This chapter focuses on skills proficiency results among Indigenous people while controlling for important sociodemographic characteristics such as age, gender, and language.
The following section first views skills proficiency scores among the Indigenous population by age cohort at the Canadian level and at the provincial/territorial level. It then presents scores among First Nations (and Registered Indians), Métis, and Inuit across Canada.
Due to the unique age profiles of Indigenous peoples in Canada, proficiency scores for respondents aged 16 to 24 are then viewed more closely. The chapter then briefly discusses skills proficiency among Indigenous people by gender and then by mother tongue, the latter being of particular importance, given the unique language profiles of Indigenous peoples in Canada.
Age
The age structure of the Indigenous population in Canada is different from that of the overall population. In particular, the Indigenous populations are much younger than the non-Indigenous population, with a median age of approximately 28 years in 2011, compared with a median age of 41 years for the non-Indigenous population. Among Indigenous groups, Inuit have the youngest median age, at 23 years, followed by First Nations at 26 years, and Métis at 31 years (Statistics Canada, 2013a, p. 16). The high proportion of young people in Indigenous populations has prompted a special focus on the youngest age cohort (falling between 16 and 24 years of age) later in this chapter.
Looking at all age groups, Indigenous respondents scored lower than non-Indigenous respondents in all three domains of literary, numeracy, and problem solving in technology-rich environments (PS-TRE). However, this difference is not uniform across age groups. For example, as seen in Figure 2.1, which shows average literacy scores for the Indigenous population and the Canadian general population by age group, there are noticeably larger gaps in literacy among those 16 to 34 than among older respondents.
Proficiency in both literacy and numeracy peaks among Indigenous populations for those aged 25 to 44. For instance, as seen in Figure 2.2, which shows average numeracy scores for the Indigenous population and the Canadian general population by age group, both the 25-to-34 and the 35-to-44 age group significantly outperformed both the 45-to-54 age group and the 55-to-65 age group.
Figure 2.1 Literacy – Average scores of population aged 16 to 65, by age group, Indigenous population and general population, Canada, 2012
276
285 280
268 257 260
267 271
254 249
200 210 220 230 240 250 260 270 280 290
16 to 24 25 to 34 35 to 44 45 to 54 55 to 65
Average score Canadian average
(general population) Indigenous
Source: Table 2.1a in Appendix II
Note: Indigenous respondents aged 35 to 44 years scored significantly higher than all other Indigenous age groups, except for those aged 25 to 34, where differences were not statistically significant.
Figure 2.2 Numeracy – Average scores of population aged 16 to 65, by age group, Indigenous population and general population, Canada, 2012
Canadian average (general population) Indigenous
268 277 272
261 243 251
252 254
240
229
160 180 200 220 240 260 280
16 to 24 25 to 34 35 to 44 45 to 54 55 to 65
Average score
Source: Table 2.1b in Appendix II
It should also be observed that large gaps exist in literacy and numeracy between Indigenous respondents of the same age group in different provinces and
territories. In the case of literacy, respondents in Ontario and British Columbia consistently scored significantly higher than respondents in the territories, as illustrated in Figure 2.3, which presents average scores for the total Indigenous population aged 16 to 65, by age group and by oversampled populations.29
29 Please see Table 2.1a in Appendix II for age distribution for provinces and territories, disaggregated by Indigenous identity group.
Figure 2.3 Literacy – Average scores of the Indigenous population aged 16 to 65, by age group, oversampled populations, 2012
150 170 190 210 230 250 270 290 310
16 to 24 25 to 34 35 to 44 45 to 54 55 to 65
Average score
Ontario Manitoba
Northwest Territories British Columbia Yukon
Saskatchewan Nunavut
Source: Table 2.1a in Appendix II
When looking at the results for First Nations, Registered Indians, Métis, and Inuit populations by age, a number of observations can be made. In literacy, for example, among First Nations and Registered Indians, those in the mid-age range (35 to 44 years) significantly outperformed the oldest age group (55 to 65 years) but not any other age group. It should be noted that there is no statistically significant difference in the scores of the youngest age group (16 to 24 years) and the oldest age group (55 to 65 years) in literacy among First Nations and Registered Indians. No further differences were found by age for First Nations and Registered Indians in literacy, as seen in Figure 2.4, which demonstrates average scores of the population aged 16 to 65 by age group and Indigenous identification.
Among Métis, those in the 25-to-34 and the 35-to-44 age groups outperformed not only the 55-to-65 age group but also the 16-to-24 age group. Métis scored significantly higher in literacy than other Indigenous groups in almost every age group, although the difference is less apparent in the older age groups (e.g., above 45). Among Inuit, there were no statistically significant differences in literacy by age.
Results for numeracy followed a pattern similar to the results for literacy, with some differences, as illustrated in Figure 2.5, which shows average numeracy scores of the population aged 16 to 65 by age group and Indigenous identification. For First Nations and Registered Indian respondents, 35-to 44-year-olds outperformed the oldest age group (55 to 65 years). No further differences were found by age for First Nations and Registered Indians in this domain.
Métis respondents in the mid-range age groups (25 to 34 years and 35 to 44 years) significantly outperformed the two oldest age groups (45 to 54 years and 55 to 65 years) in numeracy. For Inuit, no statistically significant differences in numeracy were found by age.30
30 Please see Table 2.1b in Appendix II for data regarding age distribution for First Nations, Registered Indians, Métis, and Inuit across provinces and territories.
Figure 2.5 Numeracy – Average scores of population aged 16 to 65, by Indigenous identification and age group, Canada, 2012
Source: Table 2.1b in Appendix II
* Denotes a statistically significant difference in literacy scores relative to the oldest cohort of the same Indigenous group
Figure 2.4 Literacy – Average scores of population aged 16 to 65, by Indigenous identification and age group, Canada, 2012
253 257 262*
Source: Table 2.1a in Appendix II
* Denotes a statistically significant difference in literacy scores relative to the oldest cohort of the same Indigenous group
Figure 2.6 Literacy – Average scores of population aged 16 to 24, Indigenous population and non-Indigenous population, Canada and oversampled populations, 2012
267* 257* 231* 262* 258 245* 206* 257*279 281 278 277 269 273 297 277
0 50 100 150 200 250 300 350
Average score Ontario Manitoba Northwest Territories British Columbia Yukon Saskatchewan Nunavut Canada
Indigenous Non-Indigenous
Source: Table 2.1a in Appendix II
* Denotes a statistically significant difference between the scores of Indigenous and non-Indigenous respondents in the same province or territory