Canadians’ Generosity at Lowest Level in 2 Decades: Study

A volunteer opens boxes of donated food items at a Sun Youth charity location in Montreal on July 11, 2022. (Graham Hughes/The Canadian Press)

The percentage of income donated by Canadians to charities is at the lowest point in 20 years, a recent study by think tank Fraser Institute shows.

The study, titled “Generosity in Canada: The 2022 Generosity Index,” finds that Canadian tax filers contributed just 0.49 percent of their income to charities during the 2020 tax year—the lowest since 2000.

“Canadians’ generosity peaked at 0.72 percent in 2006, before declining in subsequent years,” the think tank said in a news release on Dec. 15.

The findings are based on data collected by Statistics Canada across 10 provinces and three territories, according to the study. Data for the 2020 tax year was used as it was “the most recent year for which comparable data are available for Canadian jurisdictions.”

The institute noted that besides the dollar amount donated to charities, the number of Canadians who give privately from their own funds has also declined in the past two decades.

“Nationally, the percentage of Canadian tax filers donating to charity has fallen from 25.5 percent in 2000 to 19.1 percent in 2020,” the release said.

‘Stark Differences’

A closer look at the data shows “stark differences” in charitable giving among the provinces and territories, the study said.

At 0.73 percent, Manitoba donated the highest percentage of its aggregate income to charity among the provinces. British Columbia came in second at 0.64 percent, while Alberta followed closely at 0.61 percent. Quebecers ranked last among the provinces at 0.24 percent.

In the territories, Yukoners donated more of their income than Quebecers at 0.26 percent while Nunavut took the last spot at 0.14 percent.

The study also finds Manitoba had the highest percentage of tax filers donating to charity among provinces at 20.6 percent, followed by Ontario (19 percent), and Quebec (18.7 percent). Newfoundland & Labrador had the lowest percentage at 16 percent, followed by New Brunswick (16.1 percent) and Nova Scotia (17 percent).

The territories have Yukon with the highest percentage of tax filers (15.1 percent) who gave to charity while Northwest Territories and Nunavut trailed behind at 11.4 percent and 6 percent, respectively.

“The holiday season is a time to reflect on charitable giving, and the data shows Canadians are consistently less charitable every year, which means charities face greater challenges to secure resources to help those in need,” said study co-author Jake Fuss, a senior policy analyst at the Fraser Institute, in the release.

“This decline in generosity in Canada undoubtedly limits the ability of Canadian charities to improve the quality of life in their communities and beyond.”