Assessing Social and Economic Impacts of COVID-19

Various government departments have initiated data collection related to the social and economic impacts of COVID-19. This list is not exhaustive.

Women and Gender Equality Canada (WAGE)

• Women and Gender Equality Canada (WAGE) has developed resources and tools that have been shared to all departments. These include:
  • Synthesis of data and evidence on the gendered and intersectional impacts of COVID-19;
  • A Tip Sheet with the “Top 10 Questions” to guide the application of GBA+ to the development of policy and program responses;
  • A Tip Sheet with the various intersecting identities that should be considered in the application of GBA+ to the development of policy and program responses;
  • A list of data elements to consider in monitoring the implementation of COVID-19 response measures from a GBA+ perspective; and
  • A set of Policy Briefs on specific impacts COVID-19 is having on vulnerable groups of women and the Government of Canada response to date.

Statistics Canada

• As the pandemic unfolded, Statistics Canada initiated two new collection vehicles for social data – Web Panel and Crowdsourcing,
  • Web Panel: Canadian Perspective Survey Series Web Panel: Canadian Perspective Survey Series
    • This is administered to a sub-sample of the Labour Force Survey respondents, with approximately 7,200 people and probability sampling, therefore the results can be extrapolated to the Canadian population. Topics include impacts of Covid-19 on labour, behaviours and primary source of information; food insecurity and mental health; and recovery of economic and social activities.
    • There are no demographic questions however the Labour Force Survey itself has questions on indigenous identity, age, immigrant status, sex that can be linked to the respondents. As of July, the Labour Force Survey will include a question on sociodemographic characteristics.
• Crowdsourcing: Given the small sample size and the inability to disaggregate data, Statistics Canada initiated a Crowdsourcing initiative Impacts of Covid-19 on Canadians.
  • All Canadians are invited to participate in the initiative. The first iteration yielded responses from 240,000 participants, the others closer to 30,000. Of note, this is a non-probabilistic sample and therefore cannot be extrapolated to the general population but provides more timely information and more disaggregated information.
  • The crowdsource collected a variety of diversity variables:
    • General Social Impacts of Covid-19 (April 2 to April 23): gender, age, geographic region.
    • Post-secondary students (April 19-May 4): Gender, age, geographic region, living arrangements.
    • Mental Health (April 24-May 11): gender, indigenous identity, sociodemographic characteristics in accordance with the Employment Equity Act, immigrant status, age, geographic region.
    • Perceptions of Public Safety (May 12-May 25): gender, indigenous identity, sociodemographic characteristics in accordance with the Employment Equity Act, immigrant status, age, geographic region, marital status.
    • Trust and Confidence in Public Officials (May 26-June 8): gender, indigenous identity, sociodemographic characteristics in accordance with the Employment Equity Act, immigrant status, age, geographic region, education.
    • Parenting During the Pandemic (June 9-June 22): gender, indigenous identity, sociodemographic characteristics in accordance with the Employment Equity Act, immigrant status, age, geographic region, education, family composition.
    • Current: Living with Long-term Conditions and Disabilities (June 23-July 6): gender, indigenous identity, sociodemographic characteristics in accordance with the Employment Equity Act, immigrant status, age, geographic region, education, long term conditions.
    • Coming: LGBTQ2 (TBC)

Privy Council Office

• The Privy Council Office conducts weekly tracking surveys to examine the impact of COVID-19 on Canadians, exploring topics such as employment, changes in behaviour, stress levels, etc. Some disaggregated data is available by gender, immigration status, racialized groups, official language groups, regions and youth.

Justice Canada

• Justice Canada is conducting several qualitative studies to complement the national quantitative Legal Problems Survey administered by Statistics Canada. These qualitative studies will explore COVID-19 related issues experience by minority populations in Canada and will provide data that is comparable to that of the general population.

Employment and Social Development Canada

• Employment and Social Development Canada established the ‘COVID-19 Disability Advisory Group’ in conjunction with the Office of Public Service Accessibility. The group Advises Minister Qualtrough on COVID-19 issues related to disability and accessibility.

Canadian Heritage

• The Department of Canadian Heritage has initiated a variety of research and data activities including:
  • sending out a survey seeking information on all data collection initiatives to all departments participating in the Equity-Seeking Communities & COVID-19 Taskforce, which was also redistributed by the Privy Council Office to all Director Generals of the DG Data Leads Table;
  • Continued to work with Statistics Canada and the Canada Council for the Arts on a Wellbeing app which will collect a series of sociodemographic characteristics and added 3 COVID-19 related questions (to be in the field by the Fall);
  • Analyzing the Public Use Microfiles data from Statistics Canada’s crowdsourcing as it becomes available and other surveys of interest (for example EGALE’s Impact of COVID-19 on the LGBTQ2 community) and developing infographics and placemats for an internal government of Canada website (GCPEDIA).

Treasury Board Secretariat

• The Office of Public Service Accessibility at the Treasury Board Secretariat is collecting information on how the COVID-19 pandemic is affecting public service accessibility.

Public Health Agency of Canada

• The Public Health Agency of Canada tracks COVID-19 cases in Canada. Disaggregated data is available at the provincial and territorial levels. Data is collected on age, gender and indigenous identity.