Religious people give more than twice as much money to charity as those without a faith, according to a Press Association release on 18 February 2012 which has informed coverage in the national and local media.
The underlying data derived from the Charities Aid Foundation (CAF)’s 2011 Market Tracker Report, which asked 507 donors giving at least £50 to charity a year a variety of questions about their charitable habits.
The CAF found that the average amount given to charity by those who were religious was £576 over the previous twelve months, compared to £235 contributed by those of no faith, demonstrating a ‘culture of giving within religious circles’.
Neither did it follow that religious donors were disproportionately interested in giving to religious causes. In fact, only 31% of them had supported a religious activity, against 68% donating to medical charities and 48% to overseas aid.
The latter two categories were also the most popular choices for those of no faith. As a CAF spokesperson said: ‘If anything, people of faith broadly give in line with the rest of the general public – to a variety of different appeals.’
