‘Tis the season to be jolly and for many Canadians, that means getting together with family and friends for good cheer and drink. If you are driving this holiday season, we have some data for you to mull over before you get behind the wheel.
The family dynamic was completely upended by COVID-19. Families were much more likely to spend time together given record job losses and lockdowns in the spring of 2020. Parents became teachers with the closure of schools. For many frontline workers with children at home during the lockdowns, child care became an essential service.
As we continue to navigate the COVID-19 pandemic, many Canadians are working from home. Just five years ago, about 4% of employed Canadians teleworked. In 2021, six times as many Canadians are working from home compared with 2016.
The Lower Fraser River Valley has some of the most productive farmland in Canada. Mild winters, rich soil and close proximity to the nation’s third-largest metropolitan area make it an ideal location for farm enterprises. Much of this prime farmland was underwater for several days during the second half of November, killing livestock, and destroying or damaging farm machinery and infrastructure.
Statistically speaking, there have been a lot of dramatic ups and downs since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
One of these is response rates.
Response rates for virtually all of our surveys have been impacted since the onset of the pandemic, and we would like to raise those rates to ensure that we continue to deliver high-quality data you can trust.
For many of us, the Internet has been somewhat of a saving grace as we navigate life in an ongoing pandemic. In fact, 75% of Canadians aged 15 and older told us that they used the Internet more often since the start of the pandemic.
We don’t keep track of Canadians when they leave the country, but we do count them when they come home and also note how they came home.
Let’s be honest—we’ve had a long stretch of beautiful weather this fall. Wouldn’t you agree? We’ve seen people outside doing sports or recreational activities, not only because it gives them a brief respite from the COVID-19 pandemic, but also because they’re very aware of the cold and harsh winter weather that will soon be on their doorstep. They’re making the most of it before the first snowfall, and it’s so good for morale!
Canadians are among the most charitable people in the world, ranking sixth behind Australians in terms of helping a stranger, donating money or volunteering time, according to a 2019 Charities Aid Foundation study.
There is no question that prices are rising across Canada overall. Indeed, the Consumer Price Index (CPI) has been increasing at its fastest pace in almost two decades over the last few months. Some consumers feel that prices may be rising at an even faster pace than captured by the CPI, but rest assured this is not the case.
