A recent study paints a troubling picture of charitable giving among Evangelicals, revealing that almost one-third of respondents did not contribute to churches or charities over the past year.
This analysis is part of the report titled “The Giving Gap: Changes in Evangelical Generosity,” conducted by Infinity Concepts and Grey Matter Research, which gathered insights from 1,039 Evangelical Protestants in early 2024.
Decline in Financial Support
The findings show a clear decline in the number of Evangelicals who support their churches financially.
In the last year, only 61% reported making contributions, a significant drop from the 74% in 2021.
The trend is similarly reflected in charitable donations, with just 50% indicating they contributed to charities, down from a previous 58% three years earlier.
What’s more concerning is the substantial rise in Evangelicals who chose not to donate at all.
The percentage of those abstaining from contributions to both churches and charities surged from 19% in 2021 to 31% in 2024.
Researchers found that this downward shift in giving transcends all demographic segments of the Evangelical community, indicating a widespread issue.
Impact of Income Levels
Income levels appear to influence donation patterns as well.
Among lower-income Evangelicals, donations to churches or charities plummeted by 24%.
Conversely, those earning $100,000 or more saw a 7% decrease in their contributions.
Even among regular churchgoers, there was a notable 10% decline in donations.
In terms of average contributions, there has been a decline too.
Back in 2021, Evangelical donors contributed an average of $3,572, which has since fallen to $3,053 by 2024.
Specifically, donations to churches dropped from an average of $2,953 to $2,503, while contributions to charities decreased from $1,210 to $1,151 within the same timeframe.
Analyzing the data further reveals that the overall average donations from Evangelicals have dwindled from $2,887 in 2021 to $2,119 in 2024.
Contributions to churches specifically fell from $2,181 to $1,538, and charitable donations decreased from $706 to $581 over the same period.
Wider Societal Changes
This decline in generosity is apparent across various income brackets.
For instance, among Evangelicals earning over $100,000, the percentage donating to charities dropped from 90% in 2021 to 83% in 2024.
Those in the $60,000 to $100,000 bracket saw participation slide from 88% to 75%.
Among individuals with incomes ranging from $30,000 to $59,999, contributions fell to two-thirds, down from 81% in 2021.
Alarmingly, less than half of those earning below $30,000 made any donations, a significant drop from the nearly two-thirds who contributed in 2021.
Contextualizing this decline, the report highlights a broader national trend of reduced giving.
In 2023, individual donations in the U.S. decreased by 2.4% after adjusting for inflation, dipping below the record highs seen in 2021.
Researchers caution that the drop in Evangelical donations may not represent a permanent shift.
They suggest that the extraordinary levels of giving during the pandemic likely influenced recent fluctuations.
Furthermore, the decline in donations to churches may signal a shift toward a more secular society.
Over the decades, various indicators of religious involvement, such as faith in God and regular worship attendance, have noticeably declined.
Projections from the Pew Research Center suggest that, if current trends persist, Christians may comprise only 46% of American adults by 2070.
In summary, this report not only underscores a worrying decrease in generosity among Evangelicals but also situates it within the context of broader societal changes in religious engagement.
Source: Christianpost
