Denver, Colo., Aug 1, 2023 / 07:46 am
Among Americans who donate to charity, religious charities and nonprofits are the most popular, with about 1 in 5 Americans giving to these groups over the last year, a consumer research firm reported. While some Americans say they never give to charity, many say they can’t donate because they don’t have money.
Overall, 19% of Americans said they gave to religious charities in the last year, according to a survey sponsored by the Bethesda, Maryland-based Collage Group. About 27% of baby boomer respondents, those born 1946–1964, said they gave to religious charities. This is compared with 18% of Gen Xers (born 1965–1980), 16% of millennials (born 1981–1996), and only 11% of Gen Z respondents (born 1997–2012). Charitable giving was about 19% across racial and ethnic groups.
Religious charities were the first choice of all generations except Gen Z. For Gen Z, religious charities fell in sixth place behind human rights, animal-related, children’s health causes, and environmental causes. About 15% of Gen Z said they gave to human rights groups.
Collage Group produced two reports based on May survey responses from 4,928 Americans aged 18–77, weighted to be nationally representative. One report focuses on generational aspects of charitable giving; another report focuses on racial and ethnic aspects among white, Hispanic, Black, and Asian Americans.