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Time use
Domain
Society
Subdomain
Time use
Indicator
Time use
Note: This indicator is a headline indicator. Headline indicators are intended to provide a high-level assessment of overall quality of life in Canada.
Description - Time use data snapshot
Average number of hours per day spent on certain activities, by gender
| Paid work activities | Unpaid work activities | Leisure (active and passive) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total | 3.5 | 3.2 | 2.9 |
| Men+ | 3.9 | 2.6 | 3.2 |
| Women+ | 3.0 | 3.7 | 2.7 |
Source: Statistics Canada, Time Use Survey, 2022.
Definition
Distribution of the hours in a person's day spent doing various activities.
Measurement
This indicator is measured in the Time Use Survey. This survey employs a retrospective 24-hour time diary to collect information on respondents' participation in, and time spent on, a wide variety of day-to-day activities, lasting at least 5 minutes. Information is also collected on the location that these activities occurred and the people who were with the respondent at the time of the activity.
Data sources
- Time Use Survey
- Table 45-10-0104-01 – Daily average time spent on various activities, by age group and gender, 2022
- Table 45-10-0104-02 – Daily average time and proportion of day spent on unpaid domestic and care work, by gender, 2022
- Table 45-10-0104-03 – Daily average time spent on transport to and from activities, by mode of transport, 2022
Data visualizations
- How does teleworking impact time use? (Statistics Canada – Infographics, June 5, 2024)
- Ready, set, snooze! (Statistics Canada - Infographics, October 10, 2018)
- Time to eat (Statistics Canada - Infographics, March 23, 2018)
Data analysis
- Telework, time use, and well-being: Evidence from the 2022 Time Use Survey (Spotlight on Canadians: Results from the General Social Survey, June 5, 2024)
- Sociodemographic differences in recreational screen time before and during the COVID-19 pandemic in Canada (Health Reports, May 15, 2024)
- Time use among persons with disabilities in Canada (Reports on Disability and Accessibility in Canada, December 2, 2022)
- Time Use: Total work burden, unpaid work, and leisure (Women in Canada: A Gender-based Statistical Report, July 30, 2018)
- A day in the life: How do older Canadians spend their time? (Insights on Canadian Society, March 21, 2018)
- Changes in parents' participation in domestic tasks and care for children from 1986 to 2015 (Spotlight on Canadians: Results from the General Social Survey, June 1, 2017)
Additional information
The report Internet use and COVID-19: How the pandemic increased the amount of time Canadians spend online based on data from the Canadian Internet Use Survey (CIUS) provides insight on time spent online during the pandemic. (StatCan COVID-19: Data to Insights for a Better Canada, June 24, 2021)
Frameworks
This indicator aligns with the following frameworks:
- Canadian Indicator Framework (CIF) for the Sustainable Development Goals
- Gender Results Framework (GRF)
- Economic participation and prosperity
- GRF Indicator 2.4.1 – Proportion of time spent on unpaid domestic and care work
- Economic participation and prosperity
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