StatsCan: The role of social connections in mitigating the harms associated with discrimination, 2023/2024

Makes intuitive sense that social connections mitigate impacts of discrimination:

In 2023/2024, 45% of all racialized Canadians reported experiencing discrimination over the previous five years. While discrimination has been related to negative mental and physical health, lower levels of life satisfaction and reduced hopefulness about the future, these outcomes become less pronounced when victims of discriminatory acts have strong personal support networks.

Among racialized Canadians who reported experiencing discrimination in the previous five years, one-third (33%) reported having a high level of life satisfaction (scoring 8 or higher on a 10-point scale). This proportion increased to 47% among victims with strong family connections and to 49% for those with strong friend connections. Mental health outcomes and future outlook also fared better when victims had personal support networks.

These results are based on the new study released today, “Softening the blow of discrimination: The role of social connections in mitigating the harms associated with racism and discrimination,” which used the Survey Series on People and their Communities to look at the role of family and friends in mitigating the harms associated with discrimination among racialized Canadians. The study also examined how family and friend relationships can influence discrimination victims’ perceptions of other Canadians and broader Canadian society.

Source: Study: The role of social connections in mitigating the harms associated with discrimination, 2023/2024