General Social Survey - Time Use
Networks
-
Datasets
-
Variables
-
The two primary objectives of the General Social Survey (GSS) are to gather data on social trends in order to monitor changes in the living conditions and well-being of Canadians over time and to provide information on specific social policy issues of current or emerging interest. Canada’s General Social Survey (GSS) program was designed as a series of independent, annual, voluntary, cross-sectional surveys, each covering one topic in-depth.
The objective of the General Social Survey on time use is to better understand how Canadians spend and manage their time and what contributes to their well-being and stress.
Information on the study description is adapted from Statistics Canada, General Social Survey - Time Use, 2022-05-16. This does not constitute an endorsement by Statistics Canada of this product.
- Start Year
- 1986
- Supplementary Information
Visit GSS-TU
| Investigators | Contacts |
|---|---|
|
Design
- Study design
- Cross-sectional
- Follow Up
- Supplementary Information
- The General Social Survey (GSS) only selects one eligible person per household to be interviewed. As of 2005, half of the respondents were asked questions about cultural and sports activities and the other half, questions about social networks and transportation. The respondents were randomly assigned to one of the sub-samples.
Recruitment
- Recruitment Target
-
- Individuals
Number of Participants
- Number of Participants
- No Limit
- Number of Participants with Biological Samples
- Supplementary Information
Access
Availability of data and biosamples
| Possible Access to Data | |
| Possible Access to Biosamples | |
| Other |
Timeline
GSS-TU population
The target population is all non-institutionalized persons 15 years of age or older living in a Canadian province.
Selection Criteria
- Minimum age
-
15
- Newborns
- Twins
- Countries
-
- Canada
- Territory
- Ethnic Origin
-
- Health Status
-
- Other Criteria
- Institutionalized persons, and persons in households without telephones are excluded.
- Supplementary Information about selection criteria
- A raw sample of 2,000 households across three provinces (Nova Scotia, Quebec and Ontario) was used for the cycle 29 test pilot of 2014. Special population groups such as disabled persons and seniors are included.
Recruitment
- Sources of recruitment
-
- General population
- General Population
-
- Selected sample
- Random digit dialing
- Supplementary Information
-
Half of the sample respondents are randomly selected while the other half are selected using a telephone sampling frame.
Number of Participants
- Number of Participants
- No Limit
- Number of Participants with Biological Samples
- Supplementary Information about selection criteria
- As of 1998, the population sample size increased from 10,000 to close to 25,000.
Data Collection Events
| # | Name | Description | Start | End |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 |
GSS-TU - 1986 (Cycle 2)
|
Information is collected about daily activities done alone and with others, social mobility (of the respondents and their parents), sociodemographic characteristics (language, education, work, ... | 1986 | 1986 |
| 1 |
GSS-TU - 1992 (Cycle 7)
|
Information is collected about daily activities done alone and with others (participation in sports, cultural, and community activities), sociodemographic characteristics (language, education, ... | 1992 | 1992 |
| 2 |
GSS-TU - 1998 (Cycle 12)
|
Information is collected about daily activities done alone and with others (participation in sport and cultural activities), social mobility (of the respondents and their parents), ... | 1998 | 1998 |
| 3 |
GSS-TU - 2005 (Cycle 19)
|
Information is collected about daily activities done alone and with others (participation in sports, cultural, and community activities), close social network ties, sociodemographic ... | 2005 | 2005 |
| 4 |
GSS-TU - 2010 (Cycle 24)
|
Information is collected about daily activities done alone and with others (participation in sports, cultural, and community activities), close social network ties, sociodemographic ... | 2010 | 2010 |
| 5 |
GSS-TU - 2014 (Cycle 29 pilot)
|
Information is collected about daily activities done alone and with others (such as participation in sports, cultural, and comunity activities), close social network ties, sociodemographic ... | 2014 | 2014 |
| 6 |
GSS-TU - 2015 to 2016 (Cycle 29)
|
Information is collected about daily activities done alone and with others (such as participation in sports and leisure activities), census family status, close social network ties, ... | 2015 | 2016 |
| 7 |
GSS-TU - 2020 (Pilot test)
|
Information is collected about daily activities done alone and with others (such as participation in sports and leisure activities), census family status, close social network ties, ... | 2020 | 2020 |
Classifications
- Socio-demographic and economic characteristics
- Lifestyle and behaviours
- Birth, pregnancy and reproductive health history
- Perception of health, quality of life, development and functional limitations
- Diseases
- Symptoms and signs
- Medication and supplements
- Non-pharmacological interventions
- Health and community care services utilization
- Death
- Physical measures and assessments
- Laboratory measures
- Cognition, personality and psychological measures and assessments
- Life events, life plans, beliefs and values
- Preschool, school and work life
- Social environment and relationships
- Physical environment
- Administrative information
- Cognitive functioning
- Personality
- Psychological distress and emotions
- Other psychological measures and assessments
Socio-demographic and economic characteristics
Age/birthdate
Sex/gender
Marital/partner status
Family and household structure
Education
Residence
Birthplace
Citizenship and immigrant status
Ethnicity, race and religion
Language
Labour force and retirement
Income, possessions, and benefits
Other socio-demographic and economic characteristics
Lifestyle and behaviours
Nutrition
Physical activity
Transportation
Personal hygiene
Sleep
Leisure activities
Technological devices
Other and unspecified lifestyle information
Perception of health, quality of life, development and functional limitations
Perception of health
Quality of life
Functional limitations
Use of assistive devices
Diseases
Mental and behavioural disorders (F00-F99)
Diseases of the eye and adnexa (H00-H59)
Diseases without precise specification or falling into multiple categories
Non-pharmacological interventions
Educational and health promotion interventions
Health and community care services utilization
Visits to health professionals
Community and social care
Other health and community care
Cognition, personality and psychological measures and assessments
Psychological distress and emotions
Other psychological measures and assessments
Life events, life plans, beliefs and values
Life events
Beliefs and values
Preschool, school and work life
Preschool life
School life
Work life
Other preschool, school or work life-related information
Social environment and relationships
Social network
Social participation
Social support
Parenting and familial environment
Other social environment characteristics
Physical environment
Housing characteristics
Built environment/neighbourhood characteristics
Administrative information
Identifiers
Date and time-related information
Questionnaire and interview-related information
Other administrative information
Psychological distress and emotions
Time Crunch Scale