Giving and Volunteering in Ontario - English - Imagine Canada

CSGVP: 07GIVING AND VOLUNTEERING IN ONTARIOFigure 2.12: Reasons for volunteering, volunteers aged 15 and older, Ontario, 2004 and 2007.Contribution to the community92%93%Use skills and experiences76%79%Personally affected by cause of theorganizationExplore own strengthsNetwork with or meet peopleFriends volunteer57%56%49%52%46%49%42%47%Religious obligations or beliefsImprove job opportunities25%26%23%25%0% 25% 50% 75% 100%% volunteers2004 2007!Barriers! !Ontarians also face barriers that may keep them from volunteering. Ontarians who did notvolunteer were most likely to say they did not do so because they lacked the time (70%reported this) or because they were unable to make a long-term commitment (68%). Morethan half said that they preferred to give money rather than time (53%) while exactly 50%said that they did not volunteer because no one asked. Ontarians were least likely to reportthat they were prevented from volunteering by the financial costs involved (22%), becausethey felt they gave enough time already (15%), or because of dissatisfaction with previousvolunteer experiences (8%).In terms of differences between Ontarians and non-volunteers from the rest of Canada,Ontarians were slightly more likely to report most barriers. For example, 68% of Ontarionon-volunteers said that the inability to make a long-term commitment prevented them fromvolunteering, compared to 59% of non-volunteers from elsewhere in Canada. Similarly,Ontarians were significantly more likely to report that they did not volunteer at all becauseno one had asked them (50% vs. 41%; see Figure 2.13).Interestingly, Ontario non-volunteers were somewhat more likely to report most barriers in2007 compared to 2004 (see Figure 2.14). Of particular note were the increases in thepercentage of non-volunteers reporting they were unable to make a long-term commitment(rising from 61% in 2004 to 68% in 2007) and that no one had asked them to volunteer(44% in 2004 vs. 50% in 2007).GIVINGANDVOLUNTEERING.CA29