Housing costs, affordability issues might be lowering Canada's fertility rate
Statistics Canada has found that Canada’s sky-high housing and living costs may be contributing to our nosediving fertility rate.
The national statistical agency studied the impact of socioeconomic obstacles on Canadians aged 15 to 29. Young Canadians accounted for 19% (7.3 million) of Canada’s total population in 2022.
“This group has faced disproportionate challenges to their quality of life compared with other age groups,” StatCan said in its report, published Wednesday. “Recent surveys of Canadian youth indicate they are less satisfied and less hopeful about the future.”
- You might also like:
- All the ways Canadians will get more money from the government next month
- Canada cuts more than two million trees annually to meet toilet paper demand
- Canadians could get money from $7 million shipping settlement
Researchers used 85 indicators — focused on prosperity, health, society, the environment, good governance, life satisfaction, and meaning and purpose — to measure young Canadians’ quality of life and well-being.
They noted that a higher percentage of young adults are choosing not to have kids for financial reasons than older adults. This contributes to Canada’s declining fertility rate, which has been declining for a few decades.
Those aged 20 to 29 cited housing and affordability concerns as significant factors influencing their decisions about having children.
In 2022, 38% of adults in this age group didn’t believe they could afford to have a kid in the next three years, and 32% didn’t think they’d have access to suitable housing to start a family in that period.
Canadians aged 20 to 29 were also more likely to believe that “financial capacity and adequate housing would act as barriers to them having a child compared with adults aged 30 to 49.”
Per 2022 Canadian Social Survey (CSS) data, youth were “more likely (60%) than those aged 40 and older (37%) to report being very concerned about their ability to afford housing or rent.”
Six months after that survey, 32% of youth (compared to 20% of the overall population) said they wanted to buy or rent a home but decided not to move due to cost-related concerns.
Experts say that affordability concerns translating into decisions around starting a family could influence Canada’s demographic and even geographic composition in the long term.
StatCan also observed a notable decline in young adults (aged 15 to 29) reporting high levels of life satisfaction. This statistic has gone from 48% in the fourth quarter of 2021 to 40% in the fourth quarter of 2022.
More people in the demographic feel lonelier and less hopeful than older groups.
StatCan says these challenges do not stop or decline once a person turns 30. Instead, they are ongoing and “may permanently hinder” young Canadians from accessing a standard of living in adulthood they may have expected while growing up.
What are your thoughts? Have housing affordability issues and the rising cost of living influenced your decision to grow your family? Sound off in the comments, or email us your story at [email protected].
Follow Channels and Categories