About two in five Canadian adults surveyed reported using charity or nonprofit services in the preceding year, according to an Ipsos poll commissioned by RBC and released October 13.
Usage was higher among respondents with children: 49 per cent, compared with 36 per cent among those without children. Of respondents who used these services, 79 per cent described their use as occasional and 21 per cent as regular.
The definition matters. RBC includes institutions such as hospitals and universities within the charitable and nonprofit sector. These results therefore should not be read as the share of Canadians relying on food banks or experiencing financial hardship. The poll measures reported use of a broad range of services.
Ipsos collected the responses online from May 27 to 29, 2026, through its I-Say Panel, with 1,001 adults participating. The October release describes spring fieldwork, not a new October survey.
RBC published the findings as part of an awareness campaign about the sector. Global News also reported the results. Without a comparable earlier survey, these figures alone do not establish whether service use is rising.
