No. 10 - Giving back to the community

Many Canadian seniors stay active in their communities by participating in volunteer activities. The majority of seniors (58% in 1997) participate in informal volunteer activities outside their home. However, they are somewhat less likely to participate in formal volunteer activities. In 2000, close to three-quarters of a million Canadians aged 65 and over, 18% of the total senior population, participated in some kind of formal volunteer activities.

Those seniors that do engage in formal volunteering activities, however, spend considerably more time on these activities than their younger counterparts. In 2000, for example, senior volunteers averaged over 5 hours per week on these activities, compared with only about 3 hours per week for volunteers between the ages of 35 and 54.

Many seniors also contribute to volunteer activities by making financial donations. In 2000, 77% of all seniors made at least one such contribution. That year, seniors made an average donation of just over $300. This was about the same figure as for those aged 45-64 and well above that for those in younger age ranges.

Average hours per week volunteers spend on those activities, by age, 2000

Source: Statistics Canada