Survey of Approaches to Educational Planning (SAEP)

Detailed information for 2025

Status:

Active

Frequency:

Occasional

Record number:

4442

Statistics Canada is conducting the Survey of Approaches to Educational Planning (SAEP) to gather information from parents and guardians about the strategies they use to prepare for their children's postsecondary education, their financial plans for paying for schooling, and the barriers to saving for higher education.

Data release - Winter 2026

Description

Statistics Canada was approached by Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC) to conduct a cross-sectional survey which would examine how Canadians are preparing their children for postsecondary education.

Parents and guardians can prepare in several ways. They can proactively plan for the financing of their children's postsecondary education by putting aside savings for that purpose and by actively participating in government-sponsored mechanisms that facilitate savings for postsecondary education (e.g., Registered Education Savings Plans). They can also prepare by encouraging, guiding and supporting their children through their early education, thereby laying the groundwork for pursuing postsecondary education.

The primary objective of the Survey of Approaches to Educational Planning (SAEP) is to gather information about the ways in which the parents and guardians of children aged 0 to 17 marshal the monetary and non-monetary resources needed to pursue postsecondary education. This includes financial saving strategies, familial attitudes and values with respect to postsecondary education, and barriers to saving or planning for education after high school.

The information gathered from the SAEP will be used to inform research, policies and programs that help families plan and save for their children's education after high school, and to determine Canadians' awareness of government programs that help families save for their children's postsecondary education.

Subjects

Education finance
Education, training and learning

Data sources and methodology

Target population

The target population consists of children between the ages of 0 and 17 as of May 16th, 2025 in the ten provinces. Children living on reserves are excluded from the target population.

Instrument design

The SAEP questionnaire contains many of the same questions that were used in the 2020 iteration of the survey. Revisions were implemented in collaboration with Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC), as well as internal Statistics Canada development partners such as the Questionnaire Design Resource Centre (QDRC) who conducted qualitative tests of the questionnaire and recommended changes which were incorporated when possible.

Sampling

This is a sample survey.

Survey frame:
The SAEP sample was selected from the Canada Child Benefit (CCB) file.

Sampling unit:
This is a targeted respondent survey. The sampling unit is the person knowledgeable about the postsecondary education plans for a child who lives in their household and is less than 18 years of age as of May 16, 2025.

Stratification method:
No stratification for SAEP. It is a simple random sample at the national level.

Sampling and sub-sampling:
Sufficient sample was allocated to each of the provinces so that the survey could produce national level estimates and allow for further data disaggregation compared to previous SAEP cycles.

An initial sample of 40,000 targeted respondents was selected and sent to collection.

The selection of a sample unit is done in one stage. The frame is sorted geographically, then a systematic random sample of eligible children is selected. A child is eligible if they are less than 18 years old as of May 16, 2025.

Data sources

Data collection for this reference period: 2025-02-24 to 2025-05-16

Responding to this survey is voluntary.

Data are collected directly from survey respondents and derived from other Statistics Canada surveys.

The SAEP is collected by way of self-response electronic questionnaire with telephone interview follow-up. Information is collected from the person who is most knowledgeable about the selected child and any plans for their postsecondary education. Proxy response was not allowed.

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