The average amount of money given to nonprofits — including churches and other houses of worship — rose significantly in 2003, the Barna Group reported, based on findings from a survey.
Donations to nonprofit groups increased from a mean of $991 in 2002 to $1,079 in 2003, an 8 percent increase.
While the amount of donations rose, the percentage of all households who donated money to at least one nonprofit group in 2003 — 80 percent — remained consistent with the previous two years.
Houses of worship continue to be popular recipients for donations.
Sixty-three percent of households gave money to churches and other places of worship. That percentage has remained constant since 2001.
The average amount of money given to houses of worship in 2003 was $824, a 14 percent increase over the giving level in 2002 and the highest mean since 2000.
About 5 percent of households tithed their gross income to nonprofits.
Researchers found that 12 percent of those who had an active faith — by definition those people who had prayed, attended church and read the Bible in the previous week — gave at least 10 percent of their income to their house of worship.
Others most likely to tithe included African-Americans, charismatic or Pentecostal Christians and people from households with a gross income of $60,000 or more.
The findings were based on telephone interviews conducted in late January and early February with a nationwide random sample of 1,014 adults and have a margin of error of plus or minus 3 percentage points. The Barna Group and its research division, the Barna Research Group, are based in Ventura, Calif. (RNS)
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