Most Americans say surge in global crises will not impact holiday charitable giving

SEATTLE, Nov. 5, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- This has been an unprecedented year as humanitarian organizations scramble to respond to one global crisis after another. From the Ebola outbreak in West Africa to conflicts in Iraq, Syria and South Sudan, UN officials say the global humanitarian system has become dangerously overburdened and is reaching its limit.¹ A new survey of over 2,000 American adults conducted online by Harris Poll on behalf of World Vision found that most Americans (who typically make charitable donations during the holidays) do not plan to change the amount of their holiday charitable giving this year due to global crises. Eighty percent said current emergencies such as Ebola, Syria and Iraq would have no effect on how much they give. 

The Exception: Young Men
According to the World Vision survey, conducted as part of the World Vision Gift Catalog campaign, young men ages 18-34 that usually make charitable contributions during the holidays are most likely to increase holiday donations in response to current global crises (37%). In fact, the survey showed millennial men are seven times as likely as men ages 44-64 (5%) to give more due to what is happening in the world right now, five times as likely as men age 65+ (7%) and twice as likely as men age 35-44 (17%). These young men would even outpace their female counterparts. According to the survey, only 17% of women ages 18-34 say current global conflicts will change their giving patterns.

Millennials: The New Giving Generation?
This is the second year in a row World Vision's survey has shown millennial men stand out as a generous generation and gender. A 2013 World Vision survey found that young men were the most likely to give the gift of charity. According to the 2013 survey, 56% of men ages 18-34 have ever given a charitable gift, versus 36 percent of older men (ages 35 and above) and 37% of young females in the same age group.

"They are often accused of being entitled, needy and narcissistic but these studies seem to show millennials are misunderstood and might be more aptly labeled the giving generation," said Carrie Swanson World Vision Gift Catalog Director. "At World Vision we see millennials as a strong force to create positive change. Communication isn't a barrier for this generation. With one click they see global problems right before their eyes, which might be why they are more inclined to change the world instead of just their communities."   

Survey Findings:
Other Findings in World Vision's 2014 survey included:

• Parents with children in their household are twice as likely to increase their holiday charitable giving this year due to current global issues as compared to adults who don't have children at home. (15% versus 7%)
• While 20% of U.S. adults indicate that their biggest dream this holiday season will be improved finances, most will maintain their amount of holiday charitable giving despite the current increase in global crises. (57%)
• For Americans of all ages, giving financially is the most popular way they support charities they like. (64%)
• Eight times more U.S. adults make a financial donation to support a charity they like (64%) than would participate in a social media challenge to support them (8%).
• Only two percent of Americans said receiving a special gift is their biggest dream this holiday season.
• More parents indicated that their children's biggest dream this holiday season is about having more time for fun than receiving a digital device, new toy or video game.

In its seventh year, World Vision's Holiday Giving Survey aims to study the state of holiday giving and prompt the public to meet the substantive needs of others. To learn more about meaningful ways to give to children, communities and families within the U.S. and internationally, browse the World Vision Gift Catalog at www.WorldVisionGifts.org or call 855-WV-GIFTS.

About the Survey
The 2014 survey was conducted online within the United States by Harris Poll on behalf of World Vision from October 9-13, 2014 among 2,026 adults ages 18 and older.  The 2013 survey was conducted online within the United States by Harris Poll on behalf of World Vision from October 21-23, 2013 among 2,033 adults ages 18 and older. These online surveys are not based on a probability sample and therefore no estimate of theoretical sampling error can be calculated. For complete survey methodology, including weighting variables, please contact Christine Connolly Bell at [email protected]

About the World Vision Gift Catalog
Since 1996, the World Vision Gift Catalog has given people the opportunity to better the lives of children, adults and communities in the U.S. and around the world through hundreds of gifts in all different areas of need: clean water, food, education, sexual exploitation, job training and others. In fiscal year 2014, more than 140,000 donors purchased more than 417,000 items from the Gift Catalog that helped more than 822,000 people around the world. To order from World Vision's Gift Catalog, visit www.worldvisiongifts.org or call toll-free at 855-WV-GIFTS. Want to see where your dollars go? Watch how the Gift Catalog works on YouTube.

About World Vision:
World Vision is a Christian humanitarian organization dedicated to working with children, families and their communities worldwide to reach their full potential by tackling the causes of poverty and injustice. World Vision serves all people regardless of religion, race, ethnicity or gender. For more information, please visit www.WorldVision.org/press or on Twitter @WorldVisionNews.

¹ UN News Centre, As global crises multiply, UN official urges rethink for overstretched humanitarian system:

http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=48965#.VFFZefnF-Sp

SOURCE World Vision

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