Anglophones volunteer more than francophones: Quebec study

Tradition of parents being involved in school system

Any volunteers?

Anglophones do more volunteer work than their francophone neighbours, a new Quebec study suggests.

The analysis of 2012 data from Statistics Canada indicates that 47 per cent of Quebecers who speak English at home had done volunteer work in the previous 12 months, while only 36 per cent of those who speak French at home had done so.

“As a linguistic minority, anglophones may be more motivated to engage in activities aimed at the development and vitality of their community and institutions,” notes the study, published this month by the Institut de la statistique du Québec, a provincial agency.

The authors also point to a long tradition in the anglophone community of active parental involvement in the English-language school system.

In addition, the study refers to differences in how English-Canadians and French-Canadians approach philanthropy.

It cites a 2014 analysis that looked at why Quebecers give far less to charities than other Canadians. The author suggested several reasons, including the fact that fewer organizations collect donations in Quebec, disposable income in the province is lower and Quebecers spend less time in religious institutions, which encourage volunteerism and charitable donations.

The new study on volunteering focused on Quebecers age 16 to 65. Volunteer work covered time spent helping charities, non-profit organizations, political parties, unions or lobby groups.

Overall, 36 per cent of Quebecers said they had volunteered over the previous year, compared with 49 per cent who said they had done so across Canada.

Volunteering in Quebec was more common among women, parents with school-age children and people with at least one parent born outside Canada.