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Section 3: Social Contacts

Canadians engage in various social networks comprised of different people, including family and close friends; colleagues, customers and business contacts; neighbours; and even acquaintances on the street. Membership in social networks can provide many benefits to individuals, such as emotional support, information and goods and services.

Family and friends

GSS respondents were asked a series of questions about the number of people with whom they have relationships. Specifically,

How many relatives (excluding those who live in your household) do you have who you feel close to, that is, who you feel at ease with, can talk to about what is on your mind, or call on for help?

How many close friends do you have, that is, people who are not your relatives, but who you feel at ease with, can talk to about what is on your mind, or call on for help?

How many other friends do you have who are not relatives or close friends?

In the last month, how many new people did you meet outside of work or school, that is people who you hadn't met before and who you intend to stay in contact with?

The number of social contacts reported by Canadians is shown in Chart 23. The vast majority of Canadians (92 to 93%) reported that they have at least one relative or one friend with whom they are close; 6 to 7% said they have no close relatives or no close friends. Most Canadians (58%) said they have 1 to 5 relatives with whom they are close, while 63% said they have 1 to 5 close friends. Similarly, most Canadians (55%) said they have more than 10 other friends, in addition to their 'close friends'.

About one-third of Canadians said that in the past month they had met 1 to 5 new acquaintances with whom they intended to stay in touch, while 7% of Canadians had met 6 or more new acquaintances.

Chart 23. The number of family, friends and acquaintances in the social networks of Canadians, Canada, 2003

There are noticeable differences in the social contacts maintained by individuals in younger and older age groups. More specifically, individuals under 30 years of age typically have larger networks of friends and acquaintances than those in older age groups. For example, individuals under age 30 were less likely than those in older age groups to have said they have no close friends, and were more likely to have said that they have many 'other friends' or new acquaintances (Table 9). This likely reflects the fact that many of these young people have not yet married, had children and 'settled down.'

Table 9. The number of family, friends and acquaintances in the social networks of Canadians, by age group, Canada, 2003

GSS respondents were asked about how often in the last month they had seen their relatives and friends, and how often they had communicated with relatives and friends by telephone and email.¹⁸

In the previous month, 38% of Canadians had seen their relatives at least once a week (not counting family members with whom they lived), 43% had seen their relatives at least once, and 18% had not seen their relatives at all. Most Canadians (92%) had spoken with their relatives by telephone during the previous month, with most (56%) having done so on a weekly basis.

Many Canadians (39%) had communicated with their relatives in the previous month using the internet, with individuals under 30 years of age most likely to have done so (at 70%). One-third of individuals aged 50 to 64 (33%) had communicated with their relatives using the internet, while this was the case for 12% of persons aged 65 or older.

When asked about their friends, most Canadians (55%) said they have seen their friends on a weekly basis during the previous month while 34% had seen their friends at least once during that period.¹⁹ Most Canadians (87%) had spoken with their friends by telephone during the previous month, with most (55%) have done so on a weekly basis.

The internet played an important role in the maintenance of friendships. Over one-quarter of Canadians (27%) said that in the previous month they had communicated with their friends on a weekly basis using the internet, while another 18% said they had communicated with friends at least once in this way during the month.²⁰

Among persons aged 25 to 54, use of the internet to communicate with family and friends was more prevalent among individuals with higher levels of educational attainment and among those who lived in households with higher incomes (Table 10). Furthermore, immigrants who arrived in Canada since 1990 were more likely than others to use the internet to communicate with their relatives. This is probably because the internet was a cost-effective way for immigrants to communicate with family members in other countries, as well as because recent immigrants have, on average, higher levels of educational attainment than Canadian-born persons.

Table 10. Percentage of Canadians aged 25 to 54 who used the internet in the previous month to communicate with family and friends, by selected characteristics, 2003

Familiarity with one's neighbours

In addition to the networks maintained with family and friends, Canadians also have ties in the neighbourhoods in which they live. More specifically, GSS respondents were asked:

Now I would like to ask you a few questions about your more immediate neighbourhood.
Would you say that you know.

most of the people in your neighbourhood?
many of the people in your neighbourhood?
a few of the people in your neighbourhood?
nobody else in your neighbourhood?

Respondents were not provided with a definition of "your more immediate neighbourhood" but answered the question based on their own understanding of the term.

Over one-quarter of Canadians (27%) said they know most of the people in their neighbourhood, while 16% said they know many of them. Combining these two categories, 43% of Canadians have fairly extensive contacts in their immediate neighbourhood.

Just under one-half of Canadians (48%) said they know 'a few of the people' in their neighbourhood, suggesting that these individuals do not have extensive contacts in the area, and finally, about 7% said they know 'nobody else' in their neighbourhood.²¹

The 2003 GSS confirms the image of rural and small town areas as places where people are most 'neighbourly'. Indeed, over one-half (54%) of individuals who lived in these areas said they know most of the people in their neighbourhood, while this was the case for 17% of individuals in Canada 's largest cities. As shown in Chart 24, the share of Canadians who know most of their neighbours declined steadily as urban size increased.²²

Chart 24. Percentage of Canadians who know most, many, a few or none of the people in their immediate neighbourhood, by urban size, Canada, 2003

The length of time that individuals had lived in their neighbourhood was strongly associated with the extent to which they know their neighbours. Among individuals residing in CMAs, just under one-half of those who had lived in their neighbourhood for five years or more said they know most or many of their neighbours, while this was the case for 19% of those who had been in the neighbourhood for 1 to 3 years and only 10% of those who had been in the neighbourhood for less than a year (Table 11).

Table 11. The extent to which Canadians know the people in their immediate neighbourhood, by selected characteristics, Canada, 2003

There was also a correlation between the type of dwelling in which people live and the extent to which they know their neighbours. Table 12 shows the extent to which people who lived in single family homes, apartments, or other types of dwellings know their neighbours. The information is presented separately for people residing in CMAs and elsewhere and is limited to individuals who have lived in their neighbourhood for five years or more.

Considering individuals in CMAs, 51% of those residing in single detached homes know most or many of the people in their neighbourhood, while this was the case for only 28% of those residing in apartments.

Table 12. The extent to which Canadians know the people in their immediate neighbourhood, by selected characteristics, Canada, 2003