UCI

UC Irvine’s 1997 Orange County Annual Survey examines what motivates residents to make charitable donations

Irvine, Calif. – Ebenezer Scrooge might not have been so tight with his money if those asking him for charitable donations had pointed out the tax benefits of giving. The same goes for Orange County residents, who rank keeping taxes down as their top motivation for giving money to charity, according to UC Irvine’s 1997 Orange County Annual Survey.
Nearly two in three residents say this is a major reason they would make a donation, putting them well ahead of the number nationwide (33 percent) who give to charities primarily to keep taxes down. Orange County residents also are more likely than the nation to itemize their tax return (50 percent to 38 percent) and to claim a charitable donation (41 percent to 27 percent).
Other top motivations for giving money or volunteering time are the belief that those who have more should help those who have less (59 percent), and the desire to give back to society (53 percent).
The survey shows that those who give $1,000 or more to charity and those who do volunteer work are more likely to report being highly motivated by the desire to give back to society.
The random-sample telephone survey of 1,002 adult residents was conducted by Mark Baldassare, professor and chair of the Department of Urban and Regional Planning in the UCI School of Social Ecology, and research associate Cheryl Katz. The survey period was Sept. 4-14, and the margin of error is plus or minus 3 percent. The questions on charitable attitudes were sponsored by Fidelity Investments.
Orange County residents reported a median donation of $226 for the past year, a level similar to the reported average of $220 for the previous 10 years. County residents traditionally donate less to charity than might be expected in a region known for its affluence, and Baldassare and Katz added a number of questions to this year’s survey to provide a more in-depth look at what motivates people to give.
They found that county residents are more likely than the nation to have the opportunity to give through payroll deductions (37 percent vs. 26 percent), and are more likely to say they do so (22 percent vs. 12 percent). However, Katz noted, 47 percent of working residents are not being offered the option of giving through payroll deductions.
"Charities might make significant progress by working to increase the number of workplaces that offer employees the opportunity to give to charity through payroll deductions," Katz said.
Despite the county’s affluence, relatively few residents have made a will (31 percent compared to 38 percent nationally), and only one in 10 has made a bequest to charity in their will.
"More affluent residents are no more likely than others to say they have made a charitable bequest. Efforts that encourage and aid county residents in making wills could lead to more bequests and higher giving overall," Katz said.
Thirty-two percent of residents say they were not asked to give to a charitable organization in the past year, while 67 percent say they have been solicited. Although Latinos represent a quarter of the county’s population and one of the fastest-growing consumer groups, most Latino households have not been asked to give.
"Charities shouldn’t overlook this group, which is likely to play an important role in the growth of Orange County’s economy," Baldassare said.