The wealthy should give more to charity, say people who stopped donating, according to a new poll

By SARA HERSCHANDER of The Chronicle of Philanthropy
Chronicle of Philanthropy

A new poll of Americans found that nearly half of those who stopped giving to charity over the past five years said they did so because they thought wealthier people could afford to give more — and should. Others said they simply could not afford to give. The survey of more than 2,100 adults across the United States, released by the Better Business Bureau’s Give.org, adds to research on the shrinking number of households that contribute to charity each year, dropping from 66% in 2000 to 49.6% in 2018. The decline became even clearer when a Giving USA report revealed donations from individuals dropped by 13.4% after inflation and led to one of the steepest declines in contributions in recent decades.