Millennials Give More Generously To Charity, Study Says

CBS Local — Just in time for the holiday season, a new report from the United Kingdom says young adults are not only more generous when giving to charity, but are also savvier and more careful with their money when donating.

Researchers from the British government’s Charity Commission found that 18 to 24-year-olds made an average donation of nearly $42 during the Christmas season. 44 percent of millennials surveyed also said they would give up using their smartphone in December if it would raise money for their favorite charity. Only a third of all other age groups made the same pledge.

“I’m particularly pleased that young people give generously, but also that they are more likely to make basic checks before giving to their chosen charity than people from their parents’ generation,” the Charity Commission’s Helen Stephenson said in the group’s report.

Younger adults proved to be much more selective with their money, with over half of millennials polled saying they did a basic check of the charity’s record and financial transparency before making a donation. That number fell to just 29 percent among seniors 75 and older.

“It’s important for donors to remember that they are entitled to know what their donations are being used for and to consent (or not) to the ways in which their personal data will be used,” Stephen Dunmore of the charity watchdog group Fundraising Regulator said.

In the United States, the Better Business Bureau urges holiday donors to make a thorough check of a charity’s website for information on its mission and latest financial reports before giving.