Think Bigg

ABC’s John Stossel recently aired a special edition of 20/20 called “Cheap in America” to answer the question, “Who Gives and Who Doesn’t?”

The show was a very interesting look into the lives of America’s uber-wealthy to find out why some people feel the need to give back and some simply consume.

But they also debunked some very interesting myths that Americans have about just who gives in this country.

It turns out that the idea that liberals give more is a myth. Of the top 25 states where people give an above average percent of their income, 24 were red states in the last presidential election.

The second myth is that the people with the most money are the most generous. While the rich do give more in overall dollars, according to the Social Capital Community Benchmark Survey, people at the lower end of the income scale give almost 30 percent more of their income. “The two most generous groups in America are the rich and the working poor,” says Arthur Brooks, the author of “Who Really Cares.” “The middle class give the least.”

Finally, the single biggest predictor of whether someone will be charitable is their religious participation. Religious people are more likely to give to charity, and when they give, they give more money: four times as much. And Brooks stated that giving goes beyond their own religious organization:

“Actually, the truth is that they’re giving to more than their churches,” he says. “The religious Americans are more likely to give to every kind of cause and charity, including explicitly non-religious charities.”

Bottom line? It sounds like more of us need to be putting our money where our mouth is!

If you need to find a charity you can trust, log on to Charity Navigator to research thousands of charities online and find one that’s right for you!

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