Posted on November 22, 2009

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Americans Donating Less to Charity This Holiday Season, Report Finds

The tough economic climate will again cause many Americans to cut back on donations to charity this holiday season, a new report commissioned by World Vision, an international relief and development organization, finds.

Conducted by market research company Harris Interactive, the report found that as a result of the recession, 57 percent of adults will spend less money on holiday presents this year, compared to 71 percent who answered similarly last year. In addition, more than three out of four U.S adults said they would prefer to receive a meaningful gift that helps someone else than receive a traditional holiday gift like clothing or electronics. And nearly all respondents (95 percent) said the nation's focus over the holidays should be on helping children, while74 percent said that once the economy improves they plan to increase their donations to charities.

This is the second year World Vision has commissioned Harris to report on how charitable giving has been affected by the recession. Last year, the study found that while most Americans were cutting back on holiday gift spending, 49 percent were giving a charitable gift in lieu of holiday presents.

"The declines we see from 2008 reflect the realities of the challenging nonprofit climate, with less charitable giving at a time when the need has increased for so many," said Justin Greeves, senior vice president, public affairs and policy research at Harris Interactive. "However, even in these difficult times, an overwhelming majority of Americans still want to help others in need and would rather receive a gift that would help another instead of receiving a traditional gift....That finding reveals our charitable culture at work."

“New Survey: Americans Plan to Spend Less on Holidays but Remain Generous Despite Recession.” Harris Interactive Press Release 11/16/09.

Primary Subject: Philanthropy and Voluntarism
Location(s): National

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