Canadians play Scrooge alongside more generous Yanks

The amount Canadians donate to charities has hit a 10-year low, a study from the Fraser Institute says. The report, Generosity in Canada and the United States: The 2017 generosity index, says Americans donated more than three times the share of income Canadians did in 2015 tax returns. Not only did Canadians give a lower […]

By Staff | December 13, 2017 | Last updated on December 13, 2017

1 min read

The amount Canadians donate to charities has hit a 10-year low, a study from the Fraser Institute says.

The report, Generosity in Canada and the United States: The 2017 generosity index, says Americans donated more than three times the share of income Canadians did in 2015 tax returns.

Not only did Canadians give a lower percentage of their aggregate income to charity than Americans (0.56% compared to 1.43%), but fewer donated at all (20.9% in Canada compared to 24.5% in the U.S.).

The average dollar amount claimed in Canada was $1,699 compared to $6,058 in the U.S. (in local currencies).

Read: Finding the right donation strategy for every client

Manitoba had the highest percentage of tax filers who donated to charity among the provinces (24.6%) during the 2015 tax year, while New Brunswick and Quebec had the lowest (19.3%). Manitoba also donated the highest percentage of its aggregate income to charity among the provinces (0.83%). Quebec donated the lowest (0.26%).

Looking at 64 North American jurisdictions in the overall Generosity Index rankings, Utah places first (scoring 8.7 out of 10.0), followed by Maryland (7.7) and District of Columbia (7.1). Manitoba is the highest-scoring Canadian province (3.8), in 37th place.

The report provides no analysis for the varying rates of giving.

Read the full report here.

Also read: Millennials trust charities. So why aren’t they giving?