Ottawa Wellbeing Report – Time Use This is part of a series of reports that provide a snapshot of community wellbeing for Ottawa. Following the Canadian Index of Wellbeing framework, each report presents data from the eight domains of wellbeing. These domains are: Community Vitality, Democratic Engagement, Education, Environment, Healthy Populations, Leisure and Culture, Living Standards, and Time Use. This report presents data for the Time Use domain. Due to gaps in available data at the local level, data are presented on selected indicators within the eight domains of wellbeing. Furthermore, some of the indicators found in Ottawa reports differ from those in the Canadian Index of Wellbeing. In this report, the data are presented for the Ottawa-Gatineau census metropolitan area (CMA), unless otherwise specified. Where possible, data for Ottawa are compared to those for Ontario and/or Canada.
Key Messages • •
The proportion of parents in Ottawa who report read daily to their children aged 0 to 5 is similar to the Ontario average. On average, the residents of Ottawa spend 27 minutes commuting to work, similar to the Canadian average.
The Canadian Index of Wellbeing uses a gendered, life stage approach in understanding time use and its association with wellbeing (Brooker & Hyman, 2010). Time use is viewed as an experience that takes on unique patterns and challenges with each life stage group and gender (Brooker & Hyman, 2010). The indicators found in this domain explore how individuals use and experience time, what are the factors that control time use, and how time use factors contribute to wellbeing (Brooker & Hyman, 2010). This report presents selected indicators from the Time Use domain of the Canadian Index of Wellbeing for Ottawa (refer to Table A1 of the Appendix for a list of indicators). What is the current data telling us? Proportion of parents who report reading daily to their children aged 0 to 5 years Time spent with parents (parental time) is an important determinant of child and adolescent wellbeing (Brooker & Hyman, 2010). Data from the National Longitudinal Survey on Children and Youth show that children aged 4 and 5 who are read to several times a day demonstrate better learning and communication skills compared to those whose parents read to them a few times a week or less often (Brooker & Hyman, 2010). Other studies have found positive associations between time spent reading among school-aged children and better vocabulary skills, higher cognitive scores, higher behaviour scores, and higher levels of academic achievement (Brooker & Hyman, 2010). A 2006/2007 study showed that the proportion of parents in the Ottawa-Gatineau CMA who read daily to their children 1
aged 0 to 5 years was 72.3% (Community Foundation of Ottawa). This was similar to the Ontario average of 72% (Community Foundation of Ottawa). Mean workday commute time for individuals working for pay For working-age adults, commuting to work is an experience of time that, depending on the duration, can affect wellbeing. Studies have suggested that long commuting hours lead to adverse health outcomes due to its influence on the body’s physiological response to stress (Brooker & Hyman, 2010). Time spent commuting to work reduces time available for family and friends, less time for onself, and less time to contribute to community activities (Brooker & Hyman, 2010). Data from the 2010 General Social Survey showed that it takes residents of the Ottawa-Gatineau CMA an average of 27 minutes to commute to work (Statistics Canada, 2013). This is similar to the Canadian average of 26 minutes. Half of the residents living in the Ottawa-Gatineau CMA spend 15 to 29 minutes to commute to work, higher compared to Canada where 33% of the population reported the same commuting time (Statistics Canada, 2013).
2
References Community Foundation of Ottawa. Ottawa’s Vital Signs 2010 – The City’s Annual Checkup. Retrieved from http://www.cfo-fco.ca/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/VitalSigns2010.pdf. Brooker, A.-S., & Hyman, I. (2010). Time Use – A report of the Canadian Index of Wellbeing (CIW). Statistics Canada. (2013). Table 1 – Average commuting time to work and proportion of workers, by selected characteristics, 2010. General Social Survey. Retrieved from http://www.statcan.gc.ca/pub/11-008-x/2011002/t/11531/tbl001-eng.htm.
3
Appendix Table A1. A comparison between deadline indicators from the Time Use domain of the Canadian Index of Wellbeing and the indicators presented in this report. Domain Time Use
Canadian Index of Wellbeing Headline Indicators Proportion of children (3-5 years) read to daily by parents Mean workday commute time for individuals working for pay Proportion of working age adults (20 to 64 years) working long hours – % of labour force participants working more than 50 hours per week Proportion of working age adults (20 to 64 years) working for pay with flexible work hours Proportion of working age adults (20 to 64 years) reporting high levels of time pressure (7 or more “yes�s to 10 questions on time pressure) Proportion of working age adults (20 to 64 years) giving unpaid care to seniors Proportion of seniors aged 65 years and older reporting daily active leisure activities Proportion of seniors aged 65 years and older reporting annual formal volunteering activities
Indicators presented in this report Proportion of parents who report reading daily to their children aged 0 to 5 years Mean workday commute time for individuals working for pay
4