Supreme Court Concerns Motivate Some Young Americans’ Giving to Charity

Eighteen percent of 18- to 30-year-old Americans gave money to charity within the last 30 days because they were concerned about the impact of the death of Ruth Bader Ginsburg on the Supreme Court, according to a new survey, and another 16 percent said they gave because they wanted to affect the election. A greater share — 26 percent — gave directly to the campaigns of the two presidential candidates.

The report was released by Cause and Social Influence, which produces research on how young Americans engage with social issues and movements. The online survey was conducted October 3 and 4, with 1,011 responses filed. The study says it has a 3 percent margin of error.

The poll asked people about their views on the election and the candidates, as well their reasons for giving to nonprofits.

The most common reason young donors gave for donating to charity was their belief in a social issue or cause, with 65 percent choosing that response.

Twenty-one percent of respondents gave to animal-related causes; 13 percent gave to causes focused on civil rights, racial discrimination, or social justice; and 12 percent gave to coronavirus relief.

Forty-two percent did not donate to any social causes during the past 30 days.

Sixty percent said racial injustice and the Black Lives Matter movement together are a factor in their choice for president, followed by the budget and the economy (42 percent) and the Covid-19 crisis (42 percent).