Transcript Genuine Progress Index for Atlantic Canada Indice de progrès véritable - Atlantique VALUING VOLUNTEERS Sydney, Cape Breton, 20 May 2004

Genuine Progress Index for Atlantic Canada
Indice de progrès véritable - Atlantique
VALUING VOLUNTEERS
Sydney, Cape Breton,
20 May 2004
Why Measure Voluntary
Work?
• Contribution to wellbeing (cf other jobs)
• Health Canada - social supports
• Not count => not value => insufficient
attention in policy arena
• Mark of civil society, democracy
• Strong voluntary sector = a NS asset =
acknowledge, nurture, protect, strengthen
YET invisible in our core measures of
progress and wellbeing
Our key indicator of wellbeing:
= “If the economy is growing we are better off”
• More paid work hours make economy grow
• More stress, more Prozac sales ($4 billion),
more cigarette sales, more fast food Anything can make economy grow - Juan
• “More” is always “better” vs balance
• Free time has no value
And its companion messages...
• Natural resource depletion makes
economy grow
• Economy can grow if poverty, inequity
grow = Affects recreation (lifestyle
interventions ineffective for low-income)
• Volunteer, unpaid work =no value.
So 12.8% decline no policy attention
• Fossil fuels, GHG’s make economy grow
And health....
• Sickness = growth industries. Canada spends
$103 billion/year treating sickness - up by
6.5% /year since 1998 = double 1980
• Diabetes up 5-fold globally. Lilly: “You’ve got
to be in diabetes”
• vs. Prevention = 2% of health budget
Current measures send misleading
signals to policy makers, public
What are the consequences?
• Volunteer time, free time (especially for
women) getting squeezed out;
- 6% decline in N.S. women’s free
time (next figures = 2006!)
• N.S. = 30,000 fewer volunteers than in
1997 = decline of 10.7%
• Statcan = working moms =75 hour week
“Time poverty” vs balance
= All un-noticed!
Total Work Hours, Couple
with Children, Canada
1900
2000
Male, paid work
58.5
42
Female, paid work
--
36.5
Male, unpaid work
N.A.
22.4
Female, unpaid work 56
33.6
Total work hours 114.5
134.5
Strong voluntary sector =
investment in our future
• But childhood obesity, asthma, physical
inactivity are up. Volunteer decline ->
sport coaching, after-school recreation
• Depleted natural world (fish, forests,
species), global warming
• Materially better off but more secure?
Eg What are costs of volunteer
decline in sports/recreation?
• 90% greater chance of heart disease if
inactive. 1/3 of heart disease could be
avoided if all Nova Scotians were
physically active.
• 20% stroke, hypertension, colon cancer,
type 2 diabetes, 27% of osteoporosis,
11% breast cancer, could be eliminated
by becoming physically active.
Costs of physical inactivity
• Inactivity costs NS $107m (direct) +
$247m (indirect) = $350m/year
• More than 700 Nova Scotians die
prematurely every year because they are
physically inactive = 9% of all early
deaths.
• Every year 2,200 potential years of life
are lost in N.S. due to physical inactivity
Costs of obesity
• Obesity: 56% diabetes 2 in NS
attributable to obesity; 37%
hypertension; 22% heart disease; 24%
gallbladder disease; + stroke, cancers
(colorectal, endometrial, postmenopausal breast), arthritis etc.
• Obesity costs NS health care system =
$120m/year (6.8% budget) + $140m
indirect productivity losses = $260m
• 39% N.S. overweight (BMI = >27)
53% Nova Scotians are inactive
Only 21% physically active
(CCHS) (3 kcal/kg/day), age 12+, 2000/01 (%)
30
21
21
20
20
23
21
17
16
17
17
15
10
5
BC
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sk
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be
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ar
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M
an
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ba
Q
B
N
S
N
I
PE
fld
N
an
ad
a
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C
Percent
25
27
26
T R E N D S:
Nova Scotia Remains Stagnant
• % exercising regularly in NS stagnant.
Dramatic decline in physical activity by
men. Obesity = more than doubled
• All 4 Atlantic provinces rank well below
Canadian average.
• Atlantic Canadian men now have a
significantly higher risk of heart disease.
Obesity Trends* Among U.S. Adults
BRFSS, 1985
Source: Mokdad A H, et al. J Am Med
Assoc 1999;282:16, 2001;286:10.
Obesity Trends* Among U.S. Adults
BRFSS, 1986
Source: Mokdad A H, et al. J Am Med
Assoc 1999;282:16, 2001;286:10.
Obesity Trends* Among U.S. Adults
BRFSS, 1987
Source: Mokdad A H, et al. J Am Med
Assoc 1999;282:16, 2001;286:10.
Obesity Trends* Among U.S. Adults
BRFSS, 1988
Source: Mokdad A H, et al. J Am Med
Assoc 1999;282:16, 2001;286:10.
Obesity Trends* Among U.S. Adults
BRFSS, 1989
Source: Mokdad A H, et al. J Am Med
Assoc 1999;282:16, 2001;286:10.
Obesity Trends* Among U.S. Adults
BRFSS, 1990
Source: Mokdad A H, et al. J Am Med
Assoc 1999;282:16, 2001;286:10.
Obesity Trends* Among U.S. Adults
BRFSS, 1991
Source: Mokdad A H, et al. J Am Med
Assoc 1999;282:16, 2001;286:10.
Obesity Trends* Among U.S. Adults
BRFSS, 1992
Source: Mokdad A H, et al. J Am Med
Assoc 1999;282:16, 2001;286:10.
Obesity Trends* Among U.S. Adults
BRFSS, 1993
Source: Mokdad A H, et al. J Am Med Assoc
1999;282:16, 2001;286:10.
Obesity Trends* Among U.S. Adults
BRFSS, 1994
Source: Mokdad A H, et al. J Am Med
Assoc 1999;282:16, 2001;286:10.
Obesity Trends* Among U.S. Adults
BRFSS, 1995
Source: Mokdad A H, et al. J Am Med
Assoc 1999;282:16, 2001;286:10.
Obesity Trends* Among U.S. Adults
BRFSS, 1996
Source: Mokdad A H, et al. J Am Med
Assoc 1999;282:16, 2001;286:10.
Obesity Trends* Among U.S. Adults
BRFSS, 1997
Source: Mokdad A
H, et al. J Am Med
Assoc 1999;282:16,
2001;286:10.
Obesity Trends* Among U.S. Adults
BRFSS, 1998
Source: Mokdad A
H, et al. J Am Med
Assoc 1999;282:16,
2001;286:10.
Obesity Trends* Among U.S. Adults
BRFSS, 1999
Source: Mokdad A
H, et al. J Am Med
Assoc 1999;282:16,
2001;286:10.
Obesity Trends* Among U.S. Adults
BRFSS, 2000
Source: Mokdad A
H, et al. J Am Med
Assoc 1999;282:16,
2001;286:10.
Obesity Trends* Among U.S. Adults
BRFSS, 2001
Source: Mokdad A
H, et al. J Am Med
Assoc 1999;282:16,
2001;286:10.
In all fields, contemplate
true costs of volunteer
decline
• Culture, arts, social services........
• Social supports, social networks key
determinant of health (Health
Canada
• Increases resilience, recovery from
illness, health
= Economics as if People
did not Matter
• The more we produce and consume,
the “better off” we are
• Growing economy = “healthy,” robust
economy. Shopping is patriotic
• Vs health as balance. Security, health,
community, environment, free time,
volunteerism have no value
What can we do about this?
• How can we assign free time,
volunteerism, health their true value?
• How can we give volunteerism the
attention it deserves?
• How can we help Nova Scotians fully
appreciate contribution and value of
voluntary work?
1) We can change the way
we measure progress
What we measure:
 reflects what we value as a society;
 determines what makes it onto the
policy agenda;
 influences behaviour (eg students)
Good indicators can
help Nova Scotians:
 foster common vision and purpose;
 identify strengths and weaknesses;
 change public behavior;
 hold leaders accountable at election
time
 initiate actions that promote wellbeing
In Genuine Progress Index:
 Health, security, free time, education, unpaid
work (voluntary + h’hold), have value
 Sickness, crime, disasters, pollution are costs;
so reductions in crime, poverty, GHGs,
ecological footprint are progress
 Human, social, natural capital valued
 Growing equity signals progress
Valuing Voluntary Work
• Nova Scotians give 140 million hrs of
voluntary work/yr = 73,000 FTE jobs
• Worth nearly $2 billion /year to NS
economy
• Nationwide decline in volunteer work
cost Canadians $2 billion in lost
services in 2000
• = Invisible in conventional accounts
Who are the volunteers?
• Health, education, social services, culture,
arts, religion, environment, justice, jobs,
fire, search/rescue, international,......
• Formal and informal
• Demographics changing
• Motivations changing
Key Social Support
• Health Canada uses volunteerism as a
key indicator of a “supportive social
environment” that can enhance health.
• All four Atlantic provinces = highest
rates of volunteer work in the country.
• More women than men volunteer
Volunteerism: Atlantic
Provinces lead (formal rate)
But volunteerism has
declined --here and nationally
Economic Valuation
• Market value (cost if volunteers disappeared)
• Cheapens or strategic? (Hamm - cheque)
• $1.9 billion = 10% GDP (more than govt)
• 73,000 FTE jobs = 82,000 full + part-time
• Indirect contributions - e.g. Skills training
2) Policy implications
• Inventory critical services provided by
volunteers
• Understand how voluntary sector is affected
by labour market trends
• Track “involuntary” voluntary work
• Track burnout (next slide)
• Acknowledge, support, reward, centre stage
Volunteer time crunch predicted
in 1998 GPI report
• Overtime up among educated, skilled
(partly due to 1990s downsizing)
• Married women = 75 hours/week
• Predict time crunch among volunteers
• -> Forecasting just as for paid economy
• -> Understand voluntary sector with
same precision, detail as paid economy
2000 results confirm
1998 predictions
• 2000: Volunteer burnout: NS =
30,000 fewer volunteers, but average
hours per volunteer are up 32.3%
(1997-2000)
• Volunteer service hours/capita up
from 42.3 (1997) to 50.1 (2000),
bucking national trend where vol.
services down
Policies to support the
voluntary sector
• Core funding vs project funding ->
• Acknowledge importance of paid staff: Costeffective = every staff hour ($) leverages many
volunteers hours (e.g. Glace Bay Citizens
Service League)
• Simplify funding/grant applic. procedures
• Provide bookkeeping/accounting/legal
services etc.
• Includes vol. social service in school curricula
To sell policies ASK:
• What would it cost government to
perform the same services? (support for
community based orgs. is a good deal)
• What are the consequences of burnout,
decline in voluntary services for
recipients and society?
• Decline in social wellbeing, quality of
life; or replace vol. services for pay?
New policy initiatives that
address underlying causes
Learning from the Europeans, rather than
compare with US: US passed Japan with
longest hours - rapid growth at expense of
quality of life
• Scandinavia - family-friendly work top
concern
• Germany = 6 weeks vacation; Denmark =
5 1/2
Making Part-time Work
Desirable
• Netherlands: 1,370 paid work hours / yr
Canada: 1,732 paid work hours / year
• Non-discrimination law: equal hourly pay,
pro-rated benefits, equal promotion opp.
• Netherlands: unemployment 12.2% —> 2.7%
- Highest rate of part-time in OECD
- Involuntary part-time = 6% = <1/6 Atlantic
- New bill gives workers “right” to reduce hrs
Value/expand free time: Danes
have 11 hrs more free time each
wk than Canadians
50
45
40
35
30
25
20
15
10
5
Source: Andrew Harvey, “Canadian Time Use in a Cross-National Perspective,” Statistics in Transition,
November, 1995
0
Un p a id Wor k
Fr ee T i m e
Bu l ga r i a
Ca n a d a
U.S.A .
U.K.
Fi n l a n d
Den m a r k
25.6
24.3
25
24.4
21.9
16.8
33
35.4
36.7
40.5
41.1
46
Sharing the Work Can...
• Reduce unemployment, underemployment
and overwork
• Improve work-life-family balance and
health; enhance recreation opportunities
• Increase free time and community service
• Protect the environment, spare the planet
from over-consumption, natural resource
depletion
If we explicitly value...
• Our free time
• The time we spend with family and children
• Productive unpaid work done in households
• Our voluntary contributions to community
• Health and Equity
Then we will naturally explore policy
options that are currently not on the
political agenda
By including these values in our
core measures of progress...
We can draw attention to models that:
– go beyond superficial coping, stress
relief
– can improve health and wellness
– quality of our lives, expand community
activities and social networks
and value volunteerism fully and
properly
Can we do it?
Percentage Waste Diversion in Nova Scotia
60
% Diversion
50
40
30
20
10
0
1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000
Can it be
done?...1900s/1980s...