Yesterday, I posted Christian Smith and Michael O. Emerson’s conclusions about why Americans don’t give.
Now, here are six facts they discovered in their research about American giving.
- At least one out of five American Christians – 20% of all U.S. Christians –give literally nothing to church, para-church, or nonreligious charities.
- The vast majority of American Christians give very little to church, para-church, or nonreligious charities.
- American Christians do not give their dollars evenly among themselves, but, rather, a small minority of generous givers among them contributes most of the total Christian dollars given.
- Higher income Christians – like Americans generally – give little to no more money as a percentage of household income than lower income earning Christians.
- Despite a massive growth of real per capital income over the 20th century, the average percentage share of income given by American Christians not only did not grow in proportion but actually declined slightly during this time period.
- The vast majority of the money that American Christians do give to religion is spent in and for their own local communities of faith – little is spent on missions, development, and poverty relief outside of local congregations, particularly outside the United States, in ways that benefit people other than the givers themselves.
See also:
Passing the Plate: Why American Christians Don’t Give Away More Money
Christian Smith on Why Americans Give So Little Financially
Don’t Store Up Treasure on Earth: John R.W. Stott on What Jesus Doesn’t and Does Mean
