The 2022 Canadian Veteran Health Survey

Introduction

The Canadian Veteran Health Survey (CVHS) is a new survey designed to measure the health and well-being of Veterans after their transition from military to civilian life. It replaces the previous Life After Service Surveys (LASS).

What is this research about?

This report describes findings from the 2022 CVHS. From October to December 2022, Statistics Canada conducted the first CVHS on behalf of Veterans Affairs Canada (VAC). The survey was sent to more than 5,000 randomly-selected Veterans who reported on the 2021 Census that they had served in the Canadian military. In all, 3,215 Veterans responded to the survey; and 2,714 (84.4%) agreed that their anonymized data could be shared with VAC.

What did the researchers do?

The researchers analyzed data from the 2022 CVHS and presented findings about the Canadian Veteran population in areas such as physical and mental health, employment, main activity and finances. In addition to providing overall results, the researchers also made comparisons between men+^{Footnote 1} and women+^{Footnote 2} Veterans. Where possible, comparisons are also made to the general Canadian population.

What did the researchers find?

The average age of Veterans in Canada is 61.7 years old. On average, male Veterans (62.3 years) are slightly older than female Veterans (58.4 years old).

The proportion of Veterans who identify as:

• Indigenous is 4.2%
• belonging to a visible minority is 4.1%
• 2SLGBTQI+ is 4.0%
• Canadian citizens by birth is 91.3%

The average age that Veterans released from the military was 44.7 years old. About half (46.3%) released when they were between 20 and 29 years old.

When asked to rate their own health:

• 39.6% of Veterans rate their health as very good or excellent, while 27.1% rate their health as fair or poor
• 49.1% of Veterans rate their mental health as very good or excellent, while 21.1% rate their mental health as fair or poor
• 23.9% felt that their mental health was worse now than before the COVID-19 pandemic; while 12.8% thought their mental health had improved

The five most common health issues among Veterans are:

• back problems (43.2%)
• arthritis (40.8%)
• high blood pressure (34.5%)
• obesity (29.7%)
• anxiety (18.4%)

44.2% are living with pain, and 10.9% report that pain limits most of their activities.

20.2% have thought about suicide in their lifetime; and 5.8% reported having these thoughts in the past 12 months.

38.9% have household incomes of $100,000 or more, while 16.6% have a household income that falls below the Low-Income Measure.

58.9% feel a strong or somewhat strong sense of community belonging.

45.3% reported work as their main activity over the past 12 months; and 43.6% were retired.

Most reported being satisfied with life (77.9%); finances (61.5%); and main activity (75.4%).

While there were many similarities among men+ Veterans and women+ Veterans, there were notable differences in some areas. For example, women+ Veterans were:

• more likely to have served only in the Reserve Forces (48.4% vs 33.9%)
• less likely to report high blood pressure (25.9% vs 36.0%), heart disease (6.2% vs 14.0%), and diabetes (9.7% vs 15.0%)
• more likely to report osteoporosis (13.5% vs 6.2%), fibromyalgia (6.3% vs 1.6%), anxiety (24.1% vs 17.4%), and mood disorders (23.7% vs 16.8%)
• more likely to rate their mental health as worse now than before the COVID-19 pandemic (29.5% vs 22.9%)
• less likely to report difficulty hearing (23.1% vs 38.9%)
• more likely to report life as “quite a bit” or “extremely” stressful (27.6% vs 20.6%)

While there were many similarities among Veterans and the general Canadian population, there were notable differences in some areas. For example, Veterans were:

• more likely to identify as Indigenous (4.2% vs 2.5%); as lesbian, gay, bisexual or other (4.0% vs 2.6%); and be Canadian citizens by birth is (91.3% vs 71.6%)
• less likely to belong to a visible minority (4.1% vs 18.5%)
• more likely to rate their health as fair or poor (27.1% vs 17.9%); and their mental health as fair or poor (21.1% vs 10.9%)
• more likely to report back problems (43.2% vs 28.0%), arthritis (40.8% vs 28.0%), anxiety (18.4% vs 9.9%), mood disorders (17.9% vs 9.0%), and PTSD (16.3% vs 3.1%)
• more likely to have used cannabis in the past year (27% vs 18.2%)
• more likely to report a weak sense of community belonging (41.1% vs 34.0%)
• more likely to report life as “quite a bit” or “extremely” stressful (21.7% vs 18.2%)

Read the full report.

Source

Sweet J, Babe M, Pound T, Canadian Veteran Health Survey 2022. Charlottetown PE: Veterans Affairs Canada. Research Directorate Technical Report, 31 Aug 2024.