Aboriginal Peoples Survey: Well-being of the non-reserve Aboriginal population

Canada's non-reserve Aboriginal population faces ongoing challenges in health, education, housing and language, according a new report showing first results from the 2001 Aboriginal Peoples Survey (APS). Gains are being made, however, as the data for young Aboriginal people show.

The APS data showed some promise for the new generation of Aboriginal young people. Seven out of 10 Aboriginal people (69%) aged 15-24 in non-reserve areas rated their health as very good or excellent, virtually on par with 71% of the total Canadian population in the same age group.

The report found that education levels have increased for younger Aboriginal people, as shown by the growing percentage who have completed post-secondary studies. However, obstacles still exist, preventing many from completing their education. Among Aboriginal people aged 25 to 44, family responsibilities topped the list of reasons for not finishing post-secondary studies. This reason was reported by nearly one-quarter (24%) of this group.

Nearly one-half, or 45%, of all Aboriginal adults reported the presence of one or more chronic conditions. Arthritis or rheumatism was the top chronic condition among those aged 15 and over, with nearly one in five (19%) Aboriginal adults reporting this diagnosis. As well, rates of diabetes were considerably higher in all age groups for the non-reserve Aboriginal population than for the total Canadian population.

There were concerns over water quality among Aboriginal people, especially among Inuit in the Canadian Arctic. About one-third (34%) reported water contamination at some point during the year.

The retention and revitalization of Aboriginal languages also presented some challenges, as many people have found their Aboriginal languages slipping away from lack of use. However, the importance of Aboriginal languages is still widely recognized by Aboriginal people.

This is the first in a series of releases from the 2001 APS. Successive reports will look more deeply into themes such as children, health, education, language and mobility.

More health problems among non-reserve Aboriginal people, although a majority still reported excellent or very good health

Self-rated health status is considered a reliable indicator of health that successfully crosses cultural lines. The majority of non-reserve Aboriginal people (56%) reported that their health was excellent or very good. By comparison, 65% of the total Canadian population reported excellent or very good health (age standardized to the Aboriginal population).

While the total non-reserve Aboriginal population rated their health status lower than the total Canadian population, this gap was negligible among young adults. However, the gap between the health status of the Aboriginal population and the total Canadian population widened significantly in the older age groups. For every 10-year age group between the ages of 25 and 64, the proportion of Aboriginal people who reported their health as fair or poor was about double that of the total Canadian population.

This was even more pronounced among Aboriginal women. For example, four in 10 (41%) Aboriginal women aged 55-64 reported fair or poor health, more than double the proportion of 19% of women in the same age group in the total Canadian population.

Chronic conditions: Rates of diabetes have increased, particularly for the North American Indian population

The most common chronic conditions for the adult non-reserve Aboriginal population were arthritis or rheumatism, high blood pressure and asthma. Among the adult population, 19% of the non-reserve Aboriginal population reported arthritis or rheumatism, nearly twice the proportion of 11% among the total Canadian population. Similarly, 12% of the Aboriginal population reported high blood pressure, compared with 8.7% among the total population, while 11.6% of the Aboriginal population reported asthma, slightly higher than the 10.3% for the total population.

Diabetes was the fifth most prevalent health problem reported among the adult non-reserve Aboriginal population. It has become an important health issue because rates are rising among the Aboriginal population, particularly among non-reserve North American Indian adults. In addition, diabetes is being diagnosed at younger ages, is more severe when diagnosed and has high rates of complications. In 2001, 8.3% of non-reserve North American Indian adults stated that they had been diagnosed with diabetes compared to 5.3% in 1991. For the total Canadian population the age-standardized rate was 2.9%.

The percentage of Métis and Inuit adults diagnosed with diabetes remained almost the same from 1991 to 2001 . For Métis adults, the 2001 rate was 5.9% compared with 5.5% in 1991. Among Inuit adults, the rate remained almost unchanged: 2.3% for 2001 compared to 1.9% in 1991.

Diabetes was particularly prevalent among older Aboriginal women in 2001. Among Aboriginal women aged 65 and over, one in four reported they had been diagnosed with diabetes, compared with one in 10 for all Canadian senior women. For Aboriginal men the gap was smaller, with one in five Aboriginal senior men reporting diabetes compared to one in seven for all Canadian senior men.

Schooling: Aboriginal young people making progress at all levels

Census data indicate that between 1996 and 2001, non-reserve North American Indian, Métis and Inuit populations all made important gains in education. Increasing numbers were completing secondary school and moving on to finish post-secondary studies.

Progress is being made at the secondary level as fewer young Aboriginal people in non-reserve areas are leaving secondary school prior to graduation. In 1996, 52% of Aboriginal youth aged 20-24 had incomplete secondary school as their highest level of schooling. This declined to 48% in 2001. North American Indian, Métis and Inuit youth have all made gains at the secondary level over this time period.

Despite this progress, completion rates at the secondary level remain a challenge. Aboriginal Peoples Survey data show that for those aged 15 to 19, the most common reason for leaving school early was boredom. One-fifth (20%) of young non-reserve Aboriginal people reported this reason. Data from the 1999 Youth in Transition Survey also show that boredom was the top reason given for not completing high school by Canadians aged 18 to 20 years living in the ten provinces.

There has also been positive change at the post-secondary level. In 1996, about one-third (32%) of non-reserve Aboriginal people aged 25-34 had completed post-secondary studies. By 2001, this figure had increased to 37%. Figures for the total Canadian population the same age also increased from 52% to 58%.

For non-reserve Aboriginal people aged 25 to 34, there have been gains at the university and other post-secondary levels. For example, in 1996, 5% of young Aboriginal people had completed university compared with 8% in 2001. For other types of post-secondary education (including college and trades), there was an increase from 27% to 30% over the five year period.

Young people in each of the three main Aboriginal groups have made progress at the post-secondary level. The proportion of Métis people aged 25-34 with a completed post-secondary education rose from 34% to 40%. The proportion for non-reserve North American Indian people rose from 31% to 36%, while the percentage for Inuit rose slightly from 27% to 29%.

However, the APS indicates that there are still obstacles to overcome. For women aged 25-44 who had started their post-secondary schooling, the most common reason for not completing their education was family responsibilities (34%). Financial reasons topped the list for men, with nearly one in four (24%) stating this reason.

Standard of living: Crowded homes, concerns about water quality

The census found that Aboriginal people were more likely to live in crowded conditions than the total Canadian population, although the situation has improved slightly over time. Crowding is defined as one or more people per room.

In 2001, about 17% of non-reserve Aboriginal people lived in crowded conditions. This was down from 22% five years earlier . In comparison, about 7% of all Canadians lived in crowded conditions in 2001.

Crowding continues to be an issue in the Canadian Arctic, where four-fifths of Inuit live. In 2001, more than one-half (53%) of Inuit living in this region were in crowded conditions, down slightly from 61% five years earlier . This was particularly true in Nunavik in northern Quebec, which was the only Inuit region in which the crowding situation did not improve between 1996 and 2001.

The APS also found concerns over water quality, especially among the Inuit in the Canadian Arctic.

Just over one-third (34%) of Inuit in the Arctic said there were times of the year when their water was contaminated. The problem was most serious in the Nunavik region in northern Quebec where nearly three-quarters (73%) of Inuit felt that there their water was contaminated at some point in the year.

Aboriginal languages: Some evidence of revitalization

In general, the vitality of many of the Aboriginal languages spoken by two of the three main Aboriginal groups - North American Indian and Métis - in non-reserve areas declined between 1996 and 2001.

However, the situation was more positive for Inuktitut, spoken by many Inuit. It remains one of the healthiest Aboriginal languages in the country.

The 2001 APS asked respondents if they could speak or understand an Aboriginal language. Among non-reserve North American Indian adults aged 15 and over, just under one-third (32%) said they could. Less than 15% said they were able to speak an Aboriginal language very well or relatively well.

Aboriginal languages among North American Indian children in non-reserve areas were not as strong, as only 25% could speak or understand an Aboriginal language.

Of the three main groups, the Métis were least likely to know an Aboriginal language. In 2001, only 16% of Métis adults reported being able to speak or understand an Aboriginal language and only 5% were able to speak very well or relatively well. Moreover, only 11% of Métis children less than 15 years of age could speak or understand an Aboriginal language.

However, the APS showed that the vast majority (90%) of Inuit aged 15 and over living in the Canadian Arctic said they could understand or speak Inuktitut. Eighty percent said they could speak it very well.

Inuktitut remains strong among Inuit children in Canada's Arctic, as nine in 10 could speak or understand this language, and 63% could speak it very well or relatively well.

The 2001 Census showed some evidence of language revitalization. A slightly larger percentage of people could converse in an Aboriginal language than the share who reported having an Aboriginal mother tongue. Mother tongue is the first language learned in childhood and still understood.

While 12% said they had an Aboriginal mother tongue, 15% said they could converse in an Aboriginal language. This suggests that some people are learning to speak an Aboriginal language later in life.

Data from the APS show that schools can help facilitate language learning. Just over one-third (35%) of children that could speak an Aboriginal language received help in learning their language from their school teachers. This was especially the case in the Canadian Arctic where 54% of Inuit children received some help with language learning from their teachers.

The majority of Aboriginal people recognized the importance of Aboriginal languages. About six in 10, or 59%, of non-reserve Aboriginal adults stated that keeping, learning or relearning an Aboriginal language was very or somewhat important. The same proportion of people responding on behalf of children reported that it was very or somewhat important to them that the child speak and understand an Aboriginal language.

Definitions, data sources and methods: survey number 3250.

The report Aboriginal Peoples Survey 2001 Initial findings: Well-being of the non-reserve Aboriginal population (89-589-XIE, free) is now available on Statistics Canada's website (http://www.statcan.gc.ca). From the Our products and services page, under Browse our Internet publications, choose Free, then Population and Demography.

A number of supporting tables are also available at the provincial and territorial level in the publication Aboriginal Peoples Survey 2001: Initial release - supporting tables (89-592-XIE, free).

For more information, or to enquire about the concepts, methods or data quality of this release, contact Media Relations (613-951-4636), Communications Division.