American Jews lead all other religious groups in this country in the amounts of money they donate to charities and to other individuals, according to the results of a survey announced here by Dr. James N. Morgan, professor of economics at the University of Michigan.
In donations to charities, 51 percent of America’s Jews contribute $50 or more annually, while among other religious groups the ratio is: Episcopalians, 43 percent; Lutherans, 25 percent; and Catholics, 20 percent, Forty-five percent of the Jews give $50 or more annually to other individuals, the ratio for some of the other groups being: Lutherans, 31 percent; Episcopalians, 28 percent; Catholics, 24 percent.
The survey shows, however, that Jews are lower than some of the other groups in giving to their religious institutions. In the category of church donations, Lutherans lead with 67 percent; Roman Catholics come next with 65 percent; Episcopalians follow with 63 percent; while the Jewish percentage is 55. The study found that people who attend their religious houses of worship give more to the church of their choice than those who do not attend their churches or synagogues.
JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century. Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent, award-winning reporting.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.