British Columbian Participation In Philanthropic Activities And Views Of Provincial Charitable Organizations

Vancouver, BC -- A new Ipsos Reid survey conducted in cooperation with the Association of Fundraising Professionals (Vancouver chapter), shows that the BC adult population (18+) holds the province's charitable organizations in high regard. The survey, conducted to acknowledge National Philanthropy Day (November 9th), also reveals a BC population that is engaged in many philanthropic activities.

Vast Majority Of British Columbians (95%) Believe The Province's Charitable Organizations Are Trustworthy

Based on perceptions of what they've read, seen, or heard, a full 95% of British Columbians consider the province's charitable organizations to be trustworthy. Importantly, 41% feel these organizations are "very trustworthy". Another 54% view charitable organizations in BC as "somewhat trustworthy". Very few British Columbians - just 4% - suspects that charitable organizations within the province are not trustworthy.

This overall trend is consistent across all regional and socio-demographic groups, with no statistically significant variation between groups.

British Columbians Are Active In Philanthropy, But, They're More Likely To Give Money Than Give Their Time

Many British Columbians are involved on a regular basis in a variety of philanthropic activities such as volunteering, participating in major charitable events, organizing activities or making a financial donation. However, for BC residents, contributing financially to charitable organizations is clearly the most common method of participation.

When it comes to the most prevalent philanthropy activities, charitable giving tops the list. A majority of British Columbians (51%) say they make a financial donation to a charitable or non-profit organization "regularly", that is at least a few times a year. Another 43% do so "occasionally" (i.e. once or twice a year). In all, over 9-in-10 British Columbians are engaged in charitable giving to some degree.

Next on the list of philanthropy activities, over a third of BC residents (35%) say they "regularly" purchase products or services because they know at least a part of the proceeds would go to a charitable cause. Another 57% engage in this type of purchasing at least once or twice a year. Again, over 9-in-10 people in the province participate in philanthropy with their wallets.

Close behind, almost 3-in-10 British Columbians (28%) say they volunteer "regularly" for a charitable or non-profit organization. A further 42% get involved in volunteering occasionally (i.e. once or twice a year). This means that 7-in-10 British Columbians are involved to some degree in volunteering on an annual basis. At the other end of the spectrum, 31% of people in the province say they "never" volunteer.

Further down the list, we find that just 17% of the BC population is regularly involved in helping organize local community or neighbourhood activities (such as parties or festivals, ride sharing, etc.). Another 34% do this occasionally, which means that more than half of BC residents are somehow involved in their local community. By comparison, 50% say they "never" help in these types of activities.

Lastly, just 13% of BC residents surveyed say they participate "regularly" (at least a few times a year) in major charitable events, such as walk-a-thons. With a further 42% saying they do so occasionally (once or twice a year), more than half the BC population takes part in these types of events. In all, 45% say they "never" get involved in this type of activity.

Overall, participation in these philanthropy activities does appear to depend on household income, level of education, and age.

For example, those most likely to make a financial donation are those with household incomes of $75K or more (63% regularly donate financially, compared to 41% of those with less than $40K household income). Further, 62% of those with university or higher education make charitable donations regularly, compared to 39% of BC residents with high school or less education. And, while 66% of those aged 55 or older donate regularly, the number drops to just 34% of those in the 18-34 age group.

When it comes to volunteering, the picture is somewhat similar. Those most likely to volunteer "regularly" are 55 years of age or over (35%, vs. 21% in the 18-34 category). On the other hand, those most likely to say they "never" volunteer are those with household incomes of $40K or less (36%, compared to 25% in the $75+ income range) and those with high school level education (42%, compared to 21% of university graduates).

The same general pattern emerges when it comes to participating in major charitable events. BC residents between the ages of 35 and 54 are more likely than their older counterparts to participate in such events "regularly or occasionally" when they occur (65% vs. 45%). To contrast, those with high school education (58%) and those with incomes of $40K or less (56%) are more apt to admit that they "never" participate in these events (compared to 33% of university graduates, and 30% of people with $75K+ in household income).

These are the findings of an Ipsos Reid telephone poll from October 3rd to 9th, 2005 with a randomly selected sample of 800 adult British Columbia residents aged 18 or older. The results are considered accurate to within 1773.5 percentage points, 19 times out of 20, of what they would have been had the entire provincial adult population been polled. The margin of error will be larger within regional breakdowns and for other sub-groupings of the survey population. These data were statistically weighted to ensure the sample's regional and age/sex composition reflects that of the actual British Columbia population according to the 2001 Census.

For more information on this news release, please contact:
Daniel Savas
Senior Vice-President
Ipsos Reid Corporation
604.893.1610
[email protected]

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