[December 11, 2014]

Charitable Giving Set to Rise, Americans Say

Slightly more Americans say they plan to increase giving to charitable causes this year than last year, according to a new national survey conducted by the Saint Leo University Polling Institute.

This year, 67 percent of Americans say they plan to give as much or more to charities as they did last year, according to the survey. A year ago, 59 percent of people planned to give the same or more to charity as they did the previous year.

"This may be another indication of not only an improving economy, but of increasing confidence in people's own economic security," said Dr. Susan Kinsella, department chair of human services at Saint Leo University.

Further, the survey was enhanced in 2014 through the addition of two more questions that allowed respondents to identify their motivations for charitable giving. While millions of Americans are motivated to give in prt for reasons of faith around the religious holidays at the end of the year, personal ethical beliefs were cited more frequently, as 49 percent of respondents cited their own ethical principles. An additional 15 percent cited religious teachings or faith leaders, and 7 percent cited family and peers.

And the level of giving correlated strongly to feelings of personal economic security, as 37 percent of respondents cited the amount of charitable giving depends mostly on confidence in their own economic situation, compared to 12 percent who give depending on how people are faring generally. An additional 16 percent say they weigh a mix between their personal situation and the situation of others.

"Giving is really a personal choice and individuals are influenced by ethical principles over religious teachings by more than a three-to-one margin," commented Dr. Kinsella. "Another factor to consider is that this is the United States and we are known for being a generous country; we don't hesitate to open our purse strings to help others in need," she concluded.

The full Saint Leo University Polling Institute national survey results on politics, Pope Francis' favorability, technology and public policy, and college and professional sports, can be found here: http://polls.saintleo.edu. You can also follow the institute on Twitter (News - Alert) @saintleopolls.

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