What about the helping hands?
- Iman Kaur
- Jul 9
- 3 min read
Updated: Jul 19
New StatsCan data reveals declining trends in Volunteering and Charitable Giving
It's no secret that the COVID-19 pandemic and ongoing economic uncertainty hugely affect the behaviours of those who give back. New data released by Statistics Canada show how volunteering and charitable giving behaviours have changed from 2018 to 2023.
From 2004 to 2013, Canada saw relatively stable levels of volunteering and charitable donations. However, the period from 2018 to 2023 saw a significant decline in volunteering and the number of donors. There is an ongoing affordability crisis, which continues to be a barrier for both donations as well as time, as people struggle to make end's meet.
It's important to consider how dramatically the COVID-19 pandemic changed everyday life for folks, the uncertainty it inspired, and the loss of life that transpired. Many people lost their jobs, leaving less time to dedicate to unpaid volunteering efforts, while others were forced to protect their health by taking extra precautions with social distancing. Notably, volunteers spent fewer hours in the hospital sector in 2023 than in 2018.
Overall volunteering rates, including formal and informal volunteering, decreased by 8% in 2023 compared to 2018. In 2023, 73% of people volunteered, compared to 79% in 2018. The total number of volunteering hours also decreased by 18%, from 5.0 billion hours in 2018 to 4.1 billion hours in 2023. This 18% decrease is noteworthy, but it's important to remember that people did volunteer during the pandemic, and they had an impact! Whether this be through delivering meals, caring for neighbours, fostering connections, and much more.
Trends in gender
Notably, gender played a difference in this data. Women saw a 21% decline in volunteering hours, whereas the decline in men was not significant. This may be attributed to the caregiving roles that more women took on during the pandemic years.
Trends in age
The 25 to 34 age group saw the largest decline in volunteer hours among all age groups, a decrease by 42%.
Trends in education level
Education level also mattered. Those with an education level below a high school diploma saw the largest decline, a 29% drop in the rate of formal volunteering in 2023. High school students fall into this category and were restricted from volunteering at the beginning of the pandemic. Then, in Ontario, the number of volunteer hours required for graduation decreased from 40 to 20. This should be considered when interpreting this large decline.
The average number of volunteer hours also dropped among those with a university degree by 20%, and those with a high school diploma by 18%.
Declines in "informal volunteering"
Data showed a drop in rates of informal volunteering during this time period. This may reflect a misunderstanding of what 'informal volunteering' is. Many may not see activities, such as checking in on neighbours, maintaining a public space, or ensuring a friend or colleague has the supplies they need, as volunteering at all.
What's the story with charitable giving?
Similarly, donations from Canadians aged 15 or older decreased from 68% in 2018 to 54% in 2023. This greatly coincides with sharp increases in the cost of living.
Most of the charitable donations in 2023, about 63%, were donated to religious organizations ($4.9 billion), health organizations ($1.8 billion), and social service organizations ($1.7 billion).
Coinciding with declined participation in religious activities across the years, religious organizations saw a 22% decline in donations. Whereas, social service organizations received 20% more donations from 2018 to 2023.
What does this data tell us?
The non-profit sector relies strongly on volunteering and charitable donations to do important work. Increased uncertainty in the economy and world greatly affect the behaviour of those who give back and is worth noting.
The decline in donations impacts the funding available for the non-profit sector. Overall, less people donated, but the amount of donations remained consistent. However, with rising costs all around, this results in a net decrease in funding available to non-profits, affecting their capacity to meet growing community needs.
This points to another reason why sustainable funding models are needed to advance the work of non-profits, as well as educational efforts around the values of volunteering on wellness and community.
Source for data in this article: https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/daily-quotidien/250623/dq250623b-eng.pdf
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