Majority of Canadians (63%) Feel Compelled to Donate to Charity or Volunteer in Light of Emergencies and Disasters of Past Year

Toronto, ON, November 27, 2017 — Floods, hurricanes and earthquakes have dominated the news headlines for much of 2017, and a new Ipsos survey for the Canadian Red Cross finds that a majority of Canadians want to help those affected. More than six in ten (63%) agree (11% strongly / 51% somewhat) that with so many large-scale emergencies and disasters taking place in the last year leaving people in need, they feel compelled to donate to charities or volunteer their time.

Women (68%) are more likely than men (57%) to say they feel more compelled to donate this year, while at the regional level, British Columbians (76%) are most likely to share this opinion, followed by residents of Alberta (63%), Atlantic Canada (63%), Ontario (62%), Quebec (59%), and Saskatchewan and Manitoba (51%).

Where to Make an Impact

Thinking about the next time they donate to charity, four in ten (44%) want to have an impact helping those in need both in Canada and in other parts of the world, while half (52%) of Canadians say it’s most important that their donation have an impact on helping those in need in Canada. Another 4% say it’s most important to impact helping only those in need in other parts of the world.

Those wanting to impact those in need in Canada are more likely to be men (57%), Gen X’ers (56%) or Baby Boomers (56%), while those in favour of their donations helping those in need in Canada and elsewhere skew more heavily towards women (50%) and Millennials (50%).

About the Study

These are some of the findings of an Ipsos poll conducted between November 13 and November 16, 2017, on behalf of the Canadian Red Cross. For this survey, a sample of 1,202 Canadians aged 18+ was interviewed. 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, 19 times out of 20, had all Canadian adults been polled. The credibility interval will be wider among subsets of the population. 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:

Mitra Thompson
Senior Account Manager
Ipsos Public Affairs
+1 514 904-4329
[email protected]

About Ipsos Public Affairs

Ipsos Public Affairs is a non-partisan, objective, survey-based research practice made up of seasoned professionals. We conduct strategic research initiatives for a diverse number of Canadian American and international organizations, based not only on public opinion research, but elite stakeholder, corporate, and media opinion research.

Ipsos has media partnerships with the most prestigious news organizations around the world. In Canada, Ipsos Public Affairs is the polling partner for Global News. Internationally, Ipsos Public Affairs is the media polling supplier to Reuters News, the world's leading source of intelligent information for businesses and professionals. Ipsos Public Affairs is a member of the Ipsos Group, a leading global survey-based market research company. We provide boutique-style customer service and work closely with our clients, while also undertaking global research.

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 fourth in the global research industry.

With offices in 88 countries, Ipsos delivers insightful expertise across five research specializations: brand, advertising and media; customer loyalty; marketing; 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 €1,782.7 million in 2016.