A nation of givers - survey reveals

South Africans appear to be a nation of givers - in an average month, a massive 93 percent of people part with time, money or goods to assist a cause or an individual. According to a national survey almost R 930 million (US $14 million) was mobilised during October/November 2003 for development and anti-poverty work. The study, a collaborative effort between the National Development Agency, the Centre for Civil Society and the Southern African Grantmakers' Association, said giving seemed "ingrained", with both rich and poor equally likely to perform acts of generosity. South Africans of Indian descent consistently spent most money on helping the needy, while black South Africans were more willing to volunteer their time. The poor (23 percent) were also more likely to have volunteered than their wealthier counterparts (17 percent). Causes considered most deserving were dominated by three categories: those associated with children or youth (22 percent), HIV/AIDS (21 percent) and the poor (20 percent). Analysed across race groups, coloureds (mixed race) and blacks saw those affected by HIV/AIDS as a priority when giving, compared to Indian and white respondents, who regarded children and young people as most in need of support. However, concern with the poor declined as education levels rose, with just 14 percent of tertiary-educated respondents mentioning the less fortunate as a deserving group. Most people gave out of a feeling of "human solidarity", some because it appeared to be a rational decision to try and help tackle poverty, and a smaller group gave to the poor for religious reasons. Researchers pointed out that helping the poor was widely regarded as an important part of building a new South Africa, indicating "the broad popular support for the government's pro-poor policies and programmes". While South Africans were found to be highly motivated to give to local causes, they were significantly less so regarding international efforts: fewer than one in 10 respondents had ever given money to specifically global causes. Overall, the dominant view was that people preferred giving to causes that sought a longer-term solution rather than short-term charitable interventions, although a significant proportion saw the value of such interventions, the study said. "There seems a solid support base for a wide range of organisations and campaigns, from social movements through to more traditional charities. This is a positive finding for the non-profit sector as whole, particularly organisations that use advocacy, lobbying and local organisational work alongside developmental work," the report concluded. For the full survey: www.sarpn.org.za