The percentage of British Columbians who donate to charity is on the decline, according to the results of a Fraser Institute report published December 16.
The report showed that 21.7% of British Columbians claimed charitable donations on their income taxes in 2011 (the most recent year of data in the study). This is down 1.2 percentage points from 2006's figure of 22.9%.
B.C. respondents donated 0.8 percentage points less than the Canadian average of 22.9%. Although the Canada-wide figure is up slightly from 2009's low of 22.5%, it is down 2.2 percentage points when compared with 2005's figure of 25.1%.
"There's been a downward trend in the proportion of Canadians donating to registered charities and the share of income they donate," said Charles Lammam, study co-author and the Fraser Institute's resident scholar in economic policy.
"This decline in charitable giving limits the ability of Canada's private charities to serve those in need."
The province with the highest percentage of those who gave to charity in 2011 was Manitoba, at 25.9%, followed by Saskatchewan and Prince Edward Island tied at 24.9%. New Brunswick was at the bottom with 20.7%.
The study looked at both American states and Canadian provinces. The results showed that more Americans – 26% – donated to charity than Canadians in 2011.
The figures in the study were based only on donations claimed on tax returns. They don't include any donations that went unclaimed for any reason, including those for which tax receipts were not issued.
