Appendix B: Survey demographic information

This section provides information on the demographics of survey respondents who took the racial profiling survey.

1. Region

Table 11. Region where respondent lives
by first letter in respondent’s postal code

Region	Percentage	Count
K (Eastern region)	15.9	217
L (Central region)	22.6	308
M (Toronto)	39.8	542
N (Western region)	13.2	180
P (Northern region)	6.4	87
Other	2.1	29
	Total responses 1363

Note: Percentages reflect the survey respondents only, and are not representative of the total population.

Most survey respondents came from the Toronto and Central region of Ontario. This pattern holds true when breaking down the data by various sub-groups based on ethnic or racial background. The exception is survey respondents who identified as Indigenous, where 33.1% said they lived in the Northern region of Ontario, followed by Toronto and Central region.

2. Age

Table 12. Age of survey respondents by age grouping

Age	Percentage	Count
Under 15	0.1	1
15-19	2.6	35
20-24	7.2	98
25-34	28.0	382
35-44	26.0	355
45-54	21.6	295
55 and over	14.6	199
	Total responses 1365

Note: Percentages reflect the survey respondents only, and are not representative of the total population.

Most survey respondents who reported their age said they were younger middle-aged (between 25 and 44 years old) (54%). Ninety-five survey respondents under age 25 identified as racialized^[320] (90) or Indigenous (5). This represents 6.3% of survey respondents. These responses are important because certain types of racial profiling may be more likely to affect racialized and Indigenous youth based on intersecting stereotypes (for example, racial profiling in education, carding/street checks). We also received many survey responses from families and service providers who talked about the experiences of racialized and Indigenous youth.

3. Gender

Table 13. Gender of survey respondents by gender category

Gender	Percentage	Count
Female	69.4	947
Male	29.7	406
Transgender	0.9	12
Other	0.9	12
	Total responses 1365

Note: Percentages reflect the survey respondents only, and are not representative of the total population.

There were far more female than male survey respondents. More than two-thirds of all survey respondents were female.

The gender imbalance was even greater for some groups. For example, almost three-quarters or 73.2% of Indigenous respondents were female, and only slightly over one-quarter (or 27.3%) who identified as exclusively White were male.

4. Indigenous identity

Table 14. Identity of survey respondents by Indigenous
or non-Indigenous identity type

Identity	Percentage	Count
Non-Indigenous	89.3	1214
Métis	2.1	28
First Nations	6.8	92
Inuit	0.2	3
Other	1.7	22
	Total responses 1359

Note: Percentages reflect the survey respondents only, and are not representative of the total population.

A total of 123 respondents identified as Métis, First Nations or Inuit. Eight people who chose “other, please specify” also identified as being Indigenous or with mixed Indigenous ancestry. Overall, 131 people identified as Indigenous or with mixed Indigenous ancestry (8.7% of all survey respondents).^[321] The proportion of Indigenous peoples who answered the survey was greater than the proportion of Indigenous peoples in the Ontario population (2.4%).^[322] The vast majority of respondents live off-reserve, while 24 or 4.6% live on reserve.

5. Racial or ethnic background

Table 15. Racial or ethnic background of survey
respondents by background category

Racial or ethnic background	Percentage	Count
Arab	3.1	41
Black	22.8	301
Chinese	3.6	48
Filipino	0.8	11
Japanese	0.4	5
Korean	0.4	5
Latin American	3.0	39
South Asian	10.6	140
Southeast Asian	1.2	16
West Asian (e.g. Iranian, Afghan, etc.)	1.4	19
White	48.7	644
Other	13.5	178
	Total responses 1322

Note: Percentages do not total 100, due to many survey respondents selecting multiple categories. Percentages reflect the survey respondents only, and are not representative of the total population.

Almost half of respondents (48.7%) who reported their ethnic background identified as White. Almost a quarter (22.8%) identified as Black, and 13.5% identified as “other.” Many people who specified “other” identified biracial, European or Indigenous backgrounds.

6. Creed

Table 16. Survey respondents’ religion or creed (if any) by creed category

Creed	Percentage	Count
Buddhist	2.2	30
Christian	34.5	467
Hindu	1.3	18
Jewish	1.7	23
Muslim	10.6	144
Sikh	0.6	8
Indigenous Spirituality	5.3	72
No religion	36.8	498
Other	7.0	95
	Total responses 1355

Note: Percentages reflect the survey respondents only, and are not representative of the total population.

Most survey respondents who answered this question identified that they had no religion (36.8%). Over a third identified as Christian, and over 10% as Muslim. The OHRC received proportionally more surveys from people who identified as Muslim, Buddhist, no religion, “other” and practicing Indigenous spirituality compared to how people with these creeds are distributed in the general Ontario population.^[323] The OHRC received a slightly lower proportion of surveys from people who identified as Jewish, Sikh and Hindu compared to how people with these creeds are distributed in the Ontario population.^[324]

7. Type of work

Of the survey respondents who reported their area of work, over a quarter worked in government or social services (26.4%), and 16.8% said they worked in education. The greatest proportion of survey respondents (29.2%) identified as “other,” with many reporting that they worked in law, media, communications or publishing, the non-profit sector or did not work outside the home (they were retired, students or homemakers).

---

^[319] The Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada specifically recommends that new federal Aboriginal child-welfare legislation be enacted that establishes national standards for Aboriginal child apprehension and custody cases that includes, among its principles, an affirmation of “the right of Aboriginal governments to establish and maintain their own child-welfare agencies.” The Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada, Honouring the Truth, Reconciling for the Future: Summary of the Final Report of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada (Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada, 2015) online: Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada www.trc.ca (retrieved December 21, 2016) at 320.