Bryan Smale

Bryan Smale, Ph.D., is Director of the Canadian Index of Wellbeing (CIW) housed in the Faculty of Health at the University of Waterloo (UW), Professor in the Department of Recreation and Leisure Studies and cross-appointed to the Department of Geography and Environmental Management. He received his Ph.D. in Geography from the University of Western Ontario and both his Master’s and B.A. in Leisure Studies from the University of Waterloo. He is currently a member of Statistics Canada’s Advisory Committee on Social Conditions, an Advisor to the Vanier Institute’s Canadian Family Well-Being Index, former Chair and President of the Board of Directors of the Canadian Association of Leisure Studies (CALS), and past Editor-in-Chief of Leisure/Loisir. His research focuses on the wellbeing of individuals and communities, the role of leisure in wellbeing, the spatial distribution and analysis of leisure in communities, time use allocation, and social indicators research. He was elected a Fellow to the Academy of Leisure Sciences in 2012, awarded the Hall of Heroes Leadership award in 2020 by the Community Indicators Consortium, and honoured in 2020 with the Outstanding Contribution to Leisure Studies Award by the Canadian Association of Leisure Studies.

Selected publications 

​Smale, B., & Gao, M. (2021). A Profile of Wellbeing in Yukon during the COVID-19 Pandemic. A report prepared for the Government of Yukon. Waterloo, ON: Canadian Index of Wellbeing and University of Waterloo. 72pp.

Yu, J., Smale, B., & Xiao, H. (2021). Examining the change in wellbeing following a holiday. Tourism Management, 87, 104367.

Smale, B., Wilson, J., *Akubueze, N., & Gao, M. (2021). The role of leisure in moderating the effect of social isolation on the well-being of older adults. In S. Kono, S. Barrick, J. Leighton, N. Yan, & F. Yuen (Eds.), Proceedings of 16^th Canadian Congress on Leisure Research 2021 (pp. 270-272). Canadian Association for Leisure Studies, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB.

Gao, M., & Smale, B. (2021). The moderating effect of leisure experience on the work-life conflict, mental health, and wellbeing relationship among employed adults. In Kono, S. (Ed.), Proceedings of 16^th Canadian Congress on Leisure Research, Canadian Association for Leisure Studies, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB.

Yu, J., Smale, B., & Mock, S. (2021). The role of health beliefs in moderating the relationship between leisure participation and wellbeing among older Chinese adults. Leisure Studies, 40, 764-778.

Smale, B., & Gao, M. (2020). A Closer Look: The Nova Scotia Quality of Life Survey based on the CIW Community Wellbeing Survey. A report prepared for Engage Nova Scotia. Waterloo, ON: Canadian Index of Wellbeing and University of Waterloo. 215pp.

Smale, B., Gao, M., & Holliday, C. (2020). A Profile of Child and Youth Wellbeing in Waterloo Region: A Summary of Results from the Youth Impact Survey. A report prepared for the Children and Youth Planning Table of Waterloo Region. Waterloo, ON: Canadian Index of Wellbeing and the University of Waterloo. 46pp.

Smale, B. (2019). How are residents of Saskatchewan really doing? The Saskatchewan Index of Wellbeing. Report prepared for Heritage Saskatchewan and the Community Initiatives Fund. Waterloo, ON: Canadian Index of Wellbeing and University of Waterloo. 72pp.

Smale, B., Jiang, K., & Gao, M. (2019). A Profile of Wellbeing among Georgian College Students. A report prepared for Georgian College. Waterloo, ON: Canadian Index of Wellbeing and University of Waterloo. 94pp.

Smale, B., & Gao, M. (2019). Factors that can reduce the impact of social isolation on overall wellbeing in Waterloo Region. A report prepared for Wellbeing Waterloo Region. Waterloo, ON: Canadian Index of Wellbeing and University of Waterloo. 44pp.

Smale, B., & O’Rourke, D. (2018). Capturing quality of life with the Canadian Index of Wellbeing. Public Sector Digest, April, 6-12.

Gallant, K., Smale, B., & Arai, S. (2017). Measurement of feelings of obligation to volunteer: The Obligation to Volunteer as Commitment (OVC) and Obligation to Volunteer as Duty (OVD) scales. Leisure Studies, 36, 588-601.

Hilbrecht, M., Smale, B., & Mock, S. (2017). The relationship between perceived underemployment and wellbeing: Evidence from mid-size Canadian cities. Applied Research in Quality of Life, 12, 607-631.

Canadian Index of Wellbeing. (2016). How are Canadians Really Doing? The 2016 CIW National Report. Waterloo, ON: Canadian Index of Wellbeing and University of Waterloo. [Principal author]