January 23, 2003 | Read Time: 1 minute
Despite the lean economy, 72 percent of respondents to a recent survey reported that they gave money in 2002 to nonprofit organizations.
Wirthlin Worldwide, a consulting company in Reston, Va., which conducted last month’s telephone survey of 1,000 adults, said the research shows that Americans are continuing to support charities despite financial uncertainties. The poll asked people what they gave to charities other than religious institutions, such as synagogues, mosques, or churches.
Sixteen percent of those polled said they gave more last year than in 2001, and 6 percent said they donated for the first time in 2002.
This is the first time Wirthlin has conducted a survey on charitable giving, so the findings cannot be compared to giving data for previous years.
Of the responses, 18 percent of those surveyed said they did not donate last year, and 10 percent either refused to answer the question or said they did not know the answer.
The median amount donated by respondents last year was $190, meaning that half gave more and half gave less.
To order a free copy of “Most Charitable Donors Stayed the Course in 2002,” contact Wirthlin Worldwide at (801) 226-1524; fax (801) 226-3483.
The survey is on the company’s Web site, http://www.wirthlin.com/industry/nonprofit.phtml.
