ROCHESTER, N.Y., Dec. 28 /PRNewswire/ -- According to a new Wall Street Journal Online/Harris Interactive Personal Finance Poll, an overwhelming majority (83%) of U.S. adults say they have contributed to a charity in the past 12 months, with about one-third of adults saying they contributed to religious, hunger and food-related, or health and disease-related charities each in the past year. The average total giving among those making contributions in the past 12 months fell to $1,220 from $1,352 in 2005.
These are some of the results of an online survey of 2,939 U.S. adults conducted by Harris Interactive(R) between December 4 and 6, 2006 for The Wall Street Journal Online.
Disaster relief charities have seen a marked decrease in contribution compared to a year ago (49% in 2005 vs. 27% in 2006), while homeless, health- based, hunger and animal charities have witnessed an increase in contributions over the past year. According to Natalie Jobity, Vice President of Financial Services Research for Harris Interactive, "The drop in disaster relief giving in 2006 is not surprising. In 2005, this was the number one crisis facing the nation and the media exposure given to Hurricane Katrina and subsequent relief efforts had a major impact on the public's support to related charities. It is understandable that this year funds to charities were allocated to other causes and there was less focus on disaster relief."
When asked about their top three motivating factors, three in four (76%) adults say they contribute to charities because they think it's the right thing to do, and those with household incomes of $75,000 or more are most likely to share this opinion (84%). Slightly over half (52%) of adults say they are motivated to make contributions because they believe it will make an impact, while few view employer encouragement (6%), media attention (2%) and pressure at fundraisers (2%) as being strong motivators for contributing. Over one in four (26%) of those making over $75,000 per year are motivated because of the tax write-offs (compared to 15% of total).
"Interestingly, the public does not see the media as a motivator even though it certainly plays a huge role in creating awareness for a given cause. Because respondents were directed to pick only their top three motivators, this explains why the media percentage is unusually low, despite the key role it plays in bringing issues to the public's attention," Jobity added.
Employment and age differences
Retirees are much more likely to have contributed to charities on the whole (90%). Compared to the other employment groups, more retirees have contributed to religious charities (47%) and disaster relief (34%) in past 12 months. Students are least likely to make charitable donations overall (30% have made no contributions in the past 12 months), but a notable 14 percent have contributed to the arts over the past year. There has been a slight decrease in charitable contributions in the 18 to 34 age group over the past year (74% in 2005 vs. 70% in 2006), but their contributions to hunger and health-based charities have dramatically increased (hunger 17% in 2005 to 27% in 2006; health-based 17% in 2005 to 26% in 2006).
Charitable donations as gifts
About one-quarter (27%) of adults say they have made a charitable donation in someone else's name, while 14 percent say someone has made a charitable donation on their behalf and seven percent say their employer has made a charitable donation in their behalf. Almost half (44%) say they have made or plan to make a charitable contribution specifically for the holidays this year, while just nine percent say they will do so in someone else's name.
Contribution means
Of note, few adults have taken a proactive approach to donate to charity through non-traditional means. Only eight percent say they have donated utilizing a donor advised fund, which allows an individual to combine the most favorable tax benefits with the flexibility to support charities at any time, while four percent have made a bequest to a charity in their will and only three percent each have made a charitable contribution as an endowment or through a gift of stock. These findings point to a general lack of awareness among the public of different charity related contribution vehicles.
TABLE 1A
CHARITIES THAT HAVE BEEN CONTRIBUTED TO - BY INCOME
"In the past 12 months, which of the following types of charities have you
contributed to? Please select all that apply."
Base: All adults
Household Income
Total Less $35K $50K
Than - -
$35K $49.9K $74.9K $75K+
% % % % %
Contributed to a Charity in the Past 12
Months (Net) 83 71 80 90 88
Religious 35 26 32 41 41
Hunger/Food 34 26 28 36 39
Health-based/Disease related 31 22 25 35 39
Disaster relief 27 18 22 28 36
Shelter/Homeless 26 18 25 32 28
Animal 23 18 22 23 27
Educational 20 13 15 23 30
The arts 10 5 4 11 18
Other 15 15 14 14 15
I have not contributed to a charity in
the past 12 months. 18 29 20 10 12
Note: Percentages may not add up to 100% due to rounding.
Note: Multiple-response question
TABLE 1B
CHARITIES THAT HAVE BEEN CONTRIBUTED TO - BY EMPLOYMENT STATUS
"In the past 12 months, which of the following types of charities have you
contributed to? Please select all that apply."
Base: All adults
Employment Status
Total Full Part Total
time/Self time Un- Student Retired
Employed employed
% % % % % %
Contributed to a Charity in
the Past 12 Months (Net) 83 85 73 59 70 90
Religious 35 35 26 20 23 47
Hunger/Food 34 35 32 29 25 38
Health-based/Disease
related 31 32 33 18 32 35
Disaster relief 27 27 25 20 22 34
Shelter/Homeless 26 26 21 20 23 28
Animal 23 24 23 19 19 23
Educational 20 24 17 14 15 19
The arts 10 11 13 10 14 10
Other 15 16 12 10 11 16
I have not contributed to
a charity in
the past 12 months. 18 15 27 41 30 10
Note: Percentages may not add up to exactly 100% due to rounding.
Note: Multiple-response question
TABLE 1C
CHARITIES THAT HAVE BEEN CONTRIBUTED TO - TRENDED BY AGE
"In the past 12 months, which of the following types of charities have you
contributed to? Please select all that apply."
Base: All adults
Total Age
18-34 35-44 45-54 55+
% % % % %
Contributed to a Charity in 2005 83 74 81 86 92
the Past 12 Months (Net) 2006 82 70 80 88 91
Religious 2005 37 25 33 38 52
2006 35 25 31 35 47
Hunger/Food 2005 28 17 25 31 38
2006 34 27 29 41 39
Health-based/Disease 2005 22 17 19 26 27
related 2006 31 26 29 30 37
Disaster relief 2005 49 36 52 49 57
2006 27 18 21 32 35
Shelter/Homeless 2005 19 12 18 22 25
2006 26 19 22 35 29
Animal 2005 19 13 22 22 22
2006 23 18 23 26 25
Educational 2005 16 17 15 15 16
2006 20 18 21 25 19
The arts 2005 8 8 6 9 9
2006 10 10 8 11 13
Other 2005 14 12 16 15 15
2006 15 12 13 18 17
I have not contributed to a 2005 17 26 19 14 8
charity
in the past 12 months. 2006 18 30 20 12 9
Note: Percentages may not add up to exactly 100% due to rounding.
Note: Multiple-response question
TABLE 2A
AMOUNT CONTRIBUTED TO CHARITIES - TRENDED BY INCOME
"Financially, how much have you contributed to charities in the past 12
months? If you are not sure, please make your best estimate."
Base: Contributed to a Charity in the Past 12 Months
Household Income
Total Less $35K - $50K -
Than $49.9K $74.9K $75K+
$35K
% % % % %
Contributed Financially (Net) 2005 89 95 96 95 98
2006 90 94 95 95 96
$50 or less 2005 19 44 15 12 8
2006 17 31 20 17 8
$51 - $100 2005 15 21 27 12 9
2006 14 21 19 15 8
$101- $250 2005 11 11 12 15 12
2006 13 15 16 13 11
$251 - $500 2005 13 8 13 23 15
2006 13 12 11 15 16
$501 - $1,000 2005 10 4 12 9 15
2006 13 8 14 13 18
$1,001 - $2,000 2005 6 6 7 5 8
2006 8 4 7 11 12
$2,001 - $3,000 2005 5 2 5 4 8
2006 4 1 3 3 7
$3,001 - $4,000 2005 3 1 1 6 3
2006 2 1 4 2 4
$4,001 - $5,000 2005 2 - 1 4 5
2006 1 1 * 2 2
$5,001 - $10,000 2005 3 - 3 3 7
2006 3 * 1 3 6
$10,001 - $15,000 2005 1 - - - 2
2006 1 - - * 2
$15,001 - $20,000 2005 1 - - - 3
2006 * - - - 1
$20,001 - $25,000 2005 * - - - -
2006 * - - - *
Over $25,000 2005 1 - - - 2
2006 * - * - 1
I have not made any financial 2005 2 2 1 1 -
contributions to charities in
the past 12 months. 2006 2 3 1 1 1
Decline to answer 2005 9 2 3 4 2
2006 9 3 4 4 3
MEAN 2005 $1,352 $285 $779 $1,085 $2,713
2006 $1,220 $368 $721 $926 $2,205
Note: Percentages may not add up to exactly 100% due to rounding.
*Less than 0.5%
- Indicates no response
TABLE 2B
AMOUNT CONTRIBUTED TO CHARITIES - TRENDED BY AGE
"Financially, how much have you contributed to charities in the past 12
months? If you are not sure, please make your best estimate."
Base: Contributed to a Charity in the Past 12 Months
Age
Total 18-34 35-44 45-54 55+
% % % % %
Contributed Financially 2005 89 91 89 89 88
(Net) 2006 90 94 94 87 86
$50 or less 2005 19 39 14 17 10
2006 17 31 15 12 13
$51 - $100 2005 15 18 20 12 11
2006 14 17 15 15 9
$101- $250 2005 11 8 11 13 13
2006 13 14 16 11 12
$251 - $500 2005 13 8 13 14 17
2006 13 11 12 12 15
$501 - $1,000 2005 10 7 11 13 8
2006 13 10 16 15 11
$1,001 - $2,000 2005 6 4 6 4 8
2006 8 5 7 10 10
$2,001 - $3,000 2005 5 2 4 7 6
2006 4 1 2 6 5
$3,001 - $4,000 2005 3 2 2 1 4
2006 2 3 2 2 3
$4,001 - $5,000 2005 2 2 3 2 3
2006 1 * 2 1 2
$5,001 - $10,000 2005 3 * 2 4 6
2006 3 1 4 3 3
$10,001 - $15,000 2005 1 * * 1 1
2006 1 1 1 1 *
$15,001 - $20,000 2005 1 - 2 * 1
2006 * * * * 1
$20,001 - $25,000 2005 * * - * -
2006 * - - * 1
Over $25,000 2005 1 1 - * 1
2006 * - 1 * *
I have not made any 2005 2 3 2 1 3
financial contributions to
charities in the
past 12 months. 2006 2 2 2 2 1
Decline to answer 2005 9 6 9 10 10
2006 9 4 5 11 13
MEAN 2005 $1,352 $661 $1,280 $1,322 $1,941
2006 $1220 $673 $1384 $1246 $1547
Note: Percentages may not add up to exactly 100% due to rounding.
*Less than 0.5%
- Indicates no response
TABLE 3
TOP MOTIVATORS FOR CONTRIBUTING - BY INCOME
"Which of the following are your top motivations for contributing to
charities? Please select your top three motivations."
Base: Contributed to a Charity in the Past 12 Months
Household Income
Total Less $35K $50K
Than - - $75K+
$35K $49.9K $74.9K
% % % % %
I believe in the cause (or I feel it's the
right thing to do). 76 69 72 75 84
I believe my contribution will make an
impact. 52 49 45 49 57
I have faith that the money is being used in
the way I would like. 42 44 42 47 37
I know someone who is personally affected or
who will be a beneficiary of the
charitable donation. 28 24 28 30 31
I can get a tax write-off. 15 6 10 13 26
I know someone who is raising money for the
cause. 13 9 15 15 13
My employer encourages me to contribute. 6 5 9 4 8
There is a lot of media attention about the
issue. 2 4 5 1 1
I feel pressured to contribute at
fundraisers or other events. 2 1 1 3 2
Other 7 9 11 9 4
Not sure 1 3 1 1 *
Note: Multiple-response question
*Less than 0.5%
TABLE 4
NON-TRADITIONAL CONTRIBUTION MEANS
"Which of the following, if any, have you ever done? Please select all that
apply."
Base: Contributed to a Charity in the Past 12 Months
Total
%
Donated to a charity through a donor-advised fund 8
Made a bequest to a charity in my will 4
Made a charitable contribution as an endowment 3
Donated to a charity through a gift of stock 3
Donated to a charity from my IRA account 1
None of these 85
Note: Multiple-response question
TABLE 5A
CHARITABLE DONATIONS AS GIFTS - BY INCOME "Regarding the giving of charitable donations as gifts, which, if any, of the
following are true for you? Please select all that apply."
Base: Contributed to a Charity in the Past 12 Months
Household Income
Total Less $35K $50K
Than - - $75K+
$35K $49.9K $74.9K
% % % % %
I have given a charitable donation in
someone else's
name as a gift to that person. 27 20 22 28 32
A family member or friend has made a
charitable donation in my name. 14 9 12 14 17
I have asked someone else to make a
charitable donation in my name as a gift. 8 7 7 7 9
My company has made a charitable donation
in my name. 7 4 6 6 11
None of these 60 70 66 58 53
Note: Multiple-response question
TABLE 5B
CHARITABLE DONATIONS AS GIFTS - BY AGE "Regarding the giving of charitable donations as gifts, which, if any, of the
following are true for you? Please select all that apply."
Base: Contributed to a Charity in the Past 12 Months
Total Age
18-34 35-44 45-54 55+
% % % % %
I have given a charitable donation in
someone
else's name as a gift to that person. 27 18 23 33 32
A family member or friend has made a
charitable donation in my name. 14 20 12 11 12
I have asked someone else to make a
charitable
donation in my name as a gift. 8 11 6 8 6
My company has made a charitable
donation in my name. 7 7 9 7 5
None of these 60 61 63 56 60
Note: Multiple-response question
TABLE 6
HOLIDAY SEASON CHARITABLE DONATIONS AS GIFTS - BY INCOME "Which of the following will happen (or has already happened) specifically for
this holiday season? Please select all that apply."
Base: Contributed to a Charity in the Past 12 Months
Household Income
Total Less $35K $50K
Than - - $75K+
$35K $49.9K $74.9K
% % % % %
I will make a charitable donation on behalf
of myself/my family. 44 33 41 43 50
I will make a charitable donation in someone
else's name. 9 7 6 9 11
My friends or family will make a charitable
contribution in my name. 3 2 3 3 5
My company will make a charitable donation
in my name. 2 3 4 2 2
None of these 50 60 51 51 44
Note: Multiple-response question
A downloadable PDF version of The Wall Street Journal Online/Harris Interactive Personal Finance Poll is posted at http://www.harrisinteractive.com/news/newsletters_wsjfinance.asp.
Methodology
This survey was conducted online within the United States between December 4 to 6, 2006 among 2,939 adults (aged 18 and over). Figures for age, sex, race/ethnicity, education, region and household income were weighted where necessary to bring them into line with their actual proportions in the population. Propensity score weighting was also used to adjust for respondents' propensity to be online.
All surveys are subject to several sources of error. These include: sampling error (because only a sample of a population is interviewed); measurement error due to question wording and/or question order, deliberately or unintentionally inaccurate responses, nonresponse (including refusals), interviewer effects (when live interviewers are used) and weighting.
With one exception (sampling error) the magnitude of the errors that result cannot be estimated. There is, therefore, no way to calculate a finite "margin of error" for any survey and the use of these words should be avoided.
With pure probability samples, with 100 percent response rates, it is possible to calculate the probability that the sampling error (but not other sources of error) is not greater than some number. With a pure probability sample of 2,939 one could say with a ninety-five percent probability that the overall results would have a sampling error of +/-3 percentage points. Sampling error for data based on sub-samples may be higher and may vary. However, that does not take other sources of error into account. This online survey is not based on a probability sample and therefore no theoretical sampling error can be calculated.
These statements conform to the principles of disclosure of the National Council on Public Polls.
About the Survey
The Wall Street Journal Online/Harris Interactive Personal Finance Poll is an exclusive poll that is published in the Personal Journal Edition of The Wall Street Journal Online at http://www.wsj.com/personaljournal.
About The Wall Street Journal Online
The Wall Street Journal Online at WSJ.com, published by Dow Jones & Company (NYSE: DJ; http://www.dowjones.com/), is the largest paid subscription news site on the Web. Launched in 1996, the Online Journal continues to attract quality subscribers that are at the top of their industries, with 788,000 subscribers world-wide as of Q3, 2006.
The Online Journal provides in-depth business news and financial information 24 hours a day, seven days a week, with insight and analysis, including breaking business and technology news and analysis from around the world. It draws on the Dow Jones network of nearly 1,900 business and financial news staff-the largest network of business and financial journalists in the world. The Online Journal also features exclusive content, including interactive graphics on business and world news, and online-only columns about the automotive industry, technology, personal finance and more.
The Online Journal offers three industry-specific verticals: the award- winning Health, Media & Marketing and now Law. Health offers authoritative analysis, breaking news and commentary from top industry journalists. Media & Marketing is designed for professionals in the advertising, marketing, entertainment and media industries. Law is designed to provide law firms and attorneys timely information on events and trends important to the legal market. Subscribers to all also get access to the full content of the Online Journal.
In 2005, the Online Journal was awarded a Codie Award for Best Online News Service for the second consecutive year, and its Health Industry Edition was awarded Best Online Science or Technology Service for the third consecutive year. In 2004, the Online Journal received an EPpy Award for Best Internet Business Service over 1 million monthly visitors.
The Wall Street Journal Online network includes CareerJournal.com, OpinionJournal.com, StartupJournal.com, RealEstateJournal.com and CollegeJournal.com.
About the Financial Services Practice
The Harris Interactive Financial Services Practice provides custom, global research solutions to leading companies in the financial services industry. Research professionals with specific expertise across a range of financial services sectors, including banking, payment systems, securities and investments, and insurance, act as strategic partners to their clients. The Financial Services Practice plays a key role in branding initiatives, customer profiling and segmentation, new product development, customer loyalty management, market planning initiatives and studies that support clients as thought leaders. (http://www.harrisinteractive.com/financial)
About Harris Interactive
Harris Interactive is the 12th largest and fastest-growing market research firm in the world. The company provides research-driven insights and strategic advice to help its clients make more confident decisions which lead to measurable and enduring improvements in performance. Harris Interactive is widely known for The Harris Poll, one of the longest running, independent opinion polls and for pioneering online market research methods. The company has built what it believes to be the world's largest panel of survey respondents, the Harris Poll Online. Harris Interactive serves clients worldwide through its United States, Europe and Asia offices, its wholly-owned subsidiary Novatris in France and through a global network of independent market research firms. The service bureau, HISB, provides its market research industry clients with mixed-mode data collection, panel development services as well as syndicated and tracking research consultation. More information about Harris Interactive may be obtained at http://www.harrisinteractive.com/.
To become a member of the Harris Poll Online and be invited to participate in online surveys, register at http://go.hpolsurveys.com/Finance.
Press Contacts:
Michelle Soto
Harris Interactive
585-214-7665
Christine Mohan
Dow Jones & Company
212-416-2114
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