Study: Less religious states give less to charity
A new study on the generosity of Americans suggests that
states with the least religious residents are also the stingiest about giving
money to charity.
The study released Monday by the Chronicle of
Philanthropy found that residents in states where religious participation is
higher than the rest of the nation, particularly in the South, gave the
greatest percentage of their discretionary income to charity.
The Northeast, with lower religious participation, was
the least generous to charities, with the six New England states filling the
last six slots among the 50 states.
The study also found that patterns of charitable giving
are colored in political reds and blues.
Of the 10 least generous states, nine voted for Democrat
Barack Obama for president in the last election. By contrast, of the 10 most
generous states, eight voted for Republican John McCain.
But Peter Panepento, the Chronicle’s assistant managing
editor, said that political breakdown likely speaks to a state’s religious
makeup, not its prevailing political views. He noted the lowest-ranked Democrat
states were also among the least religious, while the top-ranked Republican
states were among the more religious.
‘‘I don’t know if I could go out and say it’s a complete
Republican-Democrat difference as much as it is different religious attitudes
and culture in these states,’’ he said.
The study was based on Internal Revenue Service records
of people who itemized deductions in 2008, the most recent year statistics were
available.
By focusing on the percentage given to charity from
discretionary income — the money left over after necessities are paid for — the
study aimed to remove variables such as the differing costs of living around
the country, Panepento said. The data allowed researchers to detail charitable
giving down to the ZIP code, he said.
The most generous state was Utah, where residents gave
10.6 percent of their discretionary income to charity. Next were Mississippi,
Alabama, Tennessee and South Carolina. The least generous was New Hampshire, at
2.5 percent, followed by Maine, Vermont, Massachusetts and Rhode Island.
Comments
Post a Comment