Belonging

Our communities are welcoming, but we’re not politically engaged

Overview

People have an innate need to belong. We need a sense of connection to others and to our community in order to thrive. How our region fosters a sense of belonging, inclusion and participation is key to our vitality.

Citizen Grade

B-

Citizen Priorities

  • 19% Increase community participation
  • 13% Improve voter turnout

  • Sense of belonging 68%

    of residents feel they belong, a higher number than Toronto and Montreal 2009

  • Spirituality 83%

    of our Aboriginal peoples say spirituality is very important or somewhat important in their lives 2010

  • Voting 54%

    of North Shore area residents voted in the last municipal election, giving that area the highest voter turnout in our region 2009

  • Olympic volunteers 45,000

    people applied and 25,000 volunteered for the Olympics and the Paralympics 2010

View All
  • Trends We feel the spirit

    Even before the Olympics, there was a rising sense of civic pride in our region.

    • Our sense of belonging increased by 2 percentage points in 2009, while dropping nearly 4 percentage points in Toronto and 2 percentage points in Montreal.
      Statistics Canada, Canadian Community Health Survey
    • Our residents are building relationships across cultures, with 83% of residents socializing with peoples from different backgrounds at least a few times a month.
      Canadian Council on Learning 2010
  • Challenges Our growing political apathy

    The voter turnout rate is declining in metro Vancouver and Canada.

    • In the 2008 federal election, 59% of our region’s citizens voted, lower than voter turnout for the last three elections but on par with the national voting rate.
      Elections Canada
    • Voter turnout is lower for the provincial elections, with only half of voters in our region casting their ballots, a rate that dropped 6% since 2001.
      Elections BC
    • In the 2009 municipal election, the North Shore sub-region had the highest voter turnout at 54% while Surrey sub-region had the lowest at 48%.
      Elections BC/li>
  • Progress Volunteering is on the rise

    Even before the Olympics, more of us were volunteering.

    • In 2007, nearly half of our residents had volunteered in the past year, up 5% over three years.
      Canadian Council on Learning, Statistics Canada
    • The Olympics attracted a remarkable number of potential volunteers — 45,000 people — and 25,000 actually volunteered.
      VANOC
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    Civic engagement

    Volunteer rate

    5% rise in volunteering over three years
    2007

    Voter turnout

    59% voted in 2008 Federal election, lowest turnout in the past three elections
    2008

    Registered charities

    5,514 registered charities in our region
    2010

    First language

    40% of residents have a first language other than English or French
    2006

    Official languages

    5% of our residents don’t speak English or French
    2006

    Diverse languages

    Most common first languages (besides English or French)

    1. Cantonese – 15%
    2. Chinese (not specified) – 14%
    3. Punjabi – 14%
    4. Mandarin – 8%
    5. Tagalog – 5%

    Immigration/cultural diversity

    New residents

    In 2006, 3% of our residents were new to the region, having arrived in the last 12 months – we had a higher percentage of new residents than the BC or Canada
    2006

    The last five years

    11% of our residents moved here between 2001 and 2006
    2006

    Recent immigrants

    151,695 new immigrants to our region between 2001 and 2006
    2006

    Citizenship

    89% of residents are Canadian citizens
    2006

    Language at home

    547,660 individuals speak a language other than English or French at home
    2006

    Language at work

    6% of our workforce speaks a language other than English or French at work
    2006

    Age of new immigrants

    46% of our immigrant population is 24 or younger
    2006

    Generation

    approximately 47% of residents are first generation Canadians
    2006

    Newcomers

    BC had 206,788 new permanent residents and 9,832 refugees from 2004 to 2008
    2008

    Ethnic origin

    The most common ethnic origins in our region are:

    1. English
    2. Chinese
    3. Scottish
    4. Canadian
    5. Irish

    Interracial marriage

    9% of our couples are mixed-race
    2006

    Leadership

    Our politicians

    23% of City of Vancouver politicians are from a visible minority while 49% of the population is a visible minority
    2004

    Female politicians

    37% of metro Vancouver’s politicians are female
    2010

    Aboriginal peoples

    Aboriginal peoples

    make up 2% of our region’s population
    2006

    Culture

    77% of Aboriginal residents participate in their cultural events,
    greater than national participation levels across Canada
    2009

    Languages

    60% of Aboriginal people feel their languages were the most important aspect of their culture to pass down to the next generation
    2009

    Vulnerable or marginalized groups

    Income assistance

    60,478 households receive income assistance
    2009

    Social capital

    Join the club

    9% of residents take part in clubs, significantly less than in Toronto and Montreal
    2010

    Problem Gambling

    Our province received 6,228 calls seeking help to its gambling hotline in 2008-09, up from 5,656 calls in 2007-08

    2009

    Faith

    25% of residents donated to faith-based organizations
    2007

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