Charity strongest among older Jamaicans, poll shows

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR at Food For The Poor, David Mair, says he agrees with a recent Gleanercommissioned Bill Johnson poll that cites older, churchgoing Jamaicans as having the tendency of giving to charity, more so than those not affiliated to any religious group.

The poll was conducted between June 3 and 4, 2017 and had a sample size of 1,000 respondents. It sought to gauge individual charitable giving in Jamaica in the last 12 months.

It shows that 66 per cent of the respondents, aged 45 to 65 and older, have given cash or provisions to a charitable organisation over the period. In contrast, 47 per cent of people aged 18 to 44 say they have donated in cash or kind.

STARK CONTRAST

“It is not surprising that there is this stark contrast. Young people are now into acquiring their wealth for themselves and their family, while older folks, who tend to be serious churchgoers, are willing to, and often, give back in larger numbers,” said Mair.

By the same token, persons in the highest socio-economic group and those who attend church once per month were more likely than others to help friends in need.

Eighty-three per cent of persons in the highest socio-economic group, age 65 and older, have given help to a friend over the period, the poll found, while almost three-quarters, or 73 per cent, say they have assisted a total stranger in the past 12 months by helping to pay for food or other expenses.

The majority of those polled, 52 per cent, say they have made donations of money or provisions like groceries to a local or national organisation over the last 12 months or so.