UCI

Less motivating factors for Orange County residents include being encouraged by an employer (38%), helping individuals meet their material needs (29%), and being asked to contribute to charity by a friend (29%). County residents are still considerably more likely than the rest of the nation to say encouragement by an employer is a major motivation for giving time or money. They are similar to the national sentiments on the importance of helping people meet their needs and being asked to contribute by a friend.

Residents under 35 and in households earning less than $50,000 a year are more likely to say they are motivated by an employer's encouragement (45%, 46%) and by the belief that those who have more should help those with less (66%, 63%). Younger residents are also more likely to say that being asked by a friend is a major motivating factor for giving (35%).

Those who give $1,000 or more to charity (62%) and those who do volunteer work (63%) are more likely to report being highly motivated by a desire to give back to society. Major donors are also more likely to say they want to help individuals meet material needs (38%).
Graph: Payroll Deductions for Charitable Giving

One in five residents say they give money to charity through payroll deductions at work, while 12 percent have the option but elect not to. Six in 10 don't have an opportunity to give at a workplace. County residents are more likely than the nation to have the opportunity to give through payroll deductions (37% to 26%), and are more likely to say they do so (22% to 12%).

Among employed residents, 27 percent give through payroll deductions, while 47 percent do not have this option available at their workplace. Residents who earn $50,000 or more are more likely to give through payroll deductions (27%) than those who earn less (18%). Residents who are 55 and older are more likely to say they do not have the chance to give through payroll deductions (76%).

Twenty-six percent of those who give more than $1,000 say they donate through payroll deductions. This is similar to the overall trend for all adults and employed residents.

Orange County residents are more likely than the nation to itemize their tax return (50% to 38%). Four in 10 say they filed the long form on their 1996 federal income tax returns and claimed a deduction for charitable donations. This is 14 points higher than nationwide. Seven percent of residents itemized but did not claim a deduction for donations to charity.
Graph: Income Tax Deductions for Charitable Giving

Residents 55 and older are more likely to say they claimed a tax deduction for charitable donations (46%). Those with household incomes of $80,000 or more are also much more likely to claim the charitable deduction (77%).

Sixty-seven percent of those who give $1,000 or more to charity are using the long form and itemizing their charitable donations. One in four are not itemizing their tax deductions.

Relatively few county residents leave money to charity in their wills. One in 10 says they have a will that includes a bequest to charity, while 20 percent have wills but have not made a charitable bequest. Nearly seven in 10 have not made a will.

County residents are more likely than the nation to say they have no will (68% to 58%), and slightly more likely to say they have left a charitable bequest (10% to 5%).
Graph: Wills and Charitable Giving

Residents who are 55 and older are more likely to have wills and to have made charitable bequests (16%). Surprisingly, residents earning $80,000 or more are more likely to have made wills, but are no more likely to make charitable bequests. Those residents who gave $1,000 or more to charity are also more likely to have specified charitable bequests (16%).

One in three residents say they were not asked to give to a charitable organization in the past year, while 67 percent say they have been solicited. Residents are slightly more likely than the nation to say they have been asked to give (67% to 60%).
Graph: Asked to Give by Charitable Organizations

The county's most affluent households are considerably more likely to say they have been asked to give to charity. Eighty-three percent of those who earn $80,000 or more have been asked to give to charity. Those who are under 35 are a little less likely to be asked (61%). And non-Hispanic whites appear to be solicited far more than Latinos (77% to 43%)

Eighty-four percent of those who gave $1,000 or more to charity in the past year have been solicited, which is much higher than the countywide average.

As for charitable giving, 30 percent of county residents said they gave $500 or more to charities in the past year, while 47 percent of households earning $50,000 or more reported this level of giving. These numbers are similar to last year and an increase from two years ago.
Graph: Amount Given to Charity in Past Year
% over $500 donation

County residents reported a median donation of $226 - down slightly from a year ago and higher than the median for giving reported in 1995. This year's median rate of giving is similar to the reported average of $220 for the previous 10 years.

Eleven percent said they gave nothing to charities, 26 percent gave $1-$100 this year, 33 percent gave $101-$500, 8 percent gave $501-$999 and 22 percent gave $1,000 or more.
Graph: Volunteering
Involved in past year

Finally, volunteering was unchanged this year. Forty-eight percent of residents say they did some volunteer work in the past year, compared to 50 percent in the 1996 survey. Twenty-two percent volunteered for more than one charity, which is lower than the 28 percent who reported this level of participation in the 1996 surve y. This year's overall rate of volunteering is higher than in 1995 (44%), though below the rate in 1994 (55%). The number of Orange County residents who did some volunteer work is the same as the rate found nationwide (49%), according to a recent Gallup survey.