Economic & Material Well-being

Economic and material well-being includes basic markers of economic subsistence, such as access to nutritious food, adequate housing, and warm clothing. However, it also goes beyond these basic measures to include access to medicine and health care, availability of computer technology to enhance learning, and availability of team sports and extracurricular and recreational activities.¹

Key Findings

Economic and material well-being data in the report primarily focus on the economic environment that surrounds children and youth.

• The percentage of people with unmet core housing needs in BC was highest among the Canadian provinces by a substantial margin, with Vancouver having the highest rate among three urban centres in the province. 
• While the unmet food needs of youth have decreased, more than 7 per cent of youth report going to bed hungry, with higher rates in some regions of BC. 
• Among Canadian provinces, BC had the second highest percentage of persons under age 18 living in low-income households. This high percentage was driven by rates as high as 20 per cent in some regions of the province.
• The percentage of families with an unemployed parent in BC was lower than the national rate before 2008; however, now BC is close to the Canadian average. 
• The percentage of youth who are not in education, employment, or training was consistently higher than the national average, and there were significant geographic differences across the province. 

 Explore the Indicators:

#40 Children & Youth Living in Low-income Households

#41 Parental Unemployment Rate

#42 Children Living in Families with Poor Housing Conditions

#43 Unmet Food Needs

#44 Youth Not in Education, Employment, or Training