Social and Economic Dimensions of an Aging Population: SEDAP-II- Canada in the 21st Century

Sylvia Abonyi - Co-Investigator

Background information:

Members of the baby boom generation are now between their mid-30s and mid-50s.  In consequence, Canada today is enjoying a demographic dividend:  an unusually high proportion of the population is in its most productive ages.  That will change:  in another 30 years the large boom generation will be in ‘old age’.  There are now four in the labour force for every person 65 and older.  In another three decades (with present trends) there will be fewer than two.  That the population will be much older is certain. 

Questions?

Such bald statements of the demographic facts, of the fundamental and unprecedented changes that are in store, immediately raise questions about implications.  Prominent among these is whether social programs designed to provide for the well-being of older people when they were fewer can be sustained as the numbers swell. 

• Will the burden on the population of working age be so great that the social contract will have to be rewritten? 
• Will access to health care and income support in old age no longer be available? 
• What are the implications for the family, for intergenerational relations and the well-being and functioning of society? 

This research: 

As noted, the issues are many and diverse, covering virtually all aspects of society and the economy.  This program of research will include extensive analysis of important and newly available survey data, with international comparisons to allow the Canadian situation to be seen in a broader context.  The analysis will look towards the future and address questions such as these: 

• How are society and the economy likely to evolve as the population ages? 
• What could be done to cope with the effects of aging?

Newly available survey data, especially data available through the Statistics Canada Research Data Centres, have opened fresh horizons, making it possible to address emerging topics of importance.  This research strives to both assist people in understanding their individual situations and informing policy.