Close X
Friday, November 29, 2024
ADVT 
National

1 in 4 Canadians fear income won't cover basic needs: Salvation Army poll

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 18 Dec, 2023 11:47 AM
  • 1 in 4 Canadians fear income won't cover basic needs: Salvation Army poll

A new survey suggests one in four Canadians are extremely concerned about having enough income to cover their basic needs, with the highest degree of hardship being felt by single parents.

The Salvation Army released the data today as part of their annual report examining Canadians' attitudes and experiences with poverty and related socioeconomic issues.

Among single parents, closer to half are reporting extreme concern about meeting basic needs at 40 per cent, while the numbers clock in at 31 per cent for single-person households and 31 per cent for caregivers.

The research by Edelman Data and Intelligence suggests one in five Canadians are eating less so their children or other family members could eat, and one in five also skipped or reduced the size of at least one meal in the last year because they couldn't afford groceries. Those numbers jump again to nearly half for single parents.

The research was conducted Oct. 12 to 19 among a nationally representative sample of 1,515 Canadians, but did not include those living in Yukon, Northwest Territories and Nunavut.

Lt.-Col. John Murray says the findings are troubling but accurately line up with The Salvation Army's internal data and the need at shelters, food banks and churches in the communities they serve.

"They're people that you and I and everyday Canadians know. I think at one point in time perhaps, people who were struggling were the people in other communities, in other parts of the country," said Murray, technical communications secretary for The Salvation Army.

"But what we're seeing is that this is a consistent trend from coast to coast to coast."

Housing security continued to be of major concern for Canadians, with 1 in 10 reporting extreme concern about basic human needs like food and shelter, or being affected by an emergency or natural disaster.

Frequency of food bank usage has also increased, with 22 per cent of those who used food banks in the last year reporting going once a week or more often, up from 18 per cent in 2022. Among those who used a food bank in 2023, nearly half were first-time users.

"One of the things we discovered this year that continues to not surprise us, but I think more disturbs us as an organization, is that children make up 34 per cent of all the people that come to organizations such as The Salvation Army for assistance," said Murray.

The report suggests the proportion of Canadians facing challenges to food and housing security, as well as health issues and managing limited resources, is not expected to improve significantly in the next six months.

And while there are high numbers of Canadians struggling, donation levels to support those in need are actually slightly decreasing by between 0.2 and 1 percentage point compared to 2022.

"It's a reminder to Canadians, for those who do have the capability and capacity to pause, to stop and think of others, to make a donation, to invest in the lives of friends and perhaps family in the communities where they live," said Murray.

MORE National ARTICLES

B.C. announces minimum wage and other labour protections for app-based gig workers

B.C. announces minimum wage and other labour protections for app-based gig workers
The B.C. government is introducing new protections for ride-hailing and food delivery app workers including a minimum wage, compensation for expenses and other standards. A minimum hourly wage of $20.10 — which is $3.35 more than the current general minimum wage — would apply for a gig worker's "engaged time," beginning when they accept an assignment to the time of completion.

B.C. announces minimum wage and other labour protections for app-based gig workers

B.C. replaces Surrey Police Board with administrator over troubled transition

B.C. replaces Surrey Police Board with administrator over troubled transition
Mike Farnworth, minister of public safety and solicitor general, says all members of the Surrey Police Board have been suspended and he's appointed former Abbotsford chief constable Mike Serr to take over all their duties. Farnworth says he acted because of a “lack of progress” from the City of Surrey in the transition to the Surrey Police Service. 

B.C. replaces Surrey Police Board with administrator over troubled transition

Help ID suspect in Burnaby robbery

Help ID suspect in Burnaby robbery
Burnaby R-C-M-P are hoping the public can help them identify a suspect wanted for a brazen robbery that happened almost two months ago. Police say a man was sitting in his vehicle at about 1:30 a.m., on September 27th when the suspect opened the car door, assaulted him and stole 33-hundred dollars.

Help ID suspect in Burnaby robbery

Road closures in effect in Surrey

Road closures in effect in Surrey
Surrey RCMP is advising the public of road closures following a serious collision involving a pedestrian on Fraser Highway. On Thursday, at approximately 8:15 a.m. police responded to the report of a youth struck by a vehicle in the 19400-block of Fraser Highway. The pedestrian has been transported to hospital with serious injuries.

Road closures in effect in Surrey

Veltman found guilty of first-degree murder in killing of Muslim family in Ontario

Veltman found guilty of first-degree murder in killing of Muslim family in Ontario
The trial has heard that Veltman hit the Afzaal family with his truck while they were out for a walk on a summer evening. 46 year old Salman Afzaal; his 44-year-old wife, Madiha Salman; their 15-year-old daughter, Yumna; and her 74-year-old grandmother, Talat Afzaal, were killed in the attack, while the couple's nine-year-old son was seriously hurt but survived.

Veltman found guilty of first-degree murder in killing of Muslim family in Ontario

No Canadians on updated exit list for the Rafah border crossing, hundreds still stuck

No Canadians on updated exit list for the Rafah border crossing, hundreds still stuck
Global Affairs Canada said Wednesday that a total of 367 Canadian citizens, permanent residents and family members have been able to get out, including nine people who left without the Canadian government's help. Two more people were able to travel to Egypt via the Rafah border crossing on Wednesday, and 10 made the trip on Monday.   

No Canadians on updated exit list for the Rafah border crossing, hundreds still stuck