Step-by-step explanation:
The first part of the study defined and quantified poverty in Canada by asking people whether and how often they have struggled economically. The study created four segments of the population based on the responses:
- Struggling (16%): have experienced at least 4 of the 12 hardship scenarios in their lives, and experience at least one on an ongoing basis
- On the Edge (11%): have experienced fewer economic hardships than the “Struggling" segment and these hardships are more likely to be recent rather than ongoing
- Recently Comfortable (36%): have some past or occasional experience with economic hardship
- Always Comfortable (37%): the vast majority have never experienced economic hardship
- There is a perception across all four segments that poverty in Canada is on the rise; 52% of Canadians believe poverty is increasing in their communities while only 9% feel it is declining
I found it interesting that Canadians, on average, estimate that about 1 in 3 people (34.8%) in their communities experiences poverty - a much higher rate than the commonly used measures that low-income reveal.