Sense of belonging to local community

Proportion of the population by strength of sense of belonging to their local community.

This indicator is measured in multiple Statistics Canada surveys including the Canadian Social Survey (CSS), the Survey Series on People and their Communities (SSPC), the General Social Survey (GSS) - Social Identity, Canadian Community Health Survey (CCHS), the Canadian Housing Survey (CHS) and the General Social Survey (GSS) - Canadians' Safety (Victimization). Exact questionnaire wording may vary slightly between sources.  

For example, in the Canadian Social Survey (CSS), survey respondents are asked:

How would you describe your sense of belonging to your local community?

• Very strong
• Somewhat strong
• Somewhat weak
• Very weak
• No opinion

This indicator is measured through multiple Statistics Canada surveys. Estimates can vary between data sources due to differences in reference periods, targeted or sampled populations, data collection and other methodology.

• Canadian Social Survey (CSS)
  • Table 45-10-0052-01 – Sense of belonging to local community by gender and province
  • Table 45-10-0053-01 – Sense of belonging to local community by gender and other selected sociodemographic characteristic
• General Social Survey (GSS) - Social Identity
  • Table 43-10-0064-01 – Sense of belonging to the local community, town, province and Canada and trust in people, by groups designated as visible minorities and selected sociodemographic characteristics, 2020
• Canadian Community Health Survey (CCHS)
  • Table 13-10-0096-15 – Sense of belonging to local community, somewhat strong or very strong, by age group
• Canadian Housing Survey (CHS)
  • Table 43-10-0058-01 – Feeling part of the community and neighbourhood satisfaction, safety feeling and economic hardship, by visible minority and selected characteristics
• General Social Survey (GSS) - Canadians' Safety (Victimization)
• Survey Series on People and their Communities (SSPC)

• Selected indicators of quality of life in Canada (Statistics Canada - Data Visualization Products)
• Sustainable Development Goals: Goal 11, Sustainable Cities and Communities (Agenda 2030 Sustainable Development Goals Report, December 13, 2022)

• Nationally, renters report lower quality of life than homeowners (The Daily, February 19, 2024)
• Navigating Socioeconomic Obstacles: Impact on the Well-being of Canadian Youth (The Daily, September 20, 2023)
• Almost half of Canadians report a strong sense of belonging to their local community (The Daily, August 19, 2022)
• Measuring Social Capital at the Neighbourhood Level: Experimental Estimates of Sense of Belonging to the Local Community Measured at the Census Tract Level (Analytical Studies — Methods and References, November 16, 2021)
• Sense of belonging to Canada, the province of residence and the local community (The Daily, June 29, 2015)

The 2017 Indigenous Peoples Survey included questions about engagement in activities indicating sense of belonging to the respondent's First Nations, Metis, Inuit and/or Aboriginal community. Results are available here:

• Table 41-10-0054-01 – Engagement in activities indicating sense of belonging, and sense of belonging and positive feelings, (First Nations/Métis/Inuit/Aboriginal) by Aboriginal identity, age group and sex