More than half of Americans have found a way to help those suffering from COVID-19

Despite facing a global health crisis and recession, more than half (56%) of all U.S. households have expressed some form of generosity in the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic. did. Women’s Charity Association And I found.

We also found that 48% of US households were engaged in a generous form peculiar to a pandemic. This includes ordering takeaways to assist local restaurants and their employees, and for individuals or businesses for services such as haircuts and long-term care that could not be provided due to stringent social distance requirements. Includes paying.

A significant but smaller share of all households participated in more traditional charitable donations. Almost one-third (32%) of households support others through direct donations to nonprofits, crowdfunding, and provide in-kind to those in need of everything from canned beans to homemade masks. I made the combination.This share is slightly higher than the percentage donated to support (29%) Disaster relief efforts The latest year in which data is available in all of 2018.

We also looked at how in the spring of 2020, the usual charitable donations of US households, the donations we expected in the absence of a pandemic, changed. The size of this donation, whether traditional charitable donations, is almost unchanged from crowdfunding campaigns and in-kind donations to individuals and businesses.

These findings are based on answers to the question of generosity to COVID-19 that we added to our survey on how families make decisions about charitable donations. A national sample of 3,405 households completed an online survey in mid-May 2020.

Studies of generosity in response to previous disasters and recessions may usually help experts predict how Americans will give today, but a combination of a health crisis and a serious recession. Can’t be compared to other events in recent history.

Our findings are consistent with other studies showing the generosity of Americans, especially young people. From the color community, It’s not just about donating money. Younger people are more likely than older Americans to engage in less common donation patterns, such as shopping locally or buying products from socially or environmentally responsible companies. was.

We also consider the fact that people tended not to give less money during the early months of the pandemic a positive sign. It suggests that charitable donations are a habit for many households. In this case, it is reasonable to expect Americans accustomed to supporting philanthropy to continue to do so in spite of difficult situations.

These discoveries provide an early snapshot of America’s generosity, rather than the big picture, as COVID-19 has overturned life in many ways.

The investigation was conducted before the protests of racial justice following the killing of George Floyd, the recent hurricane that struck the Gulf Coast, and the wildfire that devastated the West Coast.These events undoubtedly have their own influence and spur on charitable donations. Support for social justice, disaster relief And Environmental group..

To better understand the generosity of the United States during the COVID-19 pandemic, my colleagues and I will ask the same question in a future survey that we plan to conduct with different people at different times. Very abundant major donors To those who mainly donate by tipping a few dollars here and there through crowdfunding campaigns.

Of these formats Generosity It has been around for a long time Pandemic It may have made them more prominent. We plan to monitor how these behaviors evolve.

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