The Pentera Blog
Study Sheds New Light on Pandemic's Effect on Charitable Giving
Americans dug deep to help others during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic by increasing their giving to charity, especially ones focused on basic needs such as housing, food, and shelter, according to a new study published by the Women's Philanthropy Institute (WPI) at Indiana University. Claudine A. Donikian, Pentera's president and CEO, recently concluded a seven-year term on WPI's advisory council.
Although past research has shown single men to be less generous than single women or married couples when it comes to philanthropy, the new report, called COVID-19, Generosity, and Gender: How Giving Changed During the First Year of a Global Pandemic, found the greatest increase in charitable giving coming from households headed by single men.
According to the study, which surveyed more than 3,400 people in May of 2020 and then the same individuals again a year later, the number of households headed by single men giving to charities saw a net increase of more than 10%. For households headed by single women or married couples, the increase was more modest.
This finding may reflect the fact that sectors of the economy in which women hold a majority of the jobs, such as hospitality, leisure, and education, saw the greatest job losses during the early months of the pandemic. On a related note, the study also found that job or income loss during the pandemic was strongly associated with giving less to all types of charities.
Whether or not someone actually had COVID-19 also played a role in charitable decision making. According to the report, households in which at least one person contracted COVID-19 were significantly more likely to direct their giving to pandemic relief.
To see the full WPI report, click here.
