Cultural Attachment and Wellbeing Among Canada’s Indigenous People: A Rural Urban Divide

The relationship between cultural attachment and mental wellbeing among Canada’s Indigenous population is explored with data from the 2012 Aboriginal Peoples Survey. Cultural attachment is assessed by involvement in traditional activities and Indigenous language. Ordered probit models are used to determine the factors associated with wellbeing. The results suggest an urban–rural divide with cultural attachment associated with higher levels of wellbeing for Indigenous Canadians living in rural areas. The results are expected to be of interest to policy makers in countries with significant Indigenous populations whom tend to have higher frequencies of psychological wellbeing issues, such as Canada, Australia and the United States.