In rush to give charitably to Typhoon Haiyan, new study suggests millennial men may be first in line

SEATTLE, Nov. 14, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- As individuals rush to give in the aftermath of Typhoon Haiyan – possibly the strongest storm in recorded history – a new study from World Vision suggests young men may be among the most ardent givers. According to a holiday giving survey from World Vision, the group most likely to have ever given someone a gift in the form of a charitable donation is the age group frequently tagged as self-centered, unmotivated and penniless: young men ages 18-34.

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The World Vision survey, which is conducted online annually by Harris Interactive among over 2,000 U.S. adults as part of the World Vision Gift Catalog campaign, showed 56 percent of men ages 18-34 have given a charitable gift, versus 36 percent of older men (ages 35 and above) and 37 percent of their female counterparts.

These results come as somewhat of a surprise given American adults' general suppositions about holiday giving: 44 percent of all adults believe older people are more likely to give to charity than younger people. And, only 7 percent believe today's young people are more generous than previous generations.

"Young adults, male and female, have always been highly involved and influential in our programs at World Vision, but now we're seeing that activism translate to charitable giving," said Cheryl DeBruler, Gift Catalog Specialist at World Vision.  "In the aftermath of Typhoon Haiyan, specifically, our call center has seen an outpouring of interest in the Philippines Disaster Response Fund.  It is a race against the clock as our emergency responders see children begging for food and water.  Many families fled their homes with nothing but the shirts on their backs."

In addition to the 300+ donation opportunities in World Vision's Gift Catalog, which include items like goats, solar lamps and child trafficking recovery programs, World Vision has launched an emergency Philippines Disaster Response Fund to help survivors recover as quickly as possible from the typhoon's devastation.  Many shoppers are choosing to have donations to this fund made in the name of loved ones this holiday season.  A special card describing the impact of their gift can be mailed or printed online.

World Vision's first major distribution of aid reached nearly 780 families in the Philippines today.  Emergency food, water and hygiene kits were distributed to families in a typhoon-ravaged area of Cebu Island.  The sacks handed to families included 15 kg (33 lbs) of rice, beans, cans of sardines, cooking oil, clean drinking water and hygiene supplies. More distributions are planned in the coming days.

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.

Datasheets from the World Vision Holiday Giving Survey and interviews with World Vision representatives are available upon request. For more information contact Christine Connolly Bell at [email protected], 323-208-2444, or Natalie Bisaro at [email protected], 708-434-5006.

About the World Vision Holiday Giving Survey
This survey was conducted online within the United States by Harris Interactive on behalf of World Vision from October 21-23, 2013, among 2,033 adults ages 18 and older. This online survey is not based on a probability sample and therefore no estimate of theoretical sampling error can be calculated. For complete survey methodology, including weighting variables and subgroup sample sizes, please contact Christine Connolly Bell at [email protected], 323-208-2444, or Natalie Bisaro at [email protected], 708-434-5006.

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. Last fiscal year more than 186,000 donors purchased more than 475,000 gifts that raised over $33.7 million. 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 through the WorldVisionUSA YouTube channel.

About World Vision
World Vision is a Christian relief, development, and advocacy organization dedicated to working with children, families, and their communities worldwide to reach their full potential by tackling the causes of poverty and injustice. For more information on their efforts, visit WorldVision.org/press or follow them on Twitter at @WorldVisionNews. 

SOURCE World Vision