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Change in Elderly Residential Segregation in Canadian Metropolitan Areas, 1981–91

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  29 November 2010

Geoffrey C. Smith
Geoffrey C. Smith
Affiliation:
University of Manitoba
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Abstract

Using census data, this study investigates change in the residential segregation of persons age 65 years and over from younger persons in Canadian census metropolitan areas (CMAs) between 1981 and 1991. In each CMA, age-segregation is first evaluated in terms of inner city-suburban population distributions, and then according to the degree of segregation across census tracts expressed by the Index of Dissimilarity. Although the CMAs typically had moderate segregation levels in both 1981 and 1991, there were consistent trends toward (i) increasing proportions of the elderly living in suburban areas, and (ii) declining degrees of age-segregation across census tracts. It is proposed that these trends are partly attributable to the aging in place of suburban residents. Correlation and regression analyses indicate that in 1991 lower degrees of segregation were associated with CMAs which had relatively high percentages of both older dwellings and elderly population. The policy implications of the results are discussed.

Résumé

À partir de données de recensement, cette étude examine les variations de ségrégation résidentielle chez les personnes de 65 ans et plus par rapport aux jeunes canadiens dans les régions métropolitaines de recensement (RMR) au Canada entre 1981 et 1991. Dans chaque RMR, on évalue d'abord la ségrégation selon l'âge en fonction de la répartition de la population entre les villes et les banlieues et ensuite, on examine le degré de ségrégation entre les secteurs de recensement défini par l'indice de dissimilitude. Bien que les RMR aient présenté des degrés moyens de ségrégation en 1981 comme en 1991, on a relevé des tendances constantes vers des proportions croissantes d'aînés vivant en banlieues et un degré décroissant de ségrégation selon l'âge les différents secteurs de recensement. On attribue en partie ces tendances au vieillissement des résidents de banlieues. Les analyses de corrélation et de régression indiquent qu'en 1991, de faibles indices de ségrégation étaient associés aux RMR où on retrouvait à la fois une population plus âgée et des habitations plus vieilles. Les incidences politiques des résultats de cette analyse sont discutées.

Keywords

ElderlyMetropolitan AreasSegregationSuburbanizationAging in Place.Aîné(e)srégions métropolitainességrégationbanlieusardisationvieillissement chez soi.
Type
Articles
Information
Canadian Journal on Aging / La Revue canadienne du vieillissement , Volume 17 , Issue 1 , Printemps/Spring 1998 , pp. 59 - 82
Copyright
Copyright © Canadian Association on Gerontology 1998

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