Survey: Do Religious People Give More?

By Eleanor Goldberg
Religion News Service

WASHINGTON (RNS) If your mom says "you shouldn't have" when you give her flowers on Mother's Day, a new poll suggests you should thank her for teaching lessons on giving.

Nearly one in five Americans (17 percent) surveyed said their mothers had the most impact on their giving tendencies, second only to faith communities (22 percent), according to a poll commissioned by Thrivent Financial-Kiplinger Survey of Family Finances.

"When it comes to shaping our giving attitudes, who better to provide guidance than faith communities and moms?" said Thrivent Financial Director Patrick Egan in a statement. "Our survey suggests that both groups have opportunities to offer personal, powerful examples of selfless giving that shape our lives."

One in 10 people cited their spouse as most influential, and mothers were more than three times as likely as fathers (22 percent versus 6 percent) to shape attitudes. Other factors included friends and extended family, at 3 percent each. One in four Americans said they were unsure about their giving influences.

Age was one clear factor in determining who influences personal giving: 34 percent of adults ages 18-24, and 21 percent of those ages 25-34, picked mom. Almost a third of seniors, however, went with religion.

The poll of 1,000 U.S. adults had a margin of error of plus or minus 3 percentage points.