The 2012 edition of this report assesses Québec’s progress up to 2009 or 2010, as survey data
are always a few years behind. However, they nevertheless depict trends.
First, measured against itself, Québec has made progress, but not on all fronts. Poverty, which
is estimated using the market basket measure of low income, was slightly less widespread in
2010 than in 2002, despite the economic crisis of 2008. Child poverty in particular was less
widespread. The percentage of children under 18 years of age living in low‐income households
dropped from 10.7% in 2002 to 7.5% in 2010. While this rate is obviously still too high, it is
nevertheless a remarkable improvement in less than 10 years. Moreover, a number of
researchers have shown that the decrease in child poverty, unequalled in Canada, is clearly tied
to the singular family policies introduced by Québec since the mid‐1990s. On the other hand,
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the situation of unattached individuals under 65 years of age deteriorated over the same
period, with their low income rate rising from 28.5% in 2002 to 31.4% in 2010.