Your time counts
Do you have enough time in your day?
- How much time do you spend taking care of others or doing household work?
- Do you take the time to sit down and eat?
- How many hours do you spend in transportation?
- Do you spend time helping out in your community?
The Time Use Survey measures important daily activities done by Canadians that sometimes go unnoticed but can impact wellbeing and play an important role in our society.
Complete the Time Use Survey
Your participation means that Statistics Canada can paint a more accurate picture of the various ways Canadians use their time, which allows the government to create more efficient and helpful policies. For example, many social and health systems are greatly supported by unpaid work. Your answers will help measure and value this work so that it can be taken into account when making decisions.
Interesting findings
Eating:
- In 2015, 30% of Canadians ate all of their daily meals alone. 10% of Canadians reported doing something else while eating.
Sleeping:
- 62% of Canadians reported sleeping for more than eight hours daily in 2015. 31% slept for 6-8 hours, and 7% had less than six hours of sleep. People who slept for six hours or more were more likely to report being “very satisfied” or “satisfied” with their work-life balance.
Active aging:
- After retirement, many Canadians stay involved in the economy, including by spending more time providing free childcare for family members, caring for a spouse, or engaging with their community.
Childcare:
- Both fathers and mothers were spending more time caring for their children in 2015 than when the Time Use Survey was first conducted in 1986. On average, mothers still spent more time with their children than fathers did.
How time use data are being used
The Time Use Survey has been collected six times since 1986. Over the years, the data have proven to be crucial in a variety of ways:
Women and Gender Equality Canada: to create a portrait of how much time men and women spend on unpaid work and caregiving.
Public Health Agency of Canada: to maintain a framework on physical activity, sedentary activities and sleep.
Statistics Canada: to include the economic impact of time spent on unpaid domestic work in estimates of Canada’s economic performance and to track Canada’s progress on the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals.
Transport Canada: to help support municipalities in their road and public transportation planning. This can include measuring exposure to environmental pollutants.
Your time use diary
A key part of the Time Use Survey is the diary of activities. When you start the 24-hour diary in the survey, you will be asked to report the activities you did during a recent day.
Tips for completing the survey
For more information on the time use diary, scan this QR code with your smartphone or tablet and follow the link.
For more information, please consult Time Use Survey