Many Canadians Using Cash Windfall During Pandemic to Increase Charitable Giving
Toronto, ON, December 8, 2021 — The K-shaped economic recovery of the pandemic means that many Canadians could be relying more on charity while at the same time many Canadians have extra cash in their pockets due to decreased expenses. A new Ipsos poll conducted on behalf of CanadaHelps.org has revealed that one in three (32%) Canadians have access to more money during the pandemic because they made more money or spent less, rising to 38% among Ontarians.
Among those who do find themselves will a little extra in their pockets, many took the opportunity to take care of their own finances, such as putting that money into savings or investments (56%), paying off debt (31%), home renovations/repairs (26%), or by spending it on material goods or experiences (25%) or other things (8%). But nearly two in ten (17%) of those with a financial windfall donated some of that money to charitable organizations, deciding to share their good fortune.
Also reflecting the k-shaped recovery is the divergence in experience among donors. Nearly two in ten (18%) Canadians say they have decreased how much money they donate to charities since the beginning of the pandemic, potentially reacting to an uncertain financial situation. Those in Saskatchewan and Manitoba (25%) are most likely to have adjusted their donations downward, followed by those living in British Columbia (21%), Ontario (21%), Alberta (16%), Atlantic Canada (16%) and Quebec (10%). Women (21%) are also more likely than men (14%) to say that that they’ve reined in their donations.
Conversely, 12% say they have increased the amount of money they donate to charity since the start of the pandemic. Those aged 18-34 are more likely (17%) than those aged 35-54 (9%) or 55+ (12%) to have increased their charitable giving. Regionally, Ontarians (15%) lead the way, followed by British Columbians (13%), Albertans (13%), residents of Saskatchewan and Manitoba (10%), Quebec (9%) and Atlantic Canada (6%). Overall, 45% of Canadians say they have not adjusted their charitable giving, while one in four (25%) says they don’t give any money to charity.
Nationally, one in four (24%) Canadians makes an annual plan around how much they donate to charities, while three in four (76%) do not. British Columbians (32%) and Albertans (31%) are most likely to make such a plan, followed by those living in Ontario (27%), Atlantic Canada (24%), Quebec (15%), and Saskatchewan and Manitoba (14%). Interestingly, those with a household income between $40K to <$60K (30%) and $60K to <$100K (33%) are most likely to have a plan, while those under $40K (19%) and those at $100K+ (22%) are les likely to set this type of annual donation budget. Boomers aged 55+ (31%) are most inclined to plan on an annual basis compared to those aged 35-54 (20%) or 18-34 (21%).
About the Study
These are some of the findings of an Ipsos poll conducted between November 11 to 15, 2021, on behalf of CanadaHelps.org. For this survey, a sample of 1,000 Canadians over the age of 18 were 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:
Sean Simpson
Senior Vice President, Canada, Public Affairs
+1 416 324-2002
[email protected]
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