Key Finding

1.

British Columbians are actively contributing to their communities in a range of ways.

In the past year

0 %

engaged in volunteering activities

iGen (18-24)

61%

Millennials (25-38)

52%

Gen X (39-54)

60%

Baby Boomers (55-73)

68%

Matures (74+)

71%

Total respondents: 7,980 | 1. C8) In the past year, have you engaged in any volunteering activities, or any activities where you are giving your time to an organization, community, or cause?

volunteer fixing bike
0 %

made a financial contribution to support a cause

iGen (18-24)

79%

Millennials (25-38)

83%

Gen X (39-54)

89%

Baby Boomers (55-73)

93%

Matures (74+)

95%

Total respondents: 7,980 | Q. C1) Thinking of financial contributions, which of the following, if any, have you done in the past year? Respondents were required to select all that applied from a list of 16 choices, including “other” and “have not made a financial donation in the past year”.

Different generations are finding different ways of volunteering their time.

Short-term vs. long-term volunteering across the generations

Total volunteering: 6,757 | Q.C11) When volunteering, do you prefer one-time/short-term volunteering or ongoing commitments with consistent activities?

And British Columbians are finding a range of ways to financially support causes or charities they care about.

women buying tickets at a charity event

Ways British Columbians gave in the past year:

Purchase of goods (e.g. chocolates)

55%

Spontaneous giving (e.g. donating at the till)

48%

Online donation

39%

Giving on the street to individuals in need

31%

Fundraised on behalf of charity or cause

25%

Donated to my church or place of worship

18%

Automatic monthly donations on credit cards

18%

Mail-in donation

16%

Donated to a crowdfunding campaign

15%

Social media site donation

11%

Door-to-door donation

11%

Sent money to support family members in country of origin

8%

Phone-in donation

6%

Sent money to support a charity/cause in country of origin

5%

Other

3%

​Total respondents: 7,980 | Q. C1) Thinking of financial contributions, which of the following, if any, have you done in the past year? Respondents were required to select all that applied from a list of 16 choices, including “other” and “have not made a financial donation in the past year”.

Some generations compared to others prefer certain forms of charitable giving.

How different generations gave in the past year:

icon-online-donation

Made online donations

%

Matures (74+)

icon-crowdfunding

Donated to a crowdfunding campaign

%

Gen X (39-54)

icon-sm-donation

Made social media site donations

iGen (18-24)

14%

Gen X (39-54)

13%

Baby Boomers (55-73)

13%

Total respondents: 7,980 | Q.C1) Thinking of financial contributions, which of the following, if any, have you done in the past year? Respondents were required to select all that applied from a list of 16 choices, including “other” and “have not made a financial donation in the past year”.

The good news is that people are doing and giving more than they think.

When compared with how much people perceive they volunteer or donate, versus the actual instances in which they have in the last year, there was a notable difference.

0
point difference when it comes to giving
0
point difference when it comes to volunteering

Tax returns don’t paint the full picture of how, and how much, people are actually giving charitably.

Not only are they not reporting all of their donations, but they’re also making other types of financial contributions that are not captured by tax return filings.

Reported donations on taxes

Made some type of financial contribution to a cause

26%

iGen

79%

43%

Millennials

83%

56%

Gen X

89%

64%

Baby Boomers

93%

81%

Matures

95%

Total that have made a donation in the past year: 7,202 | Q. C3) Did you report any of your donations on your last tax return filing?

Total respondents: 7,980 | Q. C1) Thinking of financial contributions, which of the following, if any, have you done in the past year? Respondents were required to select all that applied from a list of 16 choices, including “other” and “have not made a financial donation in the past year”.

When it comes to political donations, on average, British Columbians are giving significantly less than towards non-political causes.

%

made a financial donation to a political candidate, slate, or party in a recent election.

Political donations by generation

iGen (18-24)

9%

Millennials (25-38)

8%

Gen X (39-54)

9%

Baby Boomers (55-73)

21%

Matures (74+)

35%

​Total respondents: 7,980 | Q. C6a) Thinking back to recent elections, did you make a financial donation to a political candidate, slate, or party?

While people seem to be more actively giving to provincial and federal politics, they’re much more likely to give their time rather than money to support local/municipal politics.

Gave money in support of local/municipal politics

Gave time in support of local/municipal politics​

28%

Overall

61%

30%

iGen

52%

35%

Millennials

55%

31%

Gen X

59%

26%

Baby Boomers

68%

24%

Matures

66%

Total that made a financial donation to a political candidate, slate, or party in recent elections: 1,255 | Q. C6b) To what level of government did you make a financial contribution?

Total respondents: 7,980 | Q. D4) Thinking specifically of your local/municipal government, which, if any, of the following public participation or engagement processes did you participate in the past year? Respondents were required to select all that applied from a list of six choices, including “other” and “did not do any of above”.

When it comes to supporting reconciliation, on average

0 %

have taken some form of action

All BC respondants

52%

iGen (18-24)

59%

Total respondents: 7,980 | Q. D6) In the past year, have you taken any actions to support reconciliation? Respondents were required to select all that applied from a list of nine choices, including “other” and “I have not done any”.

Top actions

people have taken to support reconciliation in the past year:

0 %

Read, watched, or listened to information to gain an understanding of what reconciliation entails

iGen (18-24)

29%

Millennials (25-38)

32%

Gen X (39-54)

33%

Baby Boomers (55-73)

42%

Matures (74+)

42%

0 %

Re-examined my own perceptions and attitudes and made a personal commitment to reconciliation

iGen (18-24)

32%

Millennials (25-38)

27%

Gen X (39-54)

25%

Baby Boomers (55-73)

24%

Matures (74+)

21%

0 %

Attended an event to learn about lives/experiences of Indigenous peoples in my community

iGen (18-24)

22%

Millennials (25-38)

17%

Gen X (39-54)

17%

Baby Boomers (55-73)

17%

Matures (74+)

13%

0 %

Spoken out against negative stereotypes and bias in reporting on Indigenous issues

iGen (18-24)

20%

Millennials (25-38)

17%

Gen X (39-54)

14%

Baby Boomers (55-73)

17%

Matures (74+)

14%

0 %

Read the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s 94 Calls to Action

iGen (18-24)

9%

Millennials (25-38)

9%

Gen X (39-54)

8%

Baby Boomers (55-73)

8%

Matures (74+)

5%

0 %

Given money to an organization supporting reconciliation

iGen (18-24)

5%

Millennials (25-38)

4%

Gen X (39-54)

3%

Baby Boomers (55-73)

4%

Matures (74+)

6%

0 %

Joined a reconciliation walk

iGen (18-24)

7%

Millennials (25-38)

4%

Gen X (39-54)

3%

Baby Boomers (55-73)

2%

Matures (74+)

2%

Total respondents: 7,980 |  D6) In the past year, have you taken any actions to support reconciliation? Respondents were required to select all that applied from a list of nine choices, including “other” and “I have not done any”.

When it comes to advocating for an issue

2/3

have participated in some form of advocacy activity

Total respondents: 7,980 |  Q. D1) In the past year, did you participate in any of the following activities to support a cause or issue? Respondents were required to select all that applied from a list of six choices, including “other” and “did not do any of the above”.

Rally sign - there is no planet B

The top three ways people participated in an advocacy activity include:

icon-ribbon

Wore a button/ribbon/bracelet, pink shirt for anti-bullying, etc.

Overall

35%

iGen (18-24)

43%

Millennials (25-38)

35%

Gen X (39-54)

37%

Baby Boomers (55-73)

33%

Matures (74+)

29%

icon-boycott

Boycotted a product or company

Overall

32%

iGen (18-24)

27%

Millennials (25-38)

31%

Gen X (39-54)

33%

Baby Boomers (55-73)

36%

Matures (74+)

29%

icon-group

Attended a meeting or open house on a community issue

Overall

31%

iGen (18-24)

16%

Millennials (25-38)

22%

Gen X (39-54)

27%

Baby Boomers (55-73)

43%

Matures (74+)

46%

Total respondents: 7,980 |  Q. D1) In the past year, did you participate in any of the following activities to support a cause or issue? Respondents were required to select all that applied from a list of six choices, including “other” and “did not do any of the above”.

When you take into account the workplace and social media, the opportunities to participate in community broaden even more.

1/3

engaged in fundraising and/or volunteering through their workplace

Total respondents: 7,980 |  Q. C15) In the past year, did you participate in either of these activities through your workplace?

Mentorship is also an important way people are contributing to community through their field or workplace.

Mentorship across the generations

%

of Gen X mentor someone

%

of iGen and 29% of Millennials are mentored

%

of Millennials mentor someone and are mentored themselves

Total respondents: 7,980 |  Q. C14) Do you mentor anyone or are you being mentored by anyone in your field or place of work?

British Columbians are active on social media, largely using it to keep up with family and friends. But they’re also using it to facilitate community participation.

women reading their phones

How British Columbians are using social media to participate:

%

Organizing and/or finding in-person community events or meet-ups

Total social media users: 6,668 | Q. E6) In the past year, did you use social media to help organize and/or find in-person community events and meet-ups?

%

Attending a political or social cause, event, rally, or protest that was publicized on social media

Total social media users: 6,668 | Q. E8) Have you ever attended a political or social cause event, rally, or protest because you saw it publicized on a social media platform?

%

Raising awareness or advocating for an issue through posting or sharing content on social media

Total social media users: 6,668 | Q. E5) How often do you share or post content on social media to raise awareness or advocate for an issue you care strongly about?

%

Staying up-to-date on news and events

%

Following organizations or causes

Total social media users: 6,668 | Q. E3) What are the main reasons you use social media? Respondents were required to select up to three from a list of nine choices, including “other”.

Regardless of age, many British Columbians feel there are barriers preventing them from doing more.