Thought Question: What cause do you care about deeply that you would want to help or support? Recent concerns about the economy may have US families watching their wallets, but that hasn’t stopped many from giving at least a little to charity in the past year. That's according to a new Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs (AP-NORC) poll. Published Tuesday, the survey polled 1,229 US adults. Most — 73% — say they gave at least a little money to charity in the past year. But that percentage shifted depending on who was asked. Younger people were less likely to give. 30% of those ages 45 and younger said they donated nothing in the past year. That's compared to only 1 in 5 of those over 45. Differences in approaches to charity followed along gender lines and salaries as well. When asked if it’s important to help those in need in their communities, more than half of women said yes. Only 38% of men agreed. And those who have more to give tended to do so. Of adults making less than $50,000 per year, 6 in 10 said they gave food, clothing, or household items to charity. That number rose to 82% for those making $100,000 per year or more. And the political divide? It extends to charity as well. When asked who should help people in need, two-thirds of surveyed Democrats said “people like us.” Republicans answered similarly 56% of the time. The divide was even sharper when asked if the government bears any responsibility to help those in need. Nine out of 10 Democrats said it does, compared to 7 out of 10 Republicans. US adults are most likely to give money to US-focused aid groups (40% reported donating to one) or churches (37%). Other recipients included disaster relief funds (29%) and animal care groups (24%).
