Data were obtained from a survey of over 40,000 secondary school students; a survey of over 4,000 young people's part-time work and school attendance patterns; and a national study of 30,000 young people dealing with self-concept, mental health, parental and peer relationships, sexuality, school performance, and behavior related to alcohol and drug use. The survey found that most Canadian adolescents had definitive career plans. Young females felt more pressure to achieve in school and appeared to suffer more strain because of the value they placed on academic achievement. Females also seemed to be quite aware of the potential for strain in mixing a career with marriage and childrearing. More females than males expressed concern about protection from disease and pregnancy during sexual intercourse. The concept of family was important to Canadian adolescents; they were strongly influenced by parents throughout their school lives and universally declared that what parents thought of them was important. Religion and church appeared to have a strong conservative influence on young people. Those who went to church regularly were less likely to drink alcohol, smoke, and engage in sex at an early age. Youth who watched 30 hours of television or more per week experienced more school-related adjustment problems. There was a certain degree of deviance in schools characterized by poor attendance patterns and an unwillingness to perform at a reasonable level. Most Canadian adolescents said they were happy, and parental relationships were strong predictors of youth mental health and deviant behavior. 7 references, 6 tables, 1 figure.