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Stretched for time: the state of volunteerism in Canada
September 4, 2001
by Nicole Zummach
When the National Survey of Giving, Volunteering and Participating (NSGVP)
came out a few weeks ago, most media in Canada reported the fact that the
number of people volunteering was in decline. Since the last survey in 1997,
the percentage of people volunteering across the country has dropped from 31%
to 27%. While taking note of the 4% drop is important, this statistic has overshadowed
the fact that more than one quarter of our population is still giving their
time, energy and talents to charitable and nonprofit organizations across the
country. More than 6.5 million Canadians volunteered approximately 1 billion
hours to their communities in 2000, the equivalent of 549,000 full-time year-round
jobs. Still, it is difficult to ignore the fact that there are 1 million fewer
Canadians volunteering than there were in 1997.
Why the drop in volunteer rates?
The survey reveals that a declining number of volunteers are contributing an
increasing amount of time to organizations. The average annual number of hours
contributed by each volunteer grew from 149 hours in 1997 to 162 hours in 2000,
a 9% jump. However, because there were fewer volunteers overall, the total number
of hours contributed has fallen by 56 million since 1997. The survey also indicated
that 73% of all volunteer hours are contributed by 25% of those people who volunteer,
meaning that only 7% of the total population in Canada provides three-quarters
of all volunteer hours.
When volunteers were asked why they didn’t contribute more, 76% cited a
lack of time, 34% were unwilling to make a year-round commitment, 29% felt they
had already made their contribution to volunteering and 24% said it was because
they gave money instead of time. Of those people who did not volunteer at all,
69% said it was due to lack of time, 46% didn’t want to make a commitment
to volunteer year-round and 38% said it was because they donated money rather
than time. Interestingly, 37% of non-volunteers said they didn’t volunteer
because they were not personally asked.
Volunteers are also becoming more selective about the types of activities in
which they participate. Forty percent reported that they did canvassing, campaigning
or fundraising for an organization, a drop from 44% in 1997. One encouraging
finding was the increase of employer support for volunteering. Twenty-two percent
of respondents said they received recognition from their employer for their
volunteer efforts and 27% reported that their employer approved an adjustment
of work hours to accommodate volunteering.
Who is volunteering?
Aside from the fact that they volunteer, people who donate time to their communities
share some similar characteristics. The highest volunteer rates were among youth
aged 15 to 24 (29%) and those aged 35 to 54 (30%). The most noticeable decline
in volunteer rates was among 35-44 year-olds, where the rate fell from 37% in
1997 to 30% in 2000. The amount of time spent volunteering tends to increase
with age, from a low of 130 hours for 15-24 year-olds to a high of 269 hours
among those over 65.
As in 1997, the volunteer rate among women (28%) is slightly higher than among
men (25%). However, men contribute an average of 170 hours per year versus women
who contribute 155 hours on average. Married people have the highest volunteer
rate at 28% but those who were widowed gave more hours (253) than those who
were married (165), divorced (181), or single (136).
Education also affects volunteer rates, with the rate increasing as education
levels go up. Only 19% of people with less than high school education volunteered,
compared with 39% of those with university degrees. But the volunteer rate among
university graduates has declined by 9% since 1997 when it reached 48%.
People who are employed have the highest volunteer rate (67%), and higher levels
of income also increase the likelihood of volunteering. Those with income levels
over $100,000 have a volunteer rate of 39% while people with a household income
below $20,000 have a rate of only 17%. At the same time, when those with lower
incomes do volunteer, they spend more time doing so -- an average of 207 hours
compared with those in the highest income bracket, who volunteered an average
of 150 hours in 2000.
Where the volunteers are
With the exception of Prince Edward Island, every province saw their volunteer
rates decline between 1997 and 2000. The largest declines were found in Ontario,
which dropped from 32% to 25% and in British Columbia, where the rate dropped
from 32% to 26%. Saskatchewan continues to have the highest volunteer rate at
42% and Quebec the lowest, where the rate has dropped to 19%. The Atlantic provinces
contributed the most hours to volunteering, with Newfoundland topping the list
at 206 hours, the highest number of hours in the country. Conversely, the Prairie
provinces had the lowest number of hours.
The majority of volunteers (57%) spend their time helping to organize or supervise
activities or events for a charity or nonprofit group. Forty-one percent of
respondents also reported serving on a committee or board. In terms of the types
of organizations where people volunteer, culture, arts and recreation organizations
account for the highest percentage of volunteer hours, with 26%, followed by
social service (20%) and religious (16%) organizations.
In addition to these types of formal volunteering, 77% of Canadians reported
helping others in an informal way, up from 73% in 1997. Whether it was doing
housework, babysitting, or driving a neighbour to an appointment, Canadians
continue to demonstrate the spirit of giving in their communities.
To view the full report "Caring Canadians, involved Canadians: Highlights
from the 2000 National Survey of Giving, Volunteering and Participating"
visit www.nsgvp.org.
