What it measures
Dimension: Participation
This indicator captures Canadians’ participation in any leisure activities related to arts and culture (e.g., singing or playing music, performing in drama and/or dance, attending performing arts performances) on an average day. In general, Canadians report spending less than 5% of their time engaged in arts and culture activities – and this has changed very little since the early 1990s. Overall, 20 to 23% of Canadians report regularly participating in arts and culture activities, and the most popular activity is listening to music.
Why this matters
Arts and culture participation has a positive impact on wellbeing for people in all age groups and circumstances. Participating in these activities can increase quality of life and help to maintain high levels of life satisfaction and wellbeing into later life.