Philanthropy Expert Says Conservatives Are More Generous (2 Viewers)

Wombat

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http://www.newhousenews.com/archive/brieaddy111406.html

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.

"These are not the sort of conclusions I ever thought I would reach when I started looking at charitable giving in graduate school, 10 years ago," he writes in the introduction. "I have to admit I probably would have hated what I have to say in this book."

Still, he says it forcefully, pointing out that liberals give less than conservatives in every way imaginable, including volunteer hours and donated blood.

Harvey Mansfield, professor of government at Harvard University and 2004 recipient of the National Humanities Medal, does not know Brooks personally but has read the book.

"His main finding is quite startling, that the people who talk the most about caring actually fork over the least," he said. "But beyond this finding I thought his analysis was extremely good, especially for an economist. He thinks very well about the reason for this and reflects about politics and morals in a way most economists do their best to avoid."

SOME OF BROOKS' FINDINGS

Conservatives outgive liberals in every measurable way.

Charity is good for your health.

Religious people are more charitable -- including with secular donations -- than secularists.

People who drink alcohol moderately are more charitable than those who don't drink.
 
It's because they have more money, having stolen it from the poor and the infirm.
 
The two above have to be joking. Soros, Turner, most of Hollywood, Manhattan, there are plenty of exteremely wealthy liberals.
 
Huh.

I suppose this means that us atheists are really Grinch-like, since we wind up behind even though Bill Gates gives out billions every year.

It makes some sense, though. If I want to give to a cause, I have to go looking. A believer has a collection plate passed by him every Sunday.
 
From my limited experience working in the inner city and homeless shelters, both in New Orleans and New York City/Harlem/Bronx, I find the study to be extremely accurate.

However, to use it to characterize either liberals or conservatives is silly. There are givers and non-givers in every walk of life and in every political party.
 
I'd be interested to know his actual methods. It gives an over view but not details in the article. As someone who used to do a lot of volunteer work (not so much now with 5 kiddos) this runs opposite of my experience in some ways but not in others. I find most people I met were very religious but socially liberal and fiscally moderate.
 
I'd be interested to know his actual methods. It gives an over view but not details in the article. As someone who used to do a lot of volunteer work (not so much now with 5 kiddos) this runs opposite of my experience in some ways but not in others. I find most people I met were very religious but socially liberal and fiscally moderate.

5? When did I miss that? Congrats?

So this thread begs the question - are conservatives more generous? Or are generous people more likely to be conservative?
 
I believe it...

"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."

depending on how you define "practice religion" and "live in nuclear families" that can become a pretty small sample of people so percentages are high.

how restrictive are the "other groups"?

Is there a group of "ivy league educated, athiest, with a upper middle class income" or is it the broad spectrim of "secular liberals"

Itsthe qualifiers that make me discount it...

You can make data say ANYTHING you want it to.
 
5? When did I miss that? Congrats?

So this thread begs the question - are conservatives more generous? Or are generous people more likely to be conservative?

The 5th is my wifes neice who came to live with us. Things went bad where she was living with my wifes cousin and there was no way we were letting her go back into foster care. I treat her just like one of my own though and since she's in high school and has some emotional issues from everything she's been through time wise it's actually more intensive between homework and being there to support here through the rough times.
 
I'm going to have to say that since he didn't outwardly define Conservative vs. Liberal from the start that it's got a political bias. (is it socially or fiscally?). Considering the source and his ties to Dem turned Rep Senator Larraine Hoffmann (funny how his political lean changed as hers did ... curious) - I'm going to say that the outcome was known and then the numbers were used to get there. A bit of the dog chasing it's tail.

I would really like to know how he came to the conclusion that Xtians give more than Atheists. I just don't buy it, at all. I know A LOT of agnostics/atheists and all but one or two donate time and money to local causes and involve their children as well. If it's gross numbers -- simply Xtians give more in total $$ then how ignorant is that data-set? If you go by % of Xtians vs. % of non-theists - I promise you that the non-theist is going to have a larger % of charitable individuals in terms of time and money.

I'm not down with anyone who is floating a bit of church and state propaganda in the name of unbiased research. His championing of Faith-based services is transparent.

meh - he seems to make too many simplistic views anyway (i.e.)
One noted that people who drink alcohol moderately are more successful and charitable than those who don't (like him). Another observed that liberals are having fewer babies than conservatives, which will reduce liberals' impact on politics over time because children generally mimic their parents.

Drinking alcohol "moderately" (again undefined) = success? I mean, how many "unsuccessful" (low income? again undefined) people do you know that DON'T drink? Methinks someone feels a bit guilty about their alcohol problem and wants to validate it.

Conservatives begat conservatives, right? -- yes, because all those children of the WW2 vets grew up to be conservative *cough*the 60's*cough*. Wally and The Beav begat the cocaine and disco era ... etc ...

meh. I'll read it once the library gets it.
 
Huh.

I suppose this means that us atheists are really Grinch-like, since we wind up behind even though Bill Gates gives out billions every year.

It makes some sense, though. If I want to give to a cause, I have to go looking. A believer has a collection plate passed by him every Sunday.

Does the collection plate that goes to church funds count...? I wouldn't think that is charity?

Anways, saying that the conservatives are skewed with rich people like Bill Gates is absurd when you throw in all the celebrities (actors, athletes, and musicians alike) that preach to us about donating and SHOULD be skewing the liberal side, too.
 
On a side note, in my social psych class we were told that, when polled, people that said they were religious donated LESS money and time than people that said they weren't religious.

They then polled people on if they went to church at least once a week or not (putting the people that said they were religious but didn't attend church with the non-religious people) and found that people that regularly attended church donated MORE time and money than people that didn't.

People are like politicians, all talk but not much action.


And I agree with the person that said this does not reflect on the behavior of ALL conservatives and liberals.
 
And I agree with the person that said this does not reflect on the behavior of ALL conservatives and liberals.

Thank you.

In our society, there are people who believe that OTHERS should give and help, people who believe THEY should give and help, and people who don't believe in giving and helping at all.

I would venture to guess that the majority of people in this country believe that someone should give and help, but that not all believe it should be themselves personally.

I would also venture to guess that some wealthy people believe that they have a "noblesse oblige" type of calling to help and give even more.

And fewer people would fall into the "I not only want to help, but I want to get in the trenches and actually do the work myself" type of volunteer.

Trying to make that political is ridiculous at best. There are good and bad, generous and greedy in all walks of life and in both political parties.
 

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