THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, October 19, 1994 TAG: 9410190423
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A3 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: KNIGHT-RIDDER NEWS SERVICE
DATELINE: WASHINGTON LENGTH: Medium: 61 lines
Despite positive economic trends, Americans are giving less money to charities and volunteering less of their time than during the recession of the late 1980s, a new study indicates.
Among the 73 percent of Americans who gave at all last year, the average donation was $880, down from the $978 average reported in 1989, according to the survey, titled ``Giving and Volunteering in the United States 1994.''
That represents an 11 percent drop from 1989, when adjusted for inflation.
The average giving for all Americans last year was $646, down from $734 in 1989.
Lingering effects of bad economic times may be to blame, said Sara Melendez, president of Independent Sector, an umbrella group for 880 charitable organizations that sponsored the survey.
``Americans seem to be more insecure about their economic futures,'' Melendez said. ``I guess it hasn't come home to everyone that the economy is getting better.''
About 73 percent of those interviewed for the survey said they were worried about having money in the future. In 1991, that number was 67 percent.
Financial worries may also be part of the reason that fewer people have time to volunteer for charities. Forty-eight percent of Americans volunteered for some cause in 1993, down from the 54 percent in 1989.
The report stopped short of branding Americans as stingy, saying that the proportion of Americans giving remains stable at around 73 percent. It's the amount they are giving that is declining.
The size of contributions may increase as people realize the economy is improving, Melendez said.
She added that even with fewer donations, American charities are the envy of charities around the world.
``By all indicators, the United States is very generous,'' Melendez said. ``Organized philanthropy is at a level that doesn't exist anywhere else in the world.''
When Americans do part with their hard-earned dollars, it is usually religious organizations that benefit. Americans contribute $402 per household to religious groups, compared with $74 for education groups, which are the second-largest class of recipients.
Volunteers also are more likely to work for religious groups. Fifty percent of people who volunteered time for charities helped religious organizations. ILLUSTRATION: KRT color graphic
People are Giving Less
Source: Gallup survey
[Graphic appeared on Page A1]
For copy of graphic, see microfilm
KEYWORDS: CHARITY
by CNB