Portagers help fight world poverty by buying ... a cow?

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Posted 2 months ago

Submitted photo...The purchase of a cow can help a family in an impoverished country create a business to help feed themselves. David du Chenen

All across Canada people are discovering that their purchasing power can literally change the world, one gift at a time, through the World Vision Gift Catalogue.

Canadians provide essential funding for World Vision's transformational development work with communities. Every gift from the catalogue is valuable — you can choose the gift that is most meaningful for you to give and you can be assured it will meet a critical need in places where World Vision works.

Last year alone, more than 59 Portage la Prairie-area residents used the catalogue to buy $7,615 worth of essential items ranging from livestock to school uniforms to medical supplies — for children and families in developing countries.

When it comes to gather around the tree this holiday season, most Canadians prefer to give (87 per cent) gifts than to receive them (13 per cent), according to a new Ipsos Reid poll conducted on behalf of World Vision Canada. And while six in 10 (58 per cent) say the recent changes in the economy have caused them to re-evaluate this year's Christmas spending or traditions, the majority of Canadians continue to hold charitable gifts in high regard.

Eight in 10 (80 per cent) agree (31 per cent strongly/49 per cent somewhat) that they'd "rather receive a meaningful gift that would help someone else, rather than a traditional gift like a pair of socks or a sweater." But finding that perfect gift can often be a challenge, particularly when the gift is for a family member of the opposite sex, according to the poll results.

One-quarter (25 per cent) of Canadians say their spouse is the most difficult person to buy a gift for, but men (34 per cent) are significantly more likely than women (21 per cent) to say so. In fact, for women, dad (24 per cent) is the most challenging person to find that perfect gift for, while fewer men (17 per cent) think the same. More men (18 per cent) than women (13 per cent) say finding a gift for mom is the most difficult.

Few parents think their sons (four per cent) and daughters (three per cent) are difficult to buy for, while brothers (three per cent) and sisters (three per cent) are apparently on the easier side as well. One in 10 (nine per cent) are of the opinion that other individuals, such as aunts, uncles, grandparents or cousins are the most difficult. Only 16 per cent of Canadians say they're all easy people to buy for, and apparently don't have any problems finding gifts.

Interestingly, six in 10 (59 per cent) Canadians think that they're an easy person to buy for.

While Canadians struggle more so with finding a gift for a family member of the opposite sex, they generally prefer to receive gifts from the women in their family, not the men. While four in 10 (38 per cent) Canadians, overall, look forward to receiving their spouse's gift the most, husbands (48 per cent) are much more likely than wives (32 per cent) to say that this is the case.

One in three (34 per cent) most look forward to gifts from their children, while others anticipate receiving the gift from their mother (12 per cent), or sister (four per cent) more so than from dad (three per cent) or brother (one per cent). Just six per cent say they don't look forward to anybody's gift because they never get what they want, with men (nine per cent) being twice as likely as women (four per cent) to be dissatisfied with their gifts.

Six in 10 (58 per cent) say the recent changes in the economy have caused them to re-evaluate this year's Christmas spending or traditions, with women (64 per cent) being much more likely than men (48 per cent) to say that this is the case. Still, one quarter (23 per cent) of Canadians does not limit the amount of money they spend on Christmas gifts.

Taking a more cost-conscious approach, three in 10 (32 per cent) set an overall spending limit while 45 per cent set a spending limit per person. Women (51 per cent) are much more likely than men (35 per cent) to set a limit per person, while men (36 per cent) are more likely than women (30 per cent) to set an overall spending limit, or no limit at all (29 per cent men vs. 19 per cent women).

These are some of the findings of a poll conducted between Sept. 23-25, on behalf of World Vision Canada. For this survey, a national sample of 2,006 adults from Ipsos' Canadian online panel was interviewed online. Weighting was then employed to balance demographics and ensure that the sample's composition reflects that of the adult population according to Census data and to provide results intended to approximate the sample universe. A survey with an unweighted probability sample of this size and a 100 per cent response rate would have an estimated margin of error of +/-2.2 percentage points 19 times out of 20 of what the results would have been had the entire population of adults in Canada been polled.

World Vision is a Christian relief, development and advocacy organization dedicated to working with children, families and communities to overcome poverty and injustice. World Vision serves all people regardless of religion, race, ethnicity or gender. For more information, please visit http://www.worldvision.ca/.