General Social Statistics Program - Survey on Canadians' Safety (SCS)

Detailed information for 2025

The General Social Statistics Program (GSSP) has two main objectives:
- to gather data on social trends in order to monitor changes in the living conditions and well-being of Canadians over time; and
- to provide information on specific social policy issues of current or emerging interest.

• Questionnaire(s) and reporting guide(s)
• Description
• Data sources and methodology

Description

The main objective of the GSSP Survey on Canadians' Safety (SCS) is to better understand how Canadians perceive crime and the justice system and to capture information on their experiences of victimization.

This survey is the only national survey of self-reported victimization and is collected in all provinces and territories. The survey allows for estimates of the numbers and characteristics of victims and criminal incidents. As not all crimes are reported to the police, the survey provides an important complement to officially recorded crime rates. It measures both crime incidents that come to the attention of the police and those that are unreported. It also helps to understand the reasons behind whether or not people report a crime to the police.

Survey results will be used by police departments, all levels of government, victim and social service agencies, community groups and researchers not only to better understand the nature and extent of victimization in Canada, but also to study Canadians' perceptions of their safety, the levels of crime in their neighbourhoods, and their attitudes toward the criminal justice system.

The survey results will also be used to inform Canada's Action Plan on Combatting Hate which brings together a whole-of-government approach to confronting hate by empowering communities, increasing research and data gathering, and building partnerships, to create a Canada that is free of all forms of hate.

Statistical activity

This record is part of the General Social Survey (GSS) program. The GSS originated in 1985. Since 2022, the GSS is referred to as the General Social Statistics Program (GSSP) to better reflect that data is integrated from administrative data, statistical modelling, and alternative data collection approaches, in addition to a detailed survey on a given topic. The GSSP is comprised of surveys on core topics, using focus or exploratory questions and a standard set of socio-demographic questions used for classification. More recent surveys have also included some qualitative questions, which explore intentions and perceptions.

Reference period: Past 12 months preceding interview date

Subjects

• Crime and justice
• Society and community
• Victims and victimization

Data sources and methodology

Target population

The target population for the SCS is the Canadian population aged 15 and over, living in the provinces and territories. Canadians residing in institutions and other collective dwellings full-time and persons living on reserves and other Indigenous settlements are excluded.

Instrument design

The questionnaire was designed based on research and extensive consultations with data users. Qualitative testing, conducted by Statistics Canada's Questionnaire Design Resource Center (QDRC), was carried out, with respondents who were screened in based on representative criteria. Questions which worked well and others that needed clarification or redesign were highlighted. QDRC staff compiled a detailed report of the results along with their recommendations. All comments and feedback from qualitative testing were carefully considered and incorporated into the survey when possible.

Sampling

This is a sample survey with a cross-sectional design.

The sample in the provinces consists of a random sample of units selected from the 2021 Census of Population (short-form questionnaire) along with the Longitudinal Immigration Database (IMDB) and the landing records received from Immigration, Refugees, Citizenship Canada (IRCC) to better reflect the actual population.

The sample in the territories was drawn from an area frame of dwellings which had been in the Labour Force Survey (LFS).

Sampling Unit:
In the provinces, it is a targeted respondent survey. The sampling unit is the person.

In the territories, it uses a two-stage sampling design. The sample units are the dwellings. The final stage units are individuals within the identified households. Note that SCS only selects one eligible person per household to be interviewed.

Stratification method:
Strata were defined to achieve sufficient sample sizes in each domain of estimation and optimize sample allocation. The frame for the SCS was stratified by province, certain population groups and Indigenous identity. The domains of estimation consist of the provinces in addition to population groups of interest and Indigenous identity at the national level.

Sampling and sub-sampling:
In the provinces. within each stratum, a sample was drawn using systematic sampling, after sorting the frame by dwelling identifier, to reduce the possibility of sampling more than one person per household.
The survey is funded through Canada's Action Plan on Combatting Hate (CAPCH), a federal initiative aimed at addressing all forms of hate across the country. Through this work, Statistics Canada will produce data that supports CAPCH's three core pillars: empowering communities to prevent hate; supporting victims and protecting communities; and strengthening trust, partnerships, and institutional readiness.
Additionally, through the Disaggregated Data Action Plan (DDAP), Statistics Canada is producing detailed data to address gender gaps, racism and other systemic barriers, to apply fairness and inclusion to decisions that affect all people in Canada.

With CAPCH as the survey sponsor, and DDAP funding, the SCS has increased its sample size and oversampled specific population groups as well as First Nations, Métis and Inuit.

The total sample size for the SCS in the provinces is approximately 100,000 individuals.
In the territories, a single eligible member of each sampled household is randomly selected to complete the questionnaire.

The total sample size for the SCS in the territories is approximately 4,780 dwellings.

Data sources

Data collection for this reference period: 2025-06-16 to 2026-02-28

Responding to this survey is voluntary.

Data are collected directly from survey respondents.

For respondents in the provinces, data are collected either through an electronic questionnaire or through CATI (computer assisted telephone interviewing). No proxy reporting is allowed. The respondents have the choice between French and English. Interviews are approximately 45 minutes.

In the territories, data are collected through an electronic questionnaire, telephone interviews or in-person interviews.

The information collected during the 2025 SCS is planned to be linked with personal and household level tax records file (T1, T1FF and T4) and with the Longitudinal Immigration Database for completed cases. The linkage falls under the omnibus record linkage authority (Type B) as the linkage will be used for data replacement purposes.

Respondents will be notified of the planned linkage before or at the exit of the survey. Any respondents who object to the linkage of their data will have their objections recorded, and no linkage to their administrative data will take place.

View the Questionnaire(s) and reporting guide(s) .