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• In 2013, 44% of Canadians aged 15 years and older volunteered for a charitable or non-profit organization. This represented a slight drop from 2010 (47%).
• The hours contributed by volunteers in 2013 stood at 1.96 billion hours, equivalent to about 1 million full-time, year-round jobs.
• The rate of volunteering was highest among teens aged 15 to 19, at 66%. This was followed by Canadians aged 35 to 44 (48%). Rates subsequently decline with age, with the lowest rates recorded among Canadians aged 75 years and older (27%).
• While older Canadians were less likely to volunteer, they devoted more hours to their volunteer work. For example, volunteers aged 65 to 74 dedicated 231 hours annually, compared to 110 hours for teens and 122 hours for middle-aged volunteers.
• Women were slightly more likely to volunteer than men (45% versus 42%), though this was primarily driven by significant gender differences among those aged 35 to 44.
• The top four sectors benefiting from volunteer work were: social services (25%), sports and recreation (24%), education and research (20%) and religious organization (19%). Holding steady over the last decade was volunteering in the social services and sports and recreation sectors, while drops were recorded for the education and research sector, as well as religious organizations.
• Similar to previous years, volunteers were most often engaged in organizing events (46%) and raising money on behalf of an organization or group (45%).
• Similar proportions of volunteers made the decision to volunteer on their own (48%) or because someone asked (47%). A small share (8%) said that they were required to volunteer by their school, employer, a charitable organization or group, or someone else.
• When asked about the reasons for volunteering, the vast majority (93%) said they wanted to contribute to the wellbeing of their community. Other common reasons included the desire to use their skills and experience (77%), because they were personally affected by the cause (60%), and to improve their own sense of well-being (52%).
• A lack of time was the leading barrier to volunteering, reported by two-thirds of Canadians who did not volunteer in the previous 12 months. An inability to make a long-term commitment was also reported by 62% of non-volunteers.
• Most volunteers stated that volunteering gave them a chance to acquire or improve their skills. Ranking the highest was interpersonal skills (63%), followed by communication skills (43%) and organizational and managerial skills (40%).
• In addition to formal volunteering, 82% of Canadians aged 15 and older reported helping people directly, without the involvement of an organization or group. Most often, people helped with housework (59%), followed by health-related support or personal care (49%) and shopping and transportation (45%).