The Changing Well-beingof Older Status First Nations AdultsAn Application of the Registered IndianHuman Development Index

Symposium on Aboriginal Experiences in AgingSaskatoon, September 17-19, 2008

Martin Cooke, University of WaterlooEric Guimond, Indian and Northern Affairs Canada

Outline• Background: HDI and Methodology• The older Registered Indian Population• Mortality• Income• Educational attainment• Conclusions

Background• Concerned about the changing well-being of older

Registered Indians– Well-being of older people reflects the cumulative effects of life

experiences– Accumulation, depletion, or stability in health, human, social,

financial capitals• An aging population may present challenges for

communities, organizations, governments– Generally a focus on policies aimed at Aboriginal youth – Older people may not be well-served by policies aimed at the

older population in general, or at younger Aboriginal peoples• How has the well-being of older Registered Indians

changed 1981-2001? • Are improvements seen at the population level reflected

in the older population?

Background• Demographically younger than the general

Canadian population, but aging• Aboriginal Identity population

– 5.2% aged 60 and over in 1996– 8.6% in 2001 (80,000 people)

• Large cohort now in their 50s.

• True for Métis, Inuit, and non-status Indians and Registered Indians, on- and off-reserve

Absolute and Relative Size of the Registered Indian Population and Other Canadians Aged 50 and Older, Canada, 1981 and 2001

1981 200150-59 Registered Indians 14,465 (8.2%) 39,025 (10.7%) Other Canadians 2,393,450 (13.0%) 3,617,025 (15.3%)

60 and older Registered Indians 16,410 (9.3%) 35,245 (10.7%) Other Canadians 1,843,1985 (16.4%) 4,315,260 (18.3%)

80 and older Registered Indians 1,970 (1.1%) 3,345 (0.9%) Other Canadians 339,135 (1.8%) 737,355 (4 .0%)

Sources: Statistics Canada, 1981 and 2001 Censuses of Canada.

Percentage of Registered Indian Population Aged 60 and Older, by Province/Region, 1981-2001

0%

2%

4%

6%

8%

10%

12%

14%

CAN ATL QUE ON MAN SASK ALB BC NORTH

Perc

ent P

opul

atio

n 60

+

1981 2001

Sources: Statistics Canada, 1981 and 2001 Censuses of Canada.

The proportion of Registered Indian aged 60 and older varies significantly from region to region.

In 2001, this proportion was highest in Quebec, Ontario and BC.

Measuring Well-Being :The Registered Indian HDI• Identifying changing social and economic conditions of

Registered Indians 1981-2001• Based on the UNDP’s Human Development Index (HDI)

– Knowledge (necessary for full social participation)– Income (material standard of living)– Health (a long and healthy life)

• Income and knowledge measures based on Census• Life expectancy estimates derived from Indian Register

data and published life tables.

Measuring Well-Being :The Registered Indian HDI• Each indicator is calculated as the

distance between a theoretical minimum and maximum score, and ranges from 0 to 1

minmax

min

XXXXI actual

Index

332

31

IncomeEducationLiteracyLEB

HDI

IIIII

• Income is logged and adjusted by the CPI• Two education indicators are combined into a single index

– Functional literacy proxy (Grade 9; 2/3 weight)– Higher educational attainment (High school+; 1/3 weight)

• Three indices (life expectancy, education, income) are combined to form the HDI

The Strategic Research and Analysis Directorate at INAC is engaged in ongoing analyses using the HDI to find out how Registered Indian well-being is changing over time.

Human Development Index (HDI) for Registered Indians and Other Canadians, Canada, 1981-2001

The HDI for Registered Indians is significantly lower than that observed for other Canadians.

The HDI gap between Registered Indians and other Canadians has been narrowing since 1981.

But improvements over the 1996-2001 period have not resulted in a significant ‘gap reduction’.

0.8060.823

0.852 0.8630.880

0.6270.644

0.7060.739

0.765

0.55

0.60

0.65

0.70

0.75

0.80

0.85

0.90

0.95

1.00

1981 1986 1991 1996 2001

Year

HDI

Other Canadians Registered Indians

Gap = .179

Gap = .178

Gap = .146

Gap = .125

Gap = .115

Sources: Statistics Canada, 1981 to 2001 Censuses of Canada.

Measuring the Well-beingof Older Registered Indians (50+)• Life Expectancy at specific Ages

– From the Indian Register (Verma, Michalowski et al. 2003)& Statistics Canada life tables

– Max/min values from model life tables (Coale and Demeny, 1965;Coale and Guo, 1989)

• Educational attainment Index– Proportion with grade nine or higher (2/3 weight)– Proportion with high school or some post-secondary (1/3 weight)

• Income Index– Census average household income– Min $200, max $80,000

• Calculated for 5-year age groups 50-79, 80+

An age-specific HDI has also been developed for the monitoring of the well-being of the Registered Indian youth population (15-29).

Life Expectancy at Ages 60, 70, and 80, Registered Indian (RI) and Other Canadians (OC)Females, Canada, 1981-2001

Life expectancy for older Registered Indian and other Canadian women.has increased since 1981.

The life expectancy gap between Registered Indian and other Canadian women has narrowed slightly between 1981 and 2001.

0

5

10

15

20

25

1981 1986 1991 1996 2001

Life

Exp

ecta

ncy

(Yea

rs)

RI Age 60 RI Age 70 RI Age 80

OC Age 60 OC Age 70 OC Age 80

Sources: Statistics Canada 1984; Statistics Canada 1988; Statistics Canada 1990;Statistics Canada 1995; Verma, Michalowski et al. 2003; Statistics Canada 2006.

Life Expectancy at Ages 60, 70, and 80, Registered Indian (RI) and Other Canadians (OC)Males, Canada, 1981-2001

0

5

10

15

20

25

1981 1986 1991 1996 2001

Life

Exp

ecta

ncy

(Yea

rs)

RI Age 60 RI Age 70 RI Age 80

OC Age 60 OC Age 70 OC Age 80

Sources: Statistics Canada 1984; Statistics Canada 1988; Statistics Canada 1990;Statistics Canada 1995; Verma, Michalowski et al. 2003; Statistics Canada 2006.

Life expectancy for older Registered Indian and other Canadian men.has also increased since 1981.

Contrary to women, the life expectancy gap between Registered Indian and other Canadian men has increased slightly between 1981 and 2001.

Average Annual Household Income by Age Group Registered Indians (RI) and Other Canadians (OC)Canada, 1981-2001 (2000 $)

Registered Indians have lower incomes at older ages that other Canadians.

Older Registered Indian household incomes improved relatively little between 1981 and 2001.

$20,000

$30,000

$40,000

$50,000

$60,000

$70,000

$80,000

1981 1986 1991 1996 2001

Year

200

0 Do

llars

RI 55-59 RI 65-69 RI 75-79

OC 55-59 OC 65-59 OC 75-79

Sources: Statistics Canada, 1981 to 2001 Censuses of Canada.

Average Annual Household income by Birth Cohort and Age Group, Registered Indians (RI)and Other Canadians (OC), Canada, (2000 $)

Household income declines with age, but more for other Canadians than Registered Indians.

More recent cohorts of other Canadians have higher incomes before and after age 65.

Among Registered Indians, higher incomes at ages 50-59 have not translated into higher incomes after age 65.

$20,000

$30,000

$40,000

$50,000

$60,000

$70,000

$80,000

$90,000

50-54 55-59 60-64 65-69 70-74 75-79 80+

Year

200

0 Do

llars

1917-1921

1922-1926

1927-1931

1932-1936

1937-1941

1942-1946

1952-1956

Sources: Statistics Canada, 1981 to 2001 Censuses of Canada.

Registered Indians

Other Canadians

Educational Attainment Index by Birth Cohortand Age Group, Registered Indians andOther Canadians, Canada

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

50-5

4

55-5

9

60-6

4

65-6

9

70-7

4

75-7

9

80+

1917-1921 1922-19261927-1931 1932-19361937-1941 1942-19461952-1956

Sources: Statistics Canada, 1981 to 2001 Censuses of Canada.

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

50-5

4

55-5

9

60-6

4

65-6

9

70-7

4

75-7

9

80+

1917-1921 1922-19261927-1931 1932-19361937-1941 1942-19461952-1956

Other Canadians Registered Indians

Human Development Index (HDI) for Registered Indians (RI) and Other Canadians (OC) Aged 55-79 Canada, 1981-2001

There is a general improvement in Older Registered Indians HDI scores since 1981.

The HDI gap between Registered Indians and other Canadians aged 50-54, 55-59 has narrowed.

The HDI gap for those aged 70 and older has widened slightly.

0.3

0.4

0.5

0.6

0.7

0.8

0.9

1.0

1981 1986 1991 1996 2001

HDI S

core

RI 55-59 RI 65-69 RI 75-79

OC 55-59 OC 65-59 OC 75-79

Sources: Statistics Canada, 1981 to 2001 Censuses of Canada.

Human Development Index (HDI) forRegistered Indians (RI) Aged 55-74 by GenderCanada, 1981-2001

According to the HDI, older Registered Indian women display a better quality of life than men, largely because of higher life expectancy.

Differences between women and men have widened between 1981 and 2001.

0.30

0.35

0.40

0.45

0.50

0.55

0.60

0.65

0.70

1981 1986 1991 1996 2001

HDI S

core

Men 55-59 Men 65-69 Men 75-79

Women 55-59 Women 65-59 Women 75-79

Sources: Statistics Canada, 1981 to 2001 Censuses of Canada.

Conclusion• Overall, HDI scores for older registered Indians

improved since 1981. However, – Life expectancy for older Registered Indian men did not improve

at the same pace as for other Canadian men ;

– Household incomes for cohorts recently reaching retirement ages were virtually the same as for previous cohorts ;

– The overall HDI gap between Registered Indians and other Canadians decreased for those still in working ages (50-65), were constant for those 65-69, and widened for those over 70.

Conclusion• Improvements meant increasing disparity between Older

Registered Indian men and women– Increasing heterogeneity in older Registered Indian population

– Importance of monitoring conditions of sub-populations, for whom general policies might not be appropriate

• It remains to be seen whether the higher incomes and education of the large cohort aged 50-59 in 2001 will be reflected in higher incomes and better health when they reach retirement ages.