Text Descriptions

Figure 1: Factors impacting decision to join the federal public service
  Very important Important Moderately Important Only a small factor Not a factor at all
Public service pension plan 68% 19% 6% 4% 4%
Salary 50% 33% 10% 4% 3%
Paid leave 52% 29% 10% 5% 4%
Public Service Health Care plan 50% 27% 12% 6% 5%
Public Service Dental Care plan 47% 28% 12% 7% 6%
Retirement health and dental plans 45% 23% 12% 8% 9%

Return to Figure 1

Figure 2: Ranking of priorities when joining the federal public service
  Rank 1 Rank 2 Rank 3
Salary 44% 20% 10%
Public service pension plan 38% 23% 16%
Paid leave 7% 27% 27%
Public Service Health Care Plan 3% 14% 23%
Retirement health and dental plans 2% 5% 6%
Public Service Dental Care Plan 1% 4% 13%

Return to Figure 2

Figure 3: Factors impacting decision to continue working for the federal public service
  Very important Important Moderately Important Only a small factor Not a factor at all
Public service pension plan 78% 16% 4% 1% 1%
Salary 60% 28% 9% 2% 1%
Paid leave 59% 29% 8% 2% 1%
Public Service Health Care Plan 49% 33% 12% 4% 2%
Public Service Dental Care Plan 46% 34% 13% 5% 2%
Retirement health and dental plans 45% 28% 14% 8% 4%

Values of 2% or less are not labelled in the chart

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Figure 4: Ranking of priorities when continuing to work for the federal public service
  Rank 1 Rank 2 Rank 3
Public service pension plan 44% 23% 15%
Salary 40% 25% 11%
Paid leave 6% 24% 30%
Public Service Health Care Plan 3% 13% 20%
Retirement health and dental plans 2% 7% 6%
Public Service Dental Care Plan 1% 3% 14%

Return to Figure 4

Figure 5: Federal public service pension and benefit plans vs. other employers’ plans
  Much better Somewhat better About the same Somewhat worse Much worse Don't know
Public service pension plan 46% 31% 10% 3% 1% 9%
Public Service Dental Care Plan 14% 22% 35% 17% 3% 9%
Public Service Health Care Plan 13% 23% 34% 18% 3% 10%
Disability insurance plans 11% 19% 27% 7% 3% 33%

Return to Figure 5

Figure 6: Importance of public service plans to overall well-being
  Very important Important Moderately important Slightly important Not important at all Don't know Does not apply to me
Public service pension plan 73% 18% 4% 2% 1% 2% 2%
Public Service Health Care Plan 62% 28% 6% 2% 1% 1% 0%
Public Service Dental Care Plan 52% 34% 10% 3% 1% 1% 0%
Disability insurance plans 43% 27% 11% 4% 2% 8% 6%

Values of 2% or less are not labelled in the chart

Return to Figure 6

Figure 7: Extent to which members feel informed about the plans
  Pension plan Benefits plans
Very informed 18% 19%
Moderately informed 50% 55%
Slightly informed 27% 23%
Not at all informed 5% 3%

Return to Figure 7

Figure 8: Knowledge of plan features
  Advanced Intermediate Beginner No Knowledge
How to buy back pensionable service 22% 36% 27% 11%
Public Service Health Care Plan benefits 20% 59% 18% 2%
Public Service Dental Care Plan benefits 20% 60% 19% 1%
How your pension is calculated 17% 34% 35% 14%
Indexing of pension benefit 16% 30% 33% 20%
Defined benefit plan 16% 27% 30% 25%
Pension plan contributions 13% 44% 36% 7%
Impact of a Leave of Absence on pension 11% 29% 34% 24%
Pension benefit options 11% 28% 37% 23%
Pension benefits for survivors 10% 33% 39% 17%
Retirement health and dental plans 5% 26% 41% 26%
Benefits under the disability insurance plans 5% 24% 46% 23%

Value of 2% or less are not labelled in the chart

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Figure 9: Recall of receipt of plan information when joining the federal public service
  Pension plan Benefits plans
Yes 38% 55%
No 22% 17%
Don't remember 40% 28%

Return to Figure 9

Figure 10: Perceptions of public service pension plan information issues
  Strongly agree Agree Neither Disagree Strongly disagree
I know where to find information about the pension plan 11% 48% 18% 16% 5%
I trust the information provided about the pension plan 9% 45% 29% 8% 3%
I know who to contact if I have questions about the pension plan 11% 35% 15% 25% 13%
I understand the information provided about the pension plan 6% 37% 31% 18% 5%
It is easy to find information about the pension plan 6% 30% 29% 24% 7%
I am provided with sufficient information about the pension plan to make financial decisions 5% 25% 25% 31% 12%

Return to Figure 10

Figure 11: Perceptions of public service benefit plans information issues
  Strongly agree Agree Neither Disagree Strongly disagree
I trust the information provided about the benefit plans 9% 53% 27% 6% 2%
I know where to find information about the benefit plans 9% 51% 20% 14% 5%
I understand the information provided about the benefit plans 7% 49% 28% 11% 3%
I know who to contact if I have questions about the benefit plans 7% 34% 21% 27% 9%
It is easy to find information about the benefit plans 6% 34% 30% 22% 6%
I am provided with sufficient information about the benefit plans 5% 34% 30% 24% 6%

Return to Figure 11

Figure 12: Interest in receiving more information about public service plans.
Agree/disagree: I would like to receive more information about the public service pension and benefit plans.
  Pension plan Benefits plans
Strongly agree 46% 23%
Agree 38% 45%
Neither 12% 24%
Disagree 3% 6%
Strongly disagree 1% 1%

Return to Figure 12

Figure 13: Interest in learning more about public service plans
  Pension plan Benefit plans
Very interested 72% 52%
Moderately interested 20% 32%
Slightly interested 5% 12%
Not at all interested 2% 3%

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Figure 14: Pension and benefit topics members are interested in learning more about
  %
Retirement benefits 87%
Personalized information 78%
Indexation 68%
Survivor benefit 63%
What happens to pension and benefit when on leave 57%
Supplementary death benefit 57%
Eligible health care expenses 55%
Eligible dental care expenses 54%
Disability benefits 52%
Contributions 52%
Amending or cancelling benefit plans coverage 41%
Adding or changing a beneficiary 37%
How to buy back pensionable service 33%
Transferring pension to and from other employers 31%
Other 4%
None of the above 2%

Return to Figure 14

Figure 15: Suggestions to improve public service pension plan information
  %
Offer information sessions/seminars/classes 14%
Provide on-demand access to annual pension plan statements 13%
Provide more information/better access to information (general) 7%
Improve online information/provide more user-friendly website 6%
Provide expert advice/personal advisors 5%
Increase communication/communicate more frequently (general) 5%
Provide explanation of pension calculation/examples 5%
Provide easier to reach customer service/have more available staff 4%
Communicate in plain language 4%
Provide information packages for new employees 4%
Offer information through written materials 3%
Provide mandatory training for new employees 3%
Offer information through emails 3%
Provide general information/basic summary/FAQ 2%
Improve Phoenix pay system/fix issues 2%
Stop making changes to the pension plan/reducing benefits 1%
Other information through webinars/videos 1%
Allow employees to 'buy back' time 1%
Other 3%
No suggestions 27%
Don't know 16%

Return to Figure 15

Figure 16: Suggestions to improve public service benefit plans information
  %
Offer information sessions/seminars/classes 6%
Improve online information/provide more user-friendly website 6%
Provide more information/better access to information (general) 5%
Provide general information/basic summary/FAQ 5%
Communicate in plain language 4%
Increase communication/communicate more frequently (general) 4%
Provide better coverage/increase benefits 4%
Provide information packages for new employees 3%
Provide expert advice/personal advisors 3%
Offer information through emails 2%
Offer information through written materials 2%
Provide easier to reach customer service/have more available staff 2%
Provide mandatory training for new employees 2%
Provide on-demand access to annual statement of benefits 1%
Offer information through webinars/videos 1%
Improve Phoenix pay system/fix issues 1%
Other 2%
No suggestions 44%
Don't know 21%

Return to Figure 16

Figure 17: Frequency of using various sources to obtain information
  Always Often Sometimes
Compensation Web Applications 14% 31% 31%
Insurance companies 9% 26% 36%
Colleagues 4% 20% 43%
Departmental intranet web site 4% 14% 33%
Canada.ca/pension -benefits web site 4% 13% 33%
Penson and Insurance Benefits Statement 6% 14% 29%
Pre-retirement courses 6% 7% 25%
Print Publications (PSHCP Bulletin) 2% 8% 27%
The Government of Canada Pension Centre 3% 7% 27%
Parter web sites 2% 7% 21%
Information sessions provided by department 3% 6% 21%
Union web sites 1% 6% 21%
The Public Service Pay Centre 2% 5% 18%
An independent financial advisor 1% 4% 16%
Manager 1% 4% 16%
GCTools 1% 4% 14%
Compensation Advisor 1% 2% 12%
Official Government of Canada Social Media accounts 0% 1% 4%
Pension and Benefits kiosk at events/conferences 0% 1% 3%
Others non-government Social Media accounts 0% 1% 3%

Return to Figure 17

Figure 18: Preferred frequency of receiving information about public service pension or benefits plans
  %
Annually 83%
When there are changes 82%
Upon retirement from the public service 68%
Upon joining the federal public service 59%
When certain life events are experienced 53%
Upon request 1%
Monthly/quarterly <0.5%
Other 4%

Return to Figure 18

Figure 19: Recall of Government of Canada communications about the public service pension and benefit plans
  Insurance companies Departmental email Intranet Colleagues Canada.ca/pension-benefits Departmental management Social Media Pension and Benefits kiosk Can't recall how Not informed about this
Sun Life digital services (online services) 38% 13% 5% 8% 2% 2% 1% 0% 16% 19%
Public Service Dental Care Plan benefit enhancements 10% 14% 5% 4% 3% 2% 1% 0% 20% 44%
Public service pension plan contribution rates 0% 14% 5% 2% 5% 2% 1% 0% 23% 49%
Expansion of coverage for contraceptives under the Public Services Health Care Plan 6% 4% 2% 2% 1% 1% 2% 0% 21% 64%
The Annual Report on the Public Service Pension Plan 0% 6% 2% 0% 3% 1% 0% 0% 22% 65%

Return to Figure 19

Figure 20: Preferred method to receive information about the public service pension and benefit plans
  Website App Online web tool Mail Contact Centre In-person Videos Social media Email
Personalized pension and benefits information 24% 18% 32% 37% 8% 21% 2% 1% 44%
Retirement planning 29% 14% 29% 23% 9% 38% 6% 2% 46%
Plan Changes 29% 15% 20% 27% 5% 14% 3% 3% 68%
Availability of new pension and benefits information 31% 15% 22% 25% 5% 14% 4% 2% 67%
General pension or benefit plan information 37% 16% 25% 24% 6% 16% 4% 3% 58%
Pension and Benefits kiosk events/conferences 21% 9% 12% 13% 3% 13% 3% 3% 56%

Return to Figure 20

Figure 21: Top methods to receive information about the public
  Email (E-newsletter) Website Mailed publications Online web tool
Plan changes 68% 29% 27% 20%
Availability of new pension and benefits information 67% 31% 25% 22%
General pension or benefit plan information 58% 37% 24% 25%
Pension and Benefits kiosk events/conferences 56% 21% 13% 12%
Retirement planning 46% 29% 23% 29%
Personalized pension and benefits information 44% 24% 37% 32%

Return to Figure 21

Figure 22: Frequency of accessing online public service pension and benefit plans information
  Always Usually Sometimes Never Don't Know
Work computer 33% 36% 26% 4% 1%
Home computer 5% 11% 39% 44% 1%
Mobile device 4% 7% 20% 68% 1%

Values of 1% or less are not labelled in the chart

Return to Figure 22

Figure 23: Preferred social media platform to receive public service pension and benefit plans information
  %
Facebook 7%
GCconnex 5%
Email 2%
Twitter 2%
LinkedIn 1%
Don't use social media 20%
None 64%

Return to Figure 23

Figure 24: Visited Government of Canada pension and benefits website
  %
Visited Website 60%
Did not visit Website 26%
Don't remember 14%

Return to Figure 24

Figure 25: Information sought when visiting the pension and benefits website
  %
Pension calculator 69%
Pension information 63%
Retirement planning information 37%
Public Service Health Care Plan coverage information 36%
Secure pension tools 34%
Public Service Dental Care Plan coverage information 31%
Contact information 21%
Retirement income sources information 20%
Benefit forms 17%
Survivor benefits information 16%
Contribution rates 15%
Pension forms 15%
Indexation information 12%
Plan application / registration information 9%
New to the public service information 7%
Buy-back information 2%
Other 5%
Can't remember 3%

Return to Figure 25

Figure 26: Outcome of website visit
  %
I found everything I was looking for 22%
I found some of what I was looking for 64%
I did not find what I was looking for 9%
I don't remember 4%

Return to Figure 26

Q11. To what extent do you agree or disagree with the following statements about the public service pension plan?
  2009 2019 Change
I know where to find information about the public service pension 66% 59% Decrease
I trust the information provided about the public service pension 67% 54% Decrease
I understand the information provided about the public service pension 38% 43% Increase
It is easy to find information about the public service pension 43% 36% Decrease

Q11. To what extent do you agree or disagree with the following statements about the public service pension plan? Base: 2,550; all respondents. Dk/nr: <0.5% - 5%

Return to Figure Q11

Figure 27: Factors impacting decision to join and continue working for the federal public service
  Very important Important Moderately Important Slightly Important Not important at all
Join the federal public service 34% 25% 13% 10% 15%
Continue working for the federal public service 49% 26% 9% 4% 7%

Return to Figure 27

Figure 28: Ranking of priorities when joining the federal public service
  Rank 1 Rank 2 Rank 3
Public service pension plan 29% 7% 8%
Retirement health and dental plans 23% 18% 19%
Salary 18% 26% 26%
Paid leave (vacation, sick leave, etc.) 9% 30% 29%

Return to Figure 28

Figure 29: Ranking of priorities when continuing to work for the federal public service
  Rank 1 Rank 2 Rank 3
Public service pension plan 37% 6% 7%
Retirement health and dental plans 21% 17% 20%
Salary 13% 27% 27%
Paid leave (vacation, sick leave, etc.) 7% 32% 27%

Return to Figure 29

Figure 30: Federal public service pension and benefit plans vs. other employers’ plans
  Much better Somewhat better About the same Somewhat worse Much worse Don't know
Public service pension plan 45% 29% 12% 4% 1% 10%
Public Service Health Care Plan 28% 28% 23% 7% 1% 12%
Pensioners' Dental Services Plan 24% 23% 23% 11% 3% 16%

Values of 1% or less are not labelled in the chart

Return to Figure 30

Figure 31: Extent to which members feel informed about plans
  %
Very informed 36%
Moderately informed 54%
Slightly informed 10%
Not at all informed 1%

Return to Figure 31

Figure 32: Knowledge of plan features
  Advanced Intermediate Beginner No Knowledge
Indexing of your pension benefit 41% 45% 11% 2%
How your pension is calculated 34% 44% 15% 5%
Public Service Health Care Plan benefits 33% 55% 9% 2%
Pensioners' Dental Services Plan benefits 29% 53% 10% 2%
Pension benefits for survivors 23% 47% 22% 4%
The Bridge Benefit 22% 35% 20% 13%
Pension benefit options 18% 42% 25% 10%

Return to Figure 32

Figure 33: Recall of receipt of pension plan information
  Yes No Don't Remember
Since retired 76% 13% 11%
Before retired 82% 8% 11%

Q7. Did you receive information about the public service pension plan…? Base: n=2,045; all respondents.

Return to Figure 33

Figure 34: Recall of receipt of benefit plans information
  Yes No Don't Remember
Since retired 78% 13% 10%
Before retired 78% 9% 13%

Return to Figure 34

Figure 35: Perceptions of pension plan information issues
  Strongly agree Agree Neither Disagree Strongly disagree
I know where to find information about the pension plan 22% 60% 9% 5% 2%
I trust the information provided about the pension plan 20% 57% 17% 3% 1%
I understand the information provided about the pension plan 15% 59% 18% 6% 1%
I know who to contact if I have questions about the pension plan 20% 51% 12% 10% 3%
I am provided with sufficient information about the pension plan to make financial decisions 16% 53% 20% 8% 1%
It is easy to find information about the pension plan 14% 50% 21% 10% 2%

Return to Figure 35

Figure 36: Perceptions of benefit plans information issues
  Strongly agree Agree Neither Disagree Strongly disagree
I trust the information provided about the benefit plans 15% 59% 19% 3% 1%
I know where to find information about the benefit plans 13% 60% 16% 8% 2%
I know who to contact if I have questions about the benefit plans 15% 52% 16% 11% 3%
I understand the information provided about the benefit plans 11% 59% 21% 6% 1%
I am provided with sufficient information about the benefit plans to make financial decisions 9% 50% 27% 10% 2%
It is easy to find information about the benefit plans 10% 48% 26% 12% 2%

Return to Figure 36

Agree/disagree: I would like to receive more information about the public service pension and benefit plans.

Figure 37: Interest in receiving more information about plans
  Pension Plan Benefit Plans
Strongly agree 13% 10%
Agree 36% 40%
Neither 38% 37%
Disagree 9% 9%
Strongly disagree 1% 2%

Return to Figure 37

Figure 38: Interest in learning more about plans
  Pension Plan Benefit Plans
Very interested 29% 30%
Moderately interested 37% 38%
Slightly interested 21% 20%
Not at all interested 11% 11%

Return to Figure 38

Figure 39: Pension and benefit topics members are interested in learning more about
  %
Survivor benefit 57%
Supplementary death benefit 55%
Eligible health care expenses 52%
Eligible dental care expenses 48%
Indexation 42%
Retirement benefits 29%
Bridge benefit 27%
Adding or changing a beneficiary 24%
General personalized information 21%
Amending or cancelling benefit plans coverage 20%
Impact of changes to relationship status 20%
Changes to coverage 1%
Travel benefits / travel insurance 1%
Other 1%
None of the above 9%

Return to Figure 39

Figure 40: Suggestions to improve benefit plans information
  %
Provide more information / better access to information (general) 5%
Offer information through written materials (e.g. handbook, brochures) 4%
Provide better coverage / increase benefits 4%
Increase communication / communicate more frequently (general) 3%
Communicate in plain language / make information easier to understand 2%
Improve online information / provide more user-friendly website 2%
Provide easier acess to customer service / have more available staff 2%
Offer information through emails 2%
Provide general information / basic summary / FAQ 1%
Provide annual statement of benefits / on-demand access to statements 1%
Provide expert advice / have personal advisors 1%
Offer information sessions / seminars / classes 1%
Improve Phoenix pay system / fix issues <0.5%
Provide information packages for new employees <0.5%
Provide mandatory training for new employees <0.5%
Offer information through webinars / videos <0.5%
Other 2%
No suggestions 60%
Don't know 17%

Return to Figure 40

Figure 41: Frequency of using various sources to obtain information
  Always Often Sometimes
Insurance companies 8% 22% 42%
Print Publications 12% 20% 38%
Annual Pensioners' Statement 20% 16% 34%
Canada.ca/pension-benefits website 4% 8% 37%
The Government of Canada Pension Centre 4% 6% 35%
Other federal retirees 1% 6% 27%
Post-retirement association websites 2% 5% 17%
An independent financial advisor 3% 6% 14%
Partner web sites 2% 4% 16%
Official Government of Canada Social Media accounts 1% 2% 8%
Your former department (manager, colleagues) 0% 2% 8%
The Pension and Benefits kiosk at NAFR - AGM 1% 1% 5%
Others non-government Social Media accounts 0% 1% 5%

Return to Figure 41

Figure 42: Preferred frequency of receiving information about public service pension or benefit plans
  %
When there are changes 84%
Annually 61%
When certain life events are experienced 30%
Upon retirement from the public service 28%
Before retirement from the public sector 26%
More often than annually 2%
On demand/ whenever available 2%
Other 1%

Return to Figure 42

Figure 43: Recall of Government of Canada communications about the pension and benefit plan
  Colleagues/ other federal retirees Canada.ca/pension-benefits Social media Pension and Benefits kiosk Can't recall how Not informed about this
Public Service Health Care Plan contribution rates 6% 44% 4% 3% 26% 21%
Sun Life digital services 6% 33% 7% 2% 32% 22%
Tabling in Parliament of the Annual Report on the PSPP 3% 8% 4% 2% 23% 61%

Values of 3% or less are not labelled in the chart.

Return to Figure 43

Figure 44: Preferred method to receive information about the public service pension and benefit plans
  Website App Online web tool Mail Contact Centre In-person Videos Social media Email
Availability of new pension and benefits information 31% 9% 12% 54% 4% 2% 1% 2% 60%
Plan changes 31% 9% 12% 55% 4% 2% 1% 2% 59%
General pension or benefit plans information 32% 9% 12% 53% 4% 2% 1% 2% 57%

Return to Figure 44

Figure 45: Frequency of accessing online public service pension and benefit plans information
  Always Usually Sometimes Never
Computer 22% 28% 33% 16%
Mobile device 4% 7% 22% 66%

Return to Figure 45

Figure 46: Preferred social media platform to receive information
  %
Facebook 12%
Email 10%
Mail 3%
Twitter 1%
LinkedIn 1%
Other 1%
Don't use social media 43%
None 29%

Return to Figure 46

Figure 47: Visited Government of Canada pension and benefits website
  %
Visited Website 47%
Did not visit Website 41%
Don't remember 12%

Return to Figure 47

Figure 48: Information sought when visiting the pension and benefits website
  %
Retirement health and dental plans 60%
Pension information 44%
Indexation information 30%
Contact information 22%
Benefit forms 21%
Contribution rates 17%
Survivor benefits information 17%
Pension forms 12%
Retirement Income Sources information 8%
Other 7%
Can't remember 6%

Return to Figure 48

Figure 49: Outcome of web site visit
  %
I found everything I was looking for 54%
I found some of what I was looking for 35%
I did not find what I was looking for 3%
I don't remember 8%

Return to Figure 49

Figure 50: Likelihood of using expanded online services
  %
Very likely 47%
Somewhat likely 32%
Somewhat unlikely 8%
Very unlikely 12%
Prefer not to say 2%

Return to Figure 50

Figure 51: Online services retired members would consider using
  %
Updating address and contact information 69%
Downloading newsletters 66%
Downloading tax slips 63%
Updating beneficiary information 57%
Updating Tax Deduction at Source information 57%
Updating banking information 53%
Other 2%
None of these services 8%

Return to Figure 51

Figure 52: Likelihood of using a mobile app
  %
Very likely 16%
Somewhat likely 18%
Somewhat unlikely 9%
Very unlikely 15%
Not at all likely 42%
Prefer not to say 1%

Return to Figure 52

Figure 53: Online services retired members would consider using via an app
  %
Getting pushed updates to pension plan information 63%
Downloading newsletters 61%
Updating address and contact information 54%
Updating Tax Deduction at Source information 44%
Downloading tax slips 43%
Updating beneficiary information 42%
Update banking information 41%
Other 1%
None of these services 16%

Return to Figure 53

Q8. To what extent do you agree or disagree with the following statements about the public service pension plan? Base: n=2,045; all respondents. Dk/nr: 2% - 3%

Q8. To what extent do you agree or disagree with the following statements about the public service pension plan?
  2018 2019 Change
I know where to find information about the public service pension 77% 82% Increased
I trust the information provided about the public service pension 85% 77% Decreased
I understand the information provided about the public service pension 77% 74% Decreased
It is easy to find information about the public service pension 65% 64% Minimal change

Return to Figure Q8

Q11. To what extent do you agree or disagree with the following statements about the public service pension plan?
  2009 2019 Change
I know where to find information about the public service pension 66% 59% Decreased
I trust the information provided about the public service pension 67% 54% Decreased
I understand the information provided about the public service pension 38% 43% Increased
It is easy to find information about the public service pension 43% 36% Decreased

Return to Figure Q11

Chart 29
  Strongly agree Agree Neither Disagree Strongly disagree
I trust the information provided about the public service benefit plans 15% 59% 19% 3% 1%
I know who to contact if I have questions about the public service benefit plans 15% 52% 16% 11% 3%
I know where to find information about the public service benefit plans 13% 60% 16% 8% 2%
I understand the information provided about the public service benefit plans 11% 59% 21% 6% 1%
I would like to receive more information about the public service benefit plans 10% 40% 37% 9% 2%
It is easy to find information about the public service benefits plan 10% 48% 26% 12% 2%
I am provided with sufficient information about the public service benefit plans 9% 50% 27% 10% 2%

Return to Chart 29