Nearly one in four Canadians will need charitable services to meet their needs through the holiday season, a new Ipsos and CanadaHelps poll suggests. Over 40 per cent of those who say they will need support are under 35 years old.
The poll illuminates the growing demand for social and charitable services amidst a growing and persisting cost-of-living crisis. Food bank use has skyrocketed to record levels and reliance on government social assistance programs continues to grow. A Leger poll from September 2023 found that nearly half of Canadians were living paycheque to paycheque. Financial stress among Canadians jumped 20 per cent since last year, amounting to a “national emergency,” the National Payroll Institute said in an Oct. 2023 report.
