I have to say, I have a love hate relationship with surveys. Its fun to take them but since I am not a huge statistics expert, I find myself often questioning the research, the sample size, etc.. especially when the survey results are not to my liking. If ever that was the case, it was when I heard the results of the latest survey from the World Giving Index, which stated that out of 135 countries the United States did not even rank in the top 10 for giving to charity.
The global survey was conducted last year by Gallup and polled 155,000 people aged 15 or older and interviewed at least 1,000 people in 135 countries. The survey asked about charitable giving and behavior and the results were mixed for the U.S..
The United States ranked 13th in terms of giving to charity, with 62% of Americans giving. Developing countries such as Indonesia and Thailand (ranked 5th at 70%) outranked us as well. We were significantly behind the United Kingdom at 76% and Myanmar at 85%. Where is Myanmar anyway?
Here is the good news, while we as a nation may not open our wallets as often, we were number one when it came to helping a stranger at 77% and third internationally when it came to volunteering at 45%. More good news is that charitable giving, helping each other out and volunteering were all up globally.
So at the end of the day, I would like to think the survey tells us that regardless of where we come from, it is about being kind to one another and not simply about what we give away. Pat yourself on the back for helping strangers, all those volunteer hours and sharing what you have to help another. Like everything else, there is always room for improvement and next year!
Charity Matters.
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