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What it Inclueds
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The Canadian Index of Wellbeing

The Canadian Index of Wellbeing (CIW) is a new way of measuring wellbeing that goes beyond narrow economic measures like GDP. It will provide unique insights into the quality of life of Canadians – overall, and in specific areas that matter: our standard of living, our health, the quality of our environment, our education and skill levels, the way we use our time, the vitality of our communities, our participation in the democratic process, and the state of our leisure and culture. In short, the CIW is the only national index that measures wellbeing in Canada across a wide spectrum of domains.

The CIW goes beyond conventional silos and shines a spotlight on the interconnections among these important areas: for example, how changes in income and education are linked to changes in health.

The CIW is a robust information tool, one that policy shapers, decision makers, media, community organizations and the person on the street will be able to use to get the latest trend information in an easily understandable format.

The CIW currently provides:

  • Eight detailed research reports on different, but interconnected, categories of wellbeing: Living Standards, Healthy Populations, Community Vitality, Democratic Engagement, Time Use, Leisure and Culture, Education and Environment.
  • A Special Report (PDF 4MB) connecting the dots in the first three research reports and including highlights and summaries of these reports.
  • A special report The Economic Crisis through the Lens of Wellbeing reporting that the current recession will erase many of the economic and standard of living gains made since the mid-1990s.
  • A special report How are Canadians Really doing? A Closer Look at Select Groups acknowledging the reality of differential experiences of particular groups in the Canadian population.
  • A special report Caught in the Time Crunch: Time Use, Leisure and Culture in Canada.

Going forward, the CIW will provide:

  • A composite index – with a single number that moves up or down like the TSX or Dow Jones Industrial, giving a quick snapshot of whether the overall quality of life of Canadians is getting better or worse.
  • Updated reports on the eight interconnected categories of wellbeing.
  • Periodic reports on the wellbeing of specific population sub-groups.