Overall
By Age
By Sex
By Education
By Income
Overall
Sense of community belonging measures an individual’s perception of their overall sense of belonging to their local community using a single question rated on a four-point scale (very strong, somewhat strong, somewhat weak, very weak). Research shows a high correlation of sense of community belonging with physical and mental health.
According to the 2014 Canadian Community Health Survey (CCHS) conducted by Statistics Canada, 64.4% (59.9%, 68.8%) of Simcoe Muskoka’s residents 12 years and older feel a somewhat strong or very strong sense of community belonging, compared to Ontario 68.2% (67.1%, 69.4%).
By Age
Self-reported sense of community belonging fluctuates with age. In Simcoe Muskoka from 2007 to 2014, 73.3% (69.0%, 77.1%) of youth (12-19 years) feel a very strong or somewhat strong sense of community belonging, which was significantly higher than the population age 20 to 44 years with 60.5% (57.7%, 63.3%). Self-reported sense of community belonging then increase as the population ages, with 75.4% (72.8%, 77.8%) of seniors (65 years and older) having a very strong or somewhat strong sense of community belonging.
By Sex
Self-reported sense of community belonging is similar for both males and females. In Simcoe Muskoka from 2007 to 2014, 66.5% (64.1%, 68.7%) of males (12 years and older) feel they have a very strong or somewhat strong sense of community belonging, which is similar to the female population (12 years and older) with 66.5% (64.3%, 68.6%).
By Education
Self-reported sense of community belonging increases with higher levels of education. From 2007 to 2014, 70.2% (65.8%, 74.2%) of adults (20 years and older) with a degree or higher reported a very strong or somewhat strong sense of community belonging, as compared to 63.5% (61.0%, 66.1%) of adults (20 years and older) with a high school education or lower.
By Income
Self-reported sense of community belonging also increases slightly with higher levels of household income. From 2007 to 2014, 63.7% (60.2%, 67.7%) of Simcoe Muskoka residents (12 years and older) living in the lowest income quintile rated their sense of community belonging as very strong or somewhat strong, as compared to 70.3% (66.4%, 74.0%) of those living in the highest income quintile that rated their sense of community belonging as very strong or somewhat strong.
