Community involvement is defined as the contribution of time, energy, and skills to groups and organizations in the community, such as charities and non-profits.[1] Youth who participate in community activities are more likely to feel a sense of belonging to their community and experience positive psychosocial development.[2]
Youth who report volunteering in their community |
About the MeasureThis measure is collected from the Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph (WDG) Youth Survey that gathers self-reported well-being data from grade 7 and 10 students. The survey asks students about how often they “volunteer or help without pay in their community.” Students who respond “often” or “always” are categorized as having high levels of service to others. Students who respond “sometimes” or “rarely” are categorized as having low levels. Key FindingsAcross the three Youth Survey cycles, the percentage of youth who reported high levels of service to others remained consistent. More females reported having high levels of service to others than males and non-binary students. In 2011-12, more grade 10 than grade 7 students reported high levels of service to others. However, this difference diminished with subsequent cycles of the Youth Survey (not shown in graph). Data by gender and grade, as well as data at the municipal level, can be found in the downloadable Excel file at the bottom of this page.
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Source: WDG Youth Survey, 2017-18. WDG Report Card Coalition. Last updated September 5, 2018. LimitationsThe WDG Youth Survey collects self-reported data and is subject to response bias and recall bias. It should be noted that this measure does not provide data on the true rate of volunteerism among local youth.
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[1] Statistics Canada. (2015). Volunteering in Canada. Ottawa, ON: Statistics Canada. Available at: http://www.statcan.gc.ca/pub/11-008-x/2012001/article/11638-eng.htm
[2] Tessier, S., Minh-Nguyet, N., & Gagnon, K. (2006). Youth volunteerism research report. Toronto, ON: Knowledge Development Centre. Available at: http://www.imaginecanada.ca/sites/default/files/www/en/library/kdc-cdc/laval_youthstudy_report.pdf