Majority of Canadian Employees (54%) Would Prefer Their Employer Give a Charitable Gift in the Employee's Name,
Rather than a Traditional Gift
Moreover, most employees (59%) `agree' (14% strongly/45% somewhat) that they would prefer that companies they deal with would give a charitable gift in their name rather than a tangible gift, with two in five (41%) `disagreeing' (11% strongly/30% somewhat).
More Canadians indicate having given (48%, up 6 points from last year) a charitable gift in someone's name. Those most likely to have given a charitable gift include seniors (ages 55+, 58%) and Canadians in the highest income-earning category ($100,000+ per year -56%). Quebecers (33%) are the least likely to have given a charitable gift.
What Makes a Meaningful Gift?
Two in three (63%) Canadians `agree' (18% strongly/45% somewhat) that they would prefer to receive a meaningful gift that would help someone else, rather than another traditional gift like clothes or electronics, while two in five (37%) `disagree' (8% strongly/29% somewhat).
Three-quarters (73%) of Canadians believe that carefully choosing a gift with the recipient's taste and/or values in mind makes a gift meaningful, with 14% indicating that a gift is most meaningful when it is beneficial to others, not just the recipient. What else makes a gift meaningful, according to Canadians?
- If it is sentimental - 36%
- If it is hand made by you - 20%
- If it is hand made but not necessarily by you - 15%
- If it is fair trade and/or environmentally friendly - 10%
- Something else - 5%
Charitable Giving and the Holiday Season...
Among the 48% who have given a charitable gift in someone's name, half (50%) have given a charitable gift for Christmas, more so than any other event which includes birthdays (32%), weddings (16%), anniversaries (13%), retirement (10%), teacher's gift (9%), Valentine's Day (9%), or some other occasion (39%). This is likely a function of the fact that Canadians appear to think more about the plight of the less fortunate during the holidays. In fact, three-quarters (75%) of Canadians `agree' (20% strongly/56% somewhat) that in the midst of the abundance of the holiday season, they think more about those less fortunate, while just one in four (25%) `disagree' (5% strongly/20% somewhat).
Heading into the holiday season, many appear to be continuing the trend of charitable giving at Christmas as six in ten (59%, up 1 point) indicate that they're `likely' (17% very/41% somewhat) to give a charitable gift this holiday season, while four in ten (41%) are `not likely' (13% not at all/28% not very).
Having said this, most (63%) Canadians also indicate that due to the current economic climate they will be spending less money on holiday gifts this year, with two in five (37%) not sharing this sentiment.
These are some of the findings of an Ipsos Reid poll conducted between August 26th to September 2nd, 2014 on behalf of the World Vision Gift Catalogue. For this survey, a sample of 1,010 Canadians from Ipsos' Canadian online panel was interviewed online. Weighting was then employed to balance demographics to ensure that the sample's composition reflects that of the adult population according to Census data and to provide results intended to approximate the sample universe. The precision of Ipsos online polls is measured using a credibility interval. In this case, the poll is accurate to within +/- 3.5 percentage points had all Canadians adults been polled. All sample surveys and polls may be subject to other sources of error, including, but not limited to coverage error, and measurement error.
For more information on this news release, please contact:
Sean Simpson
Vice President
Ipsos Reid
Public Affairs
(416) 572-4474
[email protected]
About Ipsos Reid
Ipsos Reid is Canada's market intelligence leader, the country's leading provider of public opinion research, and research partner for loyalty and forecasting and modelling insights. With operations in eight cities, Ipsos Reid employs more than 600 research professionals and support staff in Canada. The company has the biggest network of telephone call centres in the country, as well as the largest pre-recruited household and online panels. Ipsos Reid's marketing research and public affairs practices offer the premier suite of research vehicles in Canada, all of which provide clients with actionable and relevant information. Staffed with seasoned research consultants with extensive industry-specific backgrounds, Ipsos Reid offers syndicated information or custom solutions across key sectors of the Canadian economy, including consumer packaged goods, financial services, automotive, retail, and technology & telecommunications. Ipsos Reid is an Ipsos company, a leading global survey-based market research group.
To learn more, please visit www.ipsos.ca.
About Ipsos
Ipsos is an independent market research company controlled and managed by research professionals. Founded in France in 1975, Ipsos has grown into a worldwide research group with a strong presence in all key markets. Ipsos ranks third in the global research industry.
With offices in 86 countries, Ipsos delivers insightful expertise across six research specializations: advertising, customer loyalty, marketing, media, public affairs research, and survey management.
Ipsos researchers assess market potential and interpret market trends. They develop and build brands. They help clients build long-term relationships with their customers. They test advertising and study audience responses to various media and they measure public opinion around the globe.
Ipsos has been listed on the Paris Stock Exchange since 1999 and generated global revenues of e1,712,4 million (2 274 M$) in 2013.
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