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November 17, 2006

Professor Says Conservatives Give More to Charity

For a long time, running in Republican circles as I have, I've heard that studies show conservatives give more generously to charity than liberals. A new book by Arthur C. Brooks, a professor at Syracuse University, entitled, "Who Really Cares: The Surprising Truth About Compassionate Conservatism, argues that religious conservatives in particular are far more generous to charities than secular liberals, regardless of income (so, apparently, are people who drink moderately). This conservative domination in the area of generosity includes volunteer hours and donated blood.

For the record, Brooks was raised a liberal Democrat, became a Republican for some time, and now is an Independent. He is also a regular contributor to the op-ed pages of The Wall Street Journal. I leave it to you to decide whether that matters. But those of his peers who have reviewed his data seem to agree with his conclusions and he welcomes other experts to give the book a thorough critique.

The book's basic findings are that conservatives who practice religion, live in traditional nuclear families and reject the notion that the government should engage in income redistribution are the most generous Americans, by any measure.

Conversely, secular liberals who believe fervently in government entitlement programs give far less to charity. They want everyone's tax dollars to support charitable causes and are reluctant to write checks to those causes, even when governments don't provide them with enough money.

Such an attitude, he writes, not only shortchanges the nonprofits but also diminishes the positive fallout of giving, including personal health, wealth and happiness for the donor and overall economic growth.

The book is sure to spur on debate about entitlement programs and the social effects of the government safety net. Republicans will trumpet it as proof that Democrats only want to give away other people's money and will not part with their own. They will probably go one step further and say that government charity has detrimental impacts on society, in terms of people caring for and being responsible for their fellow man.

So I ask you, have you dug into your pocket to give money to a charity? Did you send money to help the Katrina victims? Have you donated blood? Do you support food drives, clothing drives, Christmas present drives, etc.? Based on your anecdotal experience, does it ring true that Democrats work to help the downtrodden through allocations of tax dollars, while Republicans take personal responsibility for helping people by digging into their own wallets? And most important, what do you think is the outcome for society when charity shifts from primarily being funded through donations by generous individuals of all income levels to primarily being funded by the government?

Posted by Becky at November 17, 2006 12:34 PM