June 7, 2000
First-Ever Statewide Study
Giving and Volunteering in California
Residents More Generous Than National Average
Ethnic Stereotypes Challenged
SAN FRANCISCO--California residents donate more money to charity, and volunteer more hours than the national average, according to a new survey by the University of San Francisco's Institute for Nonprofit Organization Management.
It's the first study of its kind to examine charitable contributions and volunteering across the entire state of California.
Major Study Findings:
oThere is little difference between the giving patterns of whites and various ethnic groups. This challenges the results of other published reports.
"Although national studies report that whites give more than non-whites, our study found that whites, African Americans, and Asian/Pacific Islanders give and volunteer at comparable levels," said Dr. Michael O' Neill, at the University of San Francisco Institute for Nonprofit Organization Management. "Latinos generally report lower levels of giving and volunteering, but when the effect of income, educational level, and immigration status are statistically removed, differences among all ethnic/racial groups virtually disappear."
oThere is less connection between charitable behavior in California and factors like ender, age, income and education than exists in other states.
oThe rate of giving and volunteering varies little across the state.
"In spite of popular stereotypes about one region being generous and another stingy," O'Neill said, "we found no evidence of charitable differences in four major regions-Los Angeles, the rest of Southern California, the San Francisco Bay Area, and the Central Valley and other counties."
Giving:
-90% of California households report giving money to charitable organizations, compared to 70% nationally.
-California donors report giving about 3% of their household income to charitable organizations. That's 50% higher than the 2% national average.
-The mean (average) household contribution in California was $1,866 per year, or 4.5 % of household income. The median contribution was $628 per year, or 1.9 % of household income.
-Rates of giving are similar for males, females and across age groups.
-The percentage of giving does not increase as income increases.
-Whites, African-Americans, Asian/Pacific Islanders and Hispanics donate money at comparable rates. This contradicts previous studies that show lower giving levels for ethnic groups.
-Giving levels are similar between those who identify as part of a religious group and those who do not.
-There is extensive person-to-person charity in California. Three fourths of respondents said they helped other individuals beyond the home, and 57% said they gave money to individuals, including strangers and street people.
Volunteering:
-California residents who volunteer donate far more time to charitable organizations than the national average, 8.5 hours per week compared to just over 4 hours nationally. The number of California residents who volunteer, however, matches the national average of 50%.
-Employees at nonprofit organizations volunteer more than government employees and employees at for-profit organizations.
-Rates of volunteering are similar for males, females and across age and income groups.
-Whites, African-Americans, Asian/Pacific Islanders volunteer at comparable
rates.
-Those who identify as part of a religious group volunteer at the same rate as those who do not.
Why California Residents volunteer:To help others: 42.4%
Something they felt they needed to do: 20.7%
Wanted to do something useful: 20.2%
Thought they would enjoy the work: 18.6%Why Californians Don't Volunteer:
No time because of work: 35.2%
No time because of family: 18.9%
Don't know how to become involved: 13.1%
The purpose of the study was to:
oPresent a detailed picture of the charitable giving in the country's largest state and the world's seventh largest economy in the late 1990's.
oTo investigate relationships between charitable activity and a variety of demographic variables, especially race and ethnicity.
oTo determine if differences exist in various parts of the state.
oTo lay the groundwork for future studies to generate trend data.
The study was conducted by Michael O'Neill and William Roberts at the University of San Francisco's Institute for Nonprofit Organization Management. The institute was founded in 1983 and was one of the first of its kind in the United States. It is considered a national model for nonprofit management education and research.
The study was based on a statistically representative sample of 2,406 California adults. They were interviewed by telephone between July 1998 and May 1999 in interviews averaging 30-minutes.
For more information or to arrange an interview, call Michael O'Neill at (415) 422-2163. Or Gary McDonald, USF Director of Media Relations, at [email protected] or by phone at (415) 422-2699.
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