The results of a new Ipsos poll conducted on behalf of CanadaHelps, revealed that nearly half of Canadians would prefer to receive a charitable gift instead of a material present this holiday season.  

Among the 47% of Canadians who would prefer a gift that makes a difference, 23% would prefer a charity gift card where the recipient can choose the charity that benefits from the funds, and 24% of Canadians would prefer that a charitable donation be made directly to a cause in their honour. The poll also revealed that one in three (35%) Canadians will scale back holiday spending as the affordability crisis and economic uncertainty prevails. 

“The holiday giving season is a critical time for charities to raise funds to support programs and services year-round,” said Jane Ricciardelli, Chief Operating Officer and Acting CEO of CanadaHelps. “With 22% of Canadians anticipating the need to access essential charitable services like food and shelter in the next six months, charitable gifts are a great way to show your friends or family that you care while supporting communities in need.” 

Purse strings tighten this holiday season 

With high rates of inflation, climbing interest rates, and a looming recession, the Ipsos poll reflects that Canadians intend to scale back their holiday spending this year. 

• One in three (35%) Canadians expect to spend less on holiday gifts this season 
• One in ten (9%) say they do not purchase holiday presents
• 19% haven’t yet considered how much they will spend, and 7% expect to spend more.
• Parents (46%) are much more likely to scale back holiday spending than those without children (31%). 
• Women (40%) are also more likely than men (31%) to spend less on gifts this year. 

The same Ipsos poll also reported that while 22% of Canadians are expecting to turn to charities for essential services over the next six months, 20% of Canadians are planning to give less to charities this year than last year, with 74% of those planning to give less identifying the rising cost of living as one of the key reasons for this decline. Only 13% of Canadians are planning to give more than they did last year. In addition, a survey among small charities conducted by CanadaHelps in August revealed that 59% are unable to meet demand. 

About the Ipsos Poll 

These are some of the findings from an Ipsos poll conducted between October 28th and November 1st, 2022 on behalf of CanadaHelps.org. For this survey, a sample of 1,000 Canadians aged 18+ were interviewed. Weighting was then employed to balance demographics to ensure that the sample's composition reflects that of the adult population according to Census data and to provide results intended to approximate the sample universe. The precision of Ipsos online polls is measured using a credibility interval. In this case, the poll is accurate to within ±3.5 percentage points, 19 times out of 20, had all Canadians aged 18+ been polled.  

About CanadaHelps
CanadaHelps is a public foundation advancing philanthropy through technology. For Canadians, it powers CanadaHelps.org, a safe and trusted destination for discovering and supporting any charity in Canada, and UniteforChange.com, where Canadians can learn about causes and easily support the collective work of charities addressing a cause they care about.