Making Connections: Social and Civic Engagement among Canadian Immigrants

May 24, 200724 May 2007

Issue

Diversity, immigration and the arts

Article Link

http://www.ccsd.ca/pubs/2006/makingconnections/

This report identifies six measures to gauge immigrants’ social and civic participation: volunteer rates; donation rates; membership in non-profit community groups; voting rates; the “consumption” of current affairs; and informal giving.

The report finds that immigrants “tend to be very involved in social and civic life, and to make significant contributions to Canada. They give generously of their time and money to the voluntary sector. They are interested and active citizens, engaged in current affairs and in helping others in their community…. Established immigrants tend to have much higher participation rates on all measures.”