An Assessment of Life Satisfaction Responses on Recent Statistics Canada Surveys

By:	Bonikowska, Aneta Helliwell, John F.
URL:	http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:stc:stcp3e:2013351e&r=ltv
Measures of subjective well-being are increasingly prominent in international policy discussions about how best to measure “societal progress” and the well-being of national populations. This has implications for national statistical offices, as calls have been made for them to include measures of subjective well-being in their household surveys (Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development 2013). Statistics Canada has included measures of subjective well-being – particularly life satisfaction – in its surveys for twenty-five years, although the wording of these questions and the response categories have evolved over time. Statistics Canada’s General Social Survey (GSS) and Canadian Community Health Survey (CCHS) offer a valuable opportunity to examine the stability of life satisfaction responses and their correlates from year to year using a consistent analytical framework.
Keywords:	Statistical methods, Health, Quality assurance, Mental health and well-being