Our Research

Cardus Family Program Director Andrea Mrozek's summary of the top five issues surrounding families in Canada this past year.

Jonathan Schwarz and David Sikkink examine if religious school attendance has a direct, independent effect on adults' orientation toward science.

At the heart of the book is the idea that an intimate relationship inescapably exists between biological parent and child.

Though seldom sensational, Canada's charitable activities are essential to our civil society. Our charities provide meaning, purpose, and belonging amid the dark labyrinths of alienation that characterize our time. 

As Canada is experiencing a demographic shift towards an aging society, the growing demand on natural caregivers will require the mobilization of community support systems. This paper acknowledges the current federal and provincial caregiver policies, then explores innovative international initiatives that build on community connectivity to support natural caregivers and those they care for. The initiatives are consistent with a public health approach and move towards the creation of a culture of care.

Jonathan Schwarz and David Sikkink assess the schooling choices of North American parents in the early years of their children's lives.

The 2016 Cardus Education Survey report is available now. This is the second instalment focusing on Canadian graduates.

In this report our goal is to provide a "fuller picture of Canadian graduates." That is, too many studies of graduate outcomes provide a reductive analysis of how well education prepares one for a good job. While this matters, our report enfolds graduate job and income findings into a much broader, multi-dimensional focus that additionally looks at the school effects on political involvement and religious orientation, habits of home and social ties, levels of trust in institutions, and how much a graduate gives of his or her time and resources. In other words, we want to go beyond a two-dimensional analysis and give you a fuller picture of how Canada’s graduates are being prepared for adult life together.

A look at the Statistics Canada data pointing to a decline in stay-at-home parents.

As governments and individuals struggle to make informed and well-considered public policy decisions on the issue of healthcare it is becoming increasingly important that they take into account the state of Canadian marriages. Marriage is Good for Your Health examines more than 50 published, empirical studies on the correlation between marital status and health. An overwhelmingly large majority of the studies indicates that married couples are happier, healthier, and live longer than those who are not married. Moreover, there is strong research to back the conclusion that the quality of a marriage is a critical variable in the health benefits that couples enjoy.

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Health Advantage Highlights

Numerous studies indicate that married people tend to have:

• Higher likelihood of recovering from cancer
• Lower risk of suffering a heart attack
• Better odds of surviving a heart attack
• Quicker recovery from illness
• Healthier habits and lifestyles
• Better responses to psychological stress

The Marriage Quality Factor

Having a marriage where partners experience high satisfaction with their relationship, predominantly positive attitudes and low hostility towards their mate is vital for couples' good health advantages. By contrast, a considerable body of research indicates a low-quality marriage has several harmful effects on couples' health:

• Increased blood pressure
• Increased risk of heart disease
• Increased depression
• ncreased time needed for healing of physical wounds
• Increased levels of stress hormones
• Decreased immune function

Public Policy Implications

Marriage is a private choice, but it has public consequences for the Canadian healthcare system. Canadians' declining participation in marriage isn't merely a statistical trend. Given that marriage has been found to be a factor in better cancer recovery and fewer cardiac problems, should it not be considered a public health issue? Could public policy that supports and improves the quality of Canadian marriages not lead to lower costs for the public health system? Governments, religious institutions, the medical profession, and communities all need to be aware that marriage is an important factor in individuals' health outcomes. If these groups understand the relationship between marital status and illness, healthcare can be improved both for those who are married and those who are not.

Download the report using the sidebar button on the right.

One in three of working Canadians said they are dissatisfied with their work-life balance. Yet eighty-five percent said a satisfactory work-life balance is very important to them – so what gives? Canadians' Work-Life Balance is the fifth of five parts in the Canada Family Life project and is based on data from Nanos Research.