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Stats Canada Data Release: 74% of Canadians Volunteer Informally

July 5, 2021   (0 Comments)
Posted by: Volunteer Toronto

Last updated: July 5, 2021

 

On April 23, 2021, Statistics Canada released a new analysis on the formal and informal volunteer activities of Canadians in 2018. This data provides a baseline for rates of volunteerism in pre-COVID-19.

  

 

Study: Volunteering Counts: Formal and Informal Contributions of Canadians in 2018
2018 General Social Survey Data on Giving, Volunteering and Participating in Canada now available

 

Volunteer Toronto will be requesting city-specific data from Stats Canada when made available. For now, it should be noted that nearly 60% of respondents to Volunteer Canada's survey were from Ontario.

 

Major Insights From this Release:

  • In 2018, Canadians dedicated 5 billion hours to their volunteer activities, equal to over 2.5 million full-time year-round jobs in Canada

  • For the first time in census data collection, formal and informal volunteering rates were collected as separate data points

  • Formal volunteering was defined as: Activities conducted without pay on behalf of a group or organization, at least once in the 12 months preceding the survey

  • Informal volunteering was defined as: Activities conducted without pay not on behalf of a group or organization, at least once in the 12 months preceding the survey

  • 74% of Canadians volunteered informally, giving back 3.4 billion hours

  • 41% of Canadians volunteered formally, giving back 1.6 billion hours

  • iGen (Gen. Z) has a higher rate of informal volunteering than Baby Boomers/Matures

  • iGens are more likely to support events whereas Baby Boomers are more likely to join Board of Directors

  • Top motivations for formal volunteering included:
    • Improving job opportunities (iGen)
    • Well-being of the community
    • Religious motivations (Baby Boomers)

  • Formal volunteers support these non-profit sub-sectors the most: Hospitals, Religion, Sports, and Arts & Culture 

Volunteer Toronto is advocating for investment in the volunteer management profession to ensure non-profits and grassroots leaders can harness public interest and build back up to 2018 community engagement and service delivery rates.

 

For additional information or to arrange an interview, please contact:

Cara Eaton
ceaton@volunteertoronto.ca
416-961-6888 ext 231


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