Characteristics of Fair Trade products
27. 8. 2015Involvement of Czech citizens in training and retraining courses
6. 10. 2015Key words: donation, charity, citizens donation
Donations are relatively popular in the Czech Republic. Certain fundraising initiatives enjoy massive media support, and many are undertaken regularly in the streets or through charity events. Personal involvement may be understood as a matter of prestige. What factors influence how much money we give to charity, and how much do we donate on average?
The Institute for Evaluation and Social Analyses (INESAN) conducted research into donating in 2014. The survey examined respondents’ attitudes to donation, the forms of donation and the amount of money that people give for a good cause in one year. There were a total of 1,327 interviews conducted with persons aged 18 to 64. The sample was set up for the results to represent the opinions and attitudes of adult Czech citizens.
The research shows that an average Czech donated CZK 275 in 2013, although there are great differences between respondents as to the amount of donation. While more than 40 % of people never contribute to a good cause, other individuals give as much as several thousand crowns. A more detailed analysis indicates that women donate more often than men – 64 % of women and 52 % of men donated money for a good cause. The amount of money and the willingness to donate increase with education – university graduates contributed twice as often as people with primary education, and much higher average amounts. Also, people of higher socioeconomic status donated more money. On average, businesspeople donated the most money.
Respondents can be divided into five groups based on the amount of the donation. The biggest group – 42 % of respondents did not donate to charity in any way in 2013. One-fourth of respondents donated one hundred crowns or less for charity in the year. Almost the same amount of people (23 %) donated between CZK 100 and CZK 500. 5 % of respondents gave more than five hundred and less than one thousand crowns. And the same amount (5 %) of respondents donated more than one thousand crowns in 2013.
Considering the results, it can be said that more than one half of people donate to charity in one way or another. The relation between the level of education and the amount of funds donated may stem from the higher income in this group of citizens. Businesspeople donated the highest average amounts per year; this may be due to the possibility of deducting donations from taxes and also due to the higher income in this population group.