Religious people are much more likely to give to and volunteer for non-religious charities than the general population.
That’s the conclusion of the recently published The Economic Impact of Religion on Society in Australia, which details a major research project. The scholarly book draws together research papers under the editorship of Professor Keith Thompson of the University of Notre Dame Australia’s Sydney Scool of Business and Law.
The project found that “always religious” people donate to non-religious causes and organisations 1.495 times the general population.
People who are “Converted” – have adopted religion after age 12 – have a slightly lower “odds ratio” of 1.487
Not unexpectedly, both these groups donate to religious causes at higher rates than the general population, with odds ratios of 2.315 and 3,063, respectively.
People who are religious volunteer for non-religious causes and organisations.
“Aways religious” people volunteer at 1.735 times the general population. “
“Converted” people volunteer 2.218 times the general population.
The Agape Economics study attempted to estimate the value of this volunteering to the community.
The extra value of volunteering by “always religious” people – measuring the impact of their increased amount of volunteering over the general community – was $7994m per annum (depending on the value people put on their time) up to 17765m (based on what it would cost to pay someone to do the work.)
The extra value for the “Converted” group (which is smaller) was $923m to $2051.
Other factors influencing giving to nonreligious groups were:
Income: the group of people with incomes of $1800 to $2300 per week were more likely to give than those earning less or more.
Education: Postgraduates were the most likely to give.
Family history: those with a background of parents volunteering or personally volunteering were more likely to give.
Gender: Women were more likely to give by by a smaller odds ratio than the other factors.
The Survey used data from a sample of 7000 Australians, which Deloitte confirmed to be representative of the Australian population as a whole.
The book recounts a complicated history of the data and analysis. The studies include a 2012 scoping study by Deloitte Acess Economics, a Deloitte analysis of the Contributing to Australia Society Study, and the expanded Agape Economics study funded by a 2019 Department of Social Security grant.
The Economic Impact of Religion on Society in Australia: Recent Research and Commentary Edited by Keith Thompson, Shepherd Street Press 2023. Available from Connor Court Publishing $59.95