Are Americans Selfish? The Bond Between Faith, Philanthropy and Healthy Democracies
Recorded on February 16, 2005
Location: The Heritage Foundation's Lehrman Auditorium
The recent tsunami disaster in South Asia exposed much
misinformation about the strength of American generosity. In truth,
70 percent of Americans give to charity each year, and do so at far
higher levels than people in other developed nations: three times
as much as the British, four times as much as the French, and seven
times as much as the Germans. Still, a substantial minority of
Americans - more than 80 million - do not support any charitable
causes. Why not?
Arthur C. Brooks, Associate Professor of Public Administration at
Syracuse University's Maxwell School of Public Affairs, argues that
charitable behavior is closely linked to religious practice and
attitudes about the government's role in society. Americans who
regularly attend houses of worship are much more likely to donate
time or money - including to secular organizations - than their
secularist counterparts. In addition, those who believe that
government should redistribute income are far less likely to give
voluntarily to help others. This helps explain why, compared to the
United States, European states (mostly social democratic and
secularist) see low levels of private giving. Dr. Brooks offers a
stiff warning to politicians and policymakers who fail to view
voluntary charity as a vital component of a healthy
democracy.
Dr. Brooks, Director of the Nonprofit Studies Program at the
Maxwell School, has published over 75 articles on charitable giving
and nonprofit organizations, including contributions to The Public
Interest, Policy Review, and the Wall Street Journal. His
forthcoming book is entitled Selfishness in America.