing does the survey cover?
- When will the results for the survey be available?
- Why does Statistics Canada want to know personal information such as my age, gender or postal code?
- How will you safeguard the confidentiality of my information?
Why should I participate?
Your participation in this survey is voluntary. However, it is important in order to create a complete and accurate picture of housing in all regions of Canada. Your responses ensure that your type of household—single individuals, lone-parent families, retired couples, etc.—is well represented in the survey results and in the decisions that are made using those results.
Why are you collecting this information and what will it be used for?
Results from the Canadian Housing Survey (CHS) help provide a comprehensive picture of the state of housing in Canada, and fill important housing-related data gaps to support the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation’s National Housing Strategy (NHS).
The CHS is conducted biennially in partnership with the CMHC to support the development of the NHS. The CHS collects information about the housing needs and experiences of Canadians. The collected information supports policy decisions to improve housing conditions and access to affordable housing.
What type of housing does the survey cover?
We use the term “housing” to refer to where you live and that includes various types of structures and arrangements. Please speak to us about that place you call home (whatever that might be!) by participating in our survey.
When will the results for the survey be available?
Survey results are planned to be released in 2023-2024 Once the survey data are verified and analyzed, the results are published in various formats. Survey highlights are published in Statistics Canada’s official release bulletin The Daily.
Why does Statistics Canada want to know personal information such as my age, gender or postal code?
When your data reaches Statistics Canada—whether from surveys or administrative sources—some of it is used to create a demographic profile. Then, we remove personal identifiers and only retain information such as age, gender, and geographical location. This data is merged with that of other people who share the same demographic profile (for example, groupings based on the same age, gender, or geographical location).
Even if questions related to personal information may seem irrelevant to the subject of the survey, they provide a deeper knowledge of respondents' characteristics, which allows us to create a representative sample of the Canadian population. By analyzing this large database, researchers are able to observe emerging patterns and trends and provide important information to governments, non-profit organizations, researchers, and the wider public.
How will you safeguard the confidentiality of my information?
As with all Statistics Canada surveys, any information provided will remain confidential pursuant to the Statistics Act. Statistics Canada takes the privacy of Canadians very seriously. Published data can never identify you or your household.
To find out more about the measures in place to safeguard the confidentiality of your information, visit Statistics Canada's Trust Centre.
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Brochure
Housing information is key to overcoming housing challenges
The Canadian Housing Survey (CHS) collects information about the housing needs and experiences of Canadians. The goal is to collect information that will lead to improved housing conditions and greater access to affordable housing.
Statistics Canada conducts the CHS in partnership with Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation.
Housing is more than just a roof over our heads
Learning about the housing needs and experiences of Canadians is a vital first step in finding solutions to some of our important challenges. To do that, Statistics Canada needs your help!
Share your experience, and participate in the Canadian Housing Survey. Help us learn more about how housing relates to the well-being of Canadians and how affordable housing can help communities be inclusive and sustainable.
Specifically, the survey will help answer questions such as:
- are people satisfied with their homes, their neighbourhoods and their communities?
- are those most in need able to access affordable housing?
- what factors contributed towards locating and maintaining stable housing?
- how does your household’s access to transportation impact your participation in employment and non-employment-related activities?
You can make a world of difference
Whether or not you are satisfied with your housing, your participation makes a difference.
By interviewing a cross section of the population, Statistics Canada will deliver an up-to-date snapshot of the housing needs of Canadians and the state of Canada’s affordable housing.
This information will guide decisions about social and housing programs designed to meet the needs of Canadians.Your answers are important as they represent other Canadians like you. Every person who does not answer the survey impacts the quality of the results. Your participation is essential to ensuring the data is the best it can be!
Participating is easy
Statistics Canada is conducting this survey in all provinces and territories. We know Canadians are busy, and we very much appreciate you taking the time to assist us with the Canadian Housing Survey.
Please refer to the letter you received from Statistics Canada. It contains the information you need to access and complete the survey.
The information you provide is confidential
All information collected by Statistics Canada is strictly confidential and is protected by the Statistics Act. Statistics Canada cannot release any information that would identify you or any member of your household without your consent. Furthermore, this information cannot be released under any other law, not even the Access to Information Act.
Need more information?
Website: Information for survey participants (ISP)
Visit www.statcan.gc.ca/CHS
For survey-related enquiries:
1-833-977-8287For technical assistance or other enquiries:
1-877-949-9492TTY Device for the Hearing Impaired:
1-866-753-7083Thank you for participating!
Follow us on social media.
- For more information about this survey (questionnaires, definitions, data sources and methods used): survey number 5269
