Reports

In the past few years, evidence has appeared suggesting that concerns about the implications of technological change may be growing. According to the most recent survey waves, a growing proportion of workers are now expressing concern with the pace of change in general, and more specifically with the prospect of automation leading to unemployment.

The purpose of the YMCA-YWCA National Survey on Child Care Policy in Canada was to explore the extent of public support for government subsidized child care programs in Canada, as well as the main factors influencing that support.

Exploring how the shift to working from home is affecting job satisfaction, productivity, teamwork, and equity and inclusion is an important step in assessing the current state of the workplace in Canada.

In 2024, YMCA Canada commissioned several reports to explore areas where significant changes lie ahead. The reports were launched at the 2024 YMCA National Conference in Halifax in June. The report on demographic change was prepared by the Environics Institute.

A new national research project documents for the first time the social norms that govern how Canadians think about and act on different types of racial micro-aggressive actions directed at people who are Indigenous or Black.

The study provides an analysis of Canadian public opinion on issues facing women in Canada today and on the impact of the women’s movement. It compares the latest results to those from previous surveys conducted in the 1980s, 1990s and 2000s.

The survey reveals that, in the wake of these events, attitudes in Canada have shifted. There is a growing awareness of the mistreatment of Indigenous Peoples in Canada, including through the system of residential schools, and a growing willingness to say that the policies of Canadian governments is the main obstacle to achieving economic and social equality.

The events of 2020 have disrupted every aspect of Canadians’ daily lives. What is less clear is the extent to which they have also changed their longer-term outlook.

The third report explores issues relating to identity, values and language.

The killing of George Floyd, an African-American, by white police officers in Minneapolis earlier this year sparked anti-racism protests across the United States and around the world, along with a wider public discussion of anti-Black racism and systemic racism.

Five months after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in Canada, the Environics Institute for Survey Research and the Vancouver City Savings credit union joined forces to conduct a comprehensive study of public opinion about what Canadians are expecting from their governments, from corporations and from one another.

The survey finds that Canadians tend to have a positive assessment of both the impact of technological change and the value of the post-secondary education and skills training that they have received.

A succession of economic downturns over the last decades has led many to express concerns that the next generation of Canadians will be less, and not more, well-off than the ones that preceded it.

This study confirms the reality of racism in Canada. Also important, it shows that this reality is widely if not universally acknowledged. Many Canadians across different racial backgrounds report experiences of racism and discrimination due to race, and also recognize that it also affects others of their own race and from other racial groups.

Concerns have long been expressed about the extent of influence exercised by powerful or well-connected groups in society over the direction of the government.

A major national survey conducted in 2016 reveals a bold portrait of Canada’s Millennials (those born between 1980 and 1995), that for the first time presents the social values of this generation, and the distinct segments that help make sense of the different and often contradictory stereotypes that so frequently are applied to today’s young adults.