Most Canadians like where they live
How do people who are happy with their environment spend their free time?
Statistics Canada compared overall satisfaction with life in 2021 with satisfaction with air quality, water quality, and the amount of green spaces around the house. They found that rural dwellers were more likely to be satisfied with their environment: 75% of them scored their satisfaction at 8-10 on a 10-point scale. Among urban dwellers, only 65% responded this way.
People are most satisfied with their environment on Prince Edward Island, with 76% of the islanders rating it highly. Second place is shared by Newfoundland and Labrador and Saskatchewan — 75%. But even in Ontario, the province that came in last place, 62%, more than half of the residents, are happy with the local environment.
Statistics show that people who love where they live are more likely to feel happy overall and feel that their mental health is okay. Nine out of 10 Canadian families, according to 2019 data, live at most 10 minutes away from parks, forests and other green spaces. 85% of these families have taken a walk there at least once a year.
By surveying Canadians in 2021, Statisticians learned what people who are happy with their environment like to do outdoors:
- 43% go camping or hiking;
- 29% observe and photograph wildlife;
- 20% sail canoes and kayaks;
- 19% go camping in nature;
- 18% catch fish;
- 16% ride motor boats and jet skis;
- 15% collect mushrooms and berries;
- 13% go skiing or snowshoeing;
- 12% ride snowmobiles, ATVs, and other off-road vehicles;
- 12% ride mountain bikes.
