Watch or re-watch the unveiling of the results of the national survey on the impact of social crises on the well-being of Quebec families. Thank you to the 150 or so people who tuned in to find out the results with us, and to the 14,000 parents who took part in the survey.
The survey was conducted in partnership with Dr. Mélissa Généreux, public health physician and full professor at the Université de Sherbrooke's Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, the English Parents' Committee Association (EPCA) and the Fédération des comités de parents du Québec. The results were released online on February 13, 2024.
In order to help implement solutions and actions following this survey, we are inviting all interested parties to an online reflection and discussion activity on March 13. Meetings at 2 p.m. (targeted at organizations) and 7 p.m. (targeted at parents) are planned.
- The strong participation of parents testifies to their interest in sharing their experiences.
- Measuring quality of life provided a comprehensive picture of children's well-being. The key challenges reported by parents related to relationships with friends and relatives, as well as energy and attention levels.
- A score ranging from 0 to 100 was calculated, where 100 equals excellent quality of life. The average score for participating children was 64. Children were considered to have a low quality of life when their score was [cid:image010.png@01DA6026.D8E83010] 50. In secondary school, children were more likely to have a low quality of life than in primary school (20% vs. 14%).
- Quality of life scores vary according to gender and school level. In primary school, boys are at a disadvantage compared to girls (15% vs. 12%). However, quality of life deteriorates for girls from grade 1 to secondary 5 (low quality of life rises from 10% to 27%). It is more stable for boys.
- Children classified as having special needs are 2-3 times more likely than others to have a low quality of life, both in primary school (25% vs. 9%) and secondary school (31% vs. 14%). Their parents are almost twice as likely to report fair to poor mental health (24% vs. 14%). These families were also harder hit by the strike.
- For many parents surveyed, financial issues also represent a challenge. One in 5 fears food insecurity, and one in 3 is concerned about their financial situation.
- The use of screen time is another major issue. Heavy screen use (at least 4 hours a day) during free time on weekends becomes more frequent from the end of primary school onwards (30% at this age). Weekday screen use becomes more frequent from the 2nd cycle of secondary school onwards (25% at this age). Heavy screen users during the week are twice as likely to have a low quality of life. Levels of energy and fun with friends are the two spheres most affected.
- At both primary and secondary level, screen time is parents' #1 concern, followed by learning loss, motivation and psychological well-being.
- Strikes seem to be associated with a deteriorationchildren's and parents' well-being, but the cause-and-effect relationship remains uncertain. Increased screen time appears to be most associated with the duration of the strike, being 3-4 times more frequent in children who experienced the FAE strike vs. those who did not.