Everyone living in B.C. is encouraged to take the BC Demographic Survey to help identify systemic racism in government services.

The information collected through the BC Demographic Survey will help the B.C. government deliver stronger, more accessible, and more inclusive programs and services for everyone. The survey was created through engagement with Indigenous, Black and other racialized communities. It includes questions related to race, ethnicity, ancestry and other areas of identity.

“We have heard from many Indigenous peoples and racialized groups that they are being left behind because government services weren’t designed with them in mind, which is why we are continuing the work to create a more equitable province,” said Lisa Beare, Minister of Citizens’ Services. “The BC Demographic Survey is our next step in confronting systemic biases and advancing racial equity in B.C. If you’re a B.C. resident, I invite you to participate in the survey to help us build a province that works for everyone.”

“Everyone deserves equitable access to the supports they need,” said Niki Sharma, Attorney General. “We need to understand how systemic racism shows up in government services through data collection. The BC Demographic Survey will help us identify data gaps so that we can improve access to government programs and services for everyone.”

The BC Demographic Survey is being conducted by BC Stats, the province’s source of statistics about B.C.’s people and economy. Personal identifiers will be removed when survey responses are combined with information about government programs and services.

This will enable anti-racism research on the priorities brought forward by Indigenous Peoples and the Anti-Racism Data Committee. Those research priorities were released May 29.

While the survey is voluntary, everyone, regardless of ethnicity, is encouraged to take it, a Ministry of Citizens’ Services media release stated.

“The more people who complete the survey, the better and more accurate the data to identify, then eliminate, systemic racism in B.C. government services.”

“This year’s BC Demographic Survey is the first to be administered under the Anti-Racism Data Act. The act – and the collection of data on the impacts of racism – flows from ‘the grandmother perspective’ framework on disaggregated data collection that my office has called for,” said Kasari Govender, B.C.’s human rights commissioner.

“Demographic data can assist the provincial government to identify and eliminate racial inequities in service delivery systems. I encourage everyone interested in ensuring our public services are equitable to engage with this new survey and make your voices heard.”

The province has developed a digital-awareness campaign that alters the B.C. logo to show how gaps in services can be filled by participating in the survey.

Ongoing community involvement is at the core of the Anti-Racism Data Act. The province is also providing grants to community organizations to raise awareness of the survey within their networks.

The survey is open until Sept. 29, and is part of the province’s cross-government work to collaborate with Indigenous Peoples and racialized communities to dismantle systemic racism and build a better, more inclusive province, the ministry noted.

The survey is online and available in 15 languages.

People without access to a computer or smartphone can take the survey by calling toll-free: 1-833-376-2452.

BC Government photo

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