No. 22 - A very generous group

Gifts and contributions make up a relatively large share of the overall spending of seniors. In 1999, gifts and contributions represented 5% of the total after-tax spending of families headed by seniors and 8% of that of unattached individuals aged 65 and over. These figures were both well above those of their non-elderly counterparts. Indeed, this category was the only one in which the actual dollars expended by both senior families and unattached seniors exceeded figures for people in younger age groups.

The same pattern appears when focusing more narrowly on contributions to formal charities. In 1997, 80% of all seniors made at least one charitable donation. While this was about the same figure as for age groups under age 65, seniors made larger contributions on average, than their younger counterparts. That year, seniors donated an average of $328 to charity, compared with figures of $313 among those aged 55-64 and less than $300 among age groups under age 55.

Percentage of after-tax expenditures devoted to gifts and contributions, 1999

Source: Statistics Canada