November 15, 2019: Fifty-three percent (53%) of Americans gave to charity in 2016 (the most recent year with available data). That’s down dramatically from 66% in the year 2000.^[1]

According to an analysis from the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy and Vanguard Charitable, that means 20 million fewer households donated to charity in 2016.^[1]

The study found a potentially significant explanation for the decline in charitable giving: Americans are becoming less religious. Over the past decade, the number of Christians in the United States has declined by 12 percentage points.^[2]

That impacts charitable giving because “Religion motivates giving more than any other factor.”^[3]

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Each weekday, Scott Rasmussen’s Number of the Day explores interesting and newsworthy topics at the intersection of culture, politics, and technology. Columns published on Ballotpedia reflect the views of the author.

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