Civic participation refers to individuals "participating or being involved in activities within the political or civil sphere".[1] Civic participation includes activities like volunteering, donating and voting.
Why is this important?
Benefits of civic participation include greater happiness, social connection and the development of skills and abilities helpful in other areas of life.[1,2,3]
Indicators
Charitable Giving |
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Charitable giving includes financial contributions to charities or non-profit organizations.[4] This measure uses data from income tax returns to present information about charitable giving. It is likely that the percent of donors and donations presented below is lower than the actual percent of donors and donations because there is no way to count people who donate funds but do not claim their donation(s) through taxes. Additionally, some donations may not be eligible to claim on a tax return, such as donations to a crowdsourcing campaign. The median donation and the age and income of donors may also differ between people that claim their donation(s) through taxes and those who do not. As a result, this data is only representative of donors who claimed their donation(s) through taxes and the eligible donations that were claimed.
Why is Charitable Giving Important?Charitable giving benefits local organizations, individuals and communities. Donations allow charities to provide important services and programs that support the wellbeing of children, families and individuals. People who give to charities report being happier than people who only spend money on themselves.[5] People who donate to charities are more likely to vote than people who don't.[6] LimitationsSome older age adults may be excluded from the data presented above if they were not required to file taxes because they had low or no taxable income. People with low income below a certain amount were also not required to file their taxes and were not included in the data above. The tables above also include donations that could be denied by Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) if an audit was done.[7] For the 2019 tax year, the income tax filing and payment deadlines were extended in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. This likely had some impact on the number of tax filers included in this data. Caution should be used when interpreting this data.[8] Looking for more information?For more information about charitable giving, including data for 2012 to 2019, please download the excel file below. |
Democratic Engagement |
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Democratic engagement is "the state of being involved in advancing democracy through political institutions, organizations, and activities". Individuals who are democratically engaged might show an interest in politics, vote, or run for office, for example.[1]
Why is Democratic Engagement Important?Democratic engagement has positive impacts on both individuals and their communities. Being democratically engaged can increase knowledge, improve skills and problem solving, increase awareness about social and health issues and foster community connections.[1] |
Volunteering |
Why is Volunteering Important?Volunteering is when a person gives their time or skills, without pay.[10] Volunteering benefits local organizations, communities and individuals. Organizations and communities benefit from volunteers' time, expertise and skills. Volunteers benefit from increased knowledge and improved interpersonal, communication, management, fundraising and technical or office skills.[3] Volunteering regularly can lead to greater life satisfaction and overall happiness.[2] People who volunteer are also more likely to vote than people who don't volunteer.[5,11] Volunteering is a form of social participation. Current, local data about volunteer rates is not available. National and provincial level information about volunteer rates can be found in Statistics Canada's daily report. |
References
[1] Prairie Wild Consulting. (2009). Democratic engagement: A report to the Canadian Index of Wellbeing. https://uwaterloo.ca/canadian-index-wellbeing/sites/ca.canadian-index-wellbeing/files/uploads/files/DemocraticEngagement_DomainReport.pdf
[2] Meier, S., & Stutzer, A. (2008). Is volunteering rewarding in itself? Economica, 75: 39-59.
[3] Imagine Canada. (2004). The benefits of volunteering. http://www.imaginecanada.ca/sites/default/files/www/en/giving/factsheets/benefits_of_volunteering.pdf
[4] Turcotte, M. (2015). Volunteering and charitable giving in Canada. Statistics Canada, Ministry of Industry. http://www.statcan.gc.ca/pub/89-652-x/89-652-x2015001-eng.htm
[5] Dunn, E. W., Aknin, L. B., & Norton, M. I. (2008). Spending money on others promotes happiness. Science, 21: 1687-1688.
[6] Nakhaie, M. R. (2006). Electoral participation in municipal, provincial, and federal elections in Canada. Canadian Journal of Political Science, 39(2): 363-390.
[7] Income Statistics Division, Statistics Canada. (2016). Financial data and charitable donors - Preliminary estimates, T1 Family File - User's guide. https://www.statcan.gc.ca/en/statistical-programs/document/4106_D4_T1_V14
[8] Statistics Canada. (2021). Income and financial data of individuals, Preliminary T1 Family File. https://www23.statcan.gc.ca/imdb/p2SV.pl?Function=getSurvey&SDDS=4106
[9] Association of Municipalities Ontario. (2015, 2018). www.elections.amo.on.ca.
[10] McClintock, N. (2004). Understanding Canadian volunteers: Using the National Survey of Giving, Volunteering and Participating to build your volunteer program. http://www.imaginecanada.ca/sites/default/files/www/en/giving/reports/understanding_volunteers.pdf
[11] Binder, M., & Freytag, A. (2012). Volunteering, happiness and public policy. St. Louis: Federal Reserve Bank of St Louis. ProQuest.