Study: Impact of education on civic engagement in rural and urban Canada

2003 

People who live in rural areas of Canada were more likely to devote time to volunteer work than their urban counterparts in 2003, regardless of their level of education, according to a new study.

The study found that the association between education and volunteering was stronger in Canada's rural areas.

In rural areas nationwide, 63% of people with a university degree reported that they had done some volunteering in 2003. This was 2.2 times higher than the proportion of 29% among those without a high school diploma.

In contrast, in urban areas, 42% of university degree holders did some volunteering. This was only 1.8 times higher than the proportion of 24% among those who did not complete high school.

The study used data from Statistics Canada's General Social Survey to examine the impact of the rural or urban setting on four indicators of civic engagement and social participation and how this impact varies with the level of education.

The study probed an apparent contradiction. Educational attainment is relatively lower in rural areas and lower education levels are almost always associated with significantly lower levels of civic engagement. Despite this, rural areas do not experience lower levels of civic engagement than urban areas.

The study revealed two different dynamics. Individuals with a university degree were more likely to be engaged civically if they lived in rural areas. While there are proportionally fewer university degree holders in rural Canada, they contribute more than would be expected from them if they followed the behaviour patterns of the "average" university degree holder.

However, it also appears that individuals with less than a university degree (but with at least a high school diploma) are in some ways picking up the slack. Individuals who had a high school diploma and a college certificate/diploma were more likely to be engaged civically if they lived in rural areas.

In terms of participation in an organization, 67% of Canada's most rural residents with a college certificate or diploma reported that they were a member of an organization, compared to 55% of those living in urban areas.

In rural areas that were close to an urban centre, close to four out of five university degree holders were members or participants in at least one organization. This was the highest participation rate of any group.

In Canada's most rural areas, 84% of university degree holders engaged in at least one type of non-voting political activity in 2003. This was 2.3 times the proportion of only 37% among those without a high school diploma.

In contrast, 71% of urban degree holders engaged in non-voting political activity. This was 1.9 times greater than those urban residents without a high school diploma (37%).

Residents of Canada's most rural areas were more likely to have attended a public meeting no matter what their level of education was. Further, the gap between rural and urban residents was similar at all levels of educational attainment.

Higher rates of attendance at public meetings are more characteristic of rural areas than of urban places. Residents of the most rural areas who had a high school diploma as their highest level of educational attainment were about as likely to have attended a public meeting as their urban counterparts who had a university degree.

The article "The influence of education on civic engagement: Differences across Canada's rural-urban spectrum," is now available in the publication Rural and Small Town Canada Analysis Bulletin, Vol. 7, no. 1 (21-006-XIE, free) from the Our Products and Services page on our website.

For more information or to enquire about the concepts, methods or data quality of this release, contact Neil Rothwell (613-951-3719; neil.rothwell@statcan.gc.ca), Agriculture Division.