Who Really Cares When it Comes to Charity?
It has arrived faster than I would have liked but the holidays are here. And even though Thanksgiving has become a blip on the Christmas radar, barely having a day of its own (this topic is for another day, and perhaps even another blogger), this time of year is for being thankful and for giving. So I'd like to discuss is the subject of a book by Arthur C. Brooks called Who Really Cares. I have not read the book yet, but I have heard interviews with the author and read excerpts. It is quite riveting.
Brooks is Professor of Public Administration and Director of the Nonprofit Studies Program at Syracuse University's Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs. His book examines the givers and non-givers in America. What types of people give to charity, whether that is giving money, time or blood and how do these people break down by political ideology. You'll be surprised with the results.
Brooks writes, "The conventional wisdom runs like this: Liberals are charitable because they advocate government redistribution of money in the name of social justice; conservatives are uncharitable because they oppose these policies". The aim of Who Really Cares is to dispel the stereotype that conservatives are selfish and money-hungry, hoarding their money letting the poor suffer. From the study, he does just that.
Bottom line:
|
In 2000, households headed by a conservative gave, on average, 30 percent more money to charity than households headed by a liberal ($1,600 to $1,227). This discrepancy is not simply an artifact of income differences; on the contrary, liberal families earned an average of 6 percent more per year than conservative families, and conservative families gave more than liberal families within every income class, from poor to middle class to rich. |
And another paragraph I found striking:
|
…young liberals-perhaps the most vocally dissatisfied political constituency in America today-are one of the least generous demographic groups out there. In 2004, self-described liberals younger than thirty belonged to one-third fewer organizations in their communities than young conservatives. In 2002, they were 12 percent less likely to give money to charities, and one-third less likely to give blood. Liberal young Americans in 2004 were also significantly less likely than the young conservatives to express a willingness to sacrifice for their loved ones: A lower percentage said they would prefer to suffer than let a loved one suffer, that they are not happy unless the loved one is happy, or that they would sacrifice their own wishes for those they love. |
Source: http://www.arthurbrooks.net/excerpt.html
I'll be reading this in the next few week, and if you choose to do the same or have already read it, I'd love to hear your comments.
Comments
I heard the author and of his book in an excellent interview on the radio.
I remember a conversation I had with a liberal where i stated, "There are people working in our government that do absolutely NOTHING and our tax dollars are supporting them."
His reply was, "I think that is good for the economy because it helps to distribute the money that is floating around. They take the money they get and buy things so other people can have jobs."
(Sad but) True story...
Posted by: prying1![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://www.thebrokenchair.com/nav-commenters.gif)
|
December 2, 2006 12:49 AM
Yes, never mind the fact that the taxpayer who originally earned the money could have spent it also.
I heard an interview with Brooks and Larry Kudlow had the author on his show last night. Funny how the token liberal was just trying to dismiss this all as a waste of time, but not enough of a waste to turn down an appearance on Kudlow!
Posted by: Ed Z | December 2, 2006 10:08 AM