The Social Vulnerability Index (SVI) looks at Canadians who may be challenged during and post-pandemic due to mental health issues and limited social networks. Governments and social service agencies understand that some Canadians will inevitably have difficulty coping. The Social Vulnerability Index in combination with PRIZM® helps shed light on who is most likely to need more social support. This allows program support and communications to be designed with specific target populations in mind, and focused on the neighbourhoods most at risk. The SVI is constructed with the following variables, and every six-digit postal code in Canada has an associated SVI:
- Single-person households
- Self-reported rates of poor or fair mental health
- Rates of orientation towards “Community Involvement”
- Confidence in being able to rely on others in the community
- Measures of having close friends and family
- Unemployment rate (pre-COVID estimates)
The Social Vulnerability Index is calculated by weighting variables across multiple Environics Analytics databases; DemoStats, CommunityLife, CommunityHealth, and SocialValues.
Below are some additional resources linked for your reference.