PHILADELPHIA (BP) – Bible-engaged Christians are the most charitable people in the nation, and giving increases happiness among the generous, the American Bible Society (ABS) said in releasing the last chapter of the 2024 State of the Bible
“People who consistently read the Bible and live by its teachings are more likely to give to charity,” ABS Chief Innovation Officer John Plake said in releasing the results. “Our data shows that they also give far more – not only to their churches, but also to religious and non-religious charities.
“At a national level, we could say that Scripture Engaged people form a massive engine of generosity and philanthropy.”
Evangelical households top the chart in the average amount donated, the percentage of people donating and the percentage given to their church or any religious charity, researchers said. Only 20 percent of Evangelicals don’t give at all, and 40 percent give all of their contributions to their church.
But while Evangelicals give more as a dollar amount, only the lowest income earners give at least 10 percent of their income to charity, researchers said.
“Nonprofits naturally look first to the top-line dollars donated, but God looks at the heart. And giving proportions may be a better window there,” researchers wrote. “Those blessed with great wealth often give from their surplus. It takes a deeper commitment to give sacrificially.
“Our survey shows that donors at the lowest income levels give the greatest percentage of their income to church or charity.”
Families earning under $20,000 a year give as much as 11 percent of their income to charity. But giving largely decreases as income increases, dropping to 5.4 percent for families that earn just under $50,000, researchers said. Giving rises as high as 8.5 percent of income for families earning between $50,000 and just under $100,000, but drops to the lowest proportion of 2.9 percent for those who earn between $100,000 and $150,000.
In each income bracket, those who give are happier than those who don’t, based on the Life and Happiness Domain of the Human Flourishing Scale ABS introduced in Chapter 3 of this year’s State of the Bible. On the 0-to-10 scale, with 10 indicating the highest level of happiness, givers scored nearly 7.2, while nongivers scored a full point less at 6.1.
“The lowest satisfaction score (5.2) comes among non-givers in the poorest households, those making less than $30,000 a year. But givers at that same income level have a satisfaction score of 6.5, rivaling non-givers making up to $100,000,” researchers wrote. “You might say the joy of giving is better than getting a $50,000 raise.”
The chapter was the final release of the 2024 State of the Bible, a comprehensive report which tracked such topics as faith in technology, human flourishing, love, Americans’ perceptions of church, Gen Z, nones and nominals, and loneliness.
State of the Bible is based on a nationally representative survey conducted for ABS by NORC at the University of Chicago, using the AmeriSpeak panel. Findings are based on 2,506 online interviews conducted in January 2024 with adults in all 50 states and the District of Columbia.
Download the ninth chapter and the full 2024 State of the Bible here.
