Australia Rates Third in World Giving Index
26 October 2016 at 10:11 am
Australian has been rated as the third most generous nation in the latest Charities Aid Foundation global giving index.
For the first time since the CAF World Giving Index began, more than half of people in 140 countries said they helped a stranger, and record numbers of people volunteered their time. The numbers of people worldwide giving money was very slightly up, the index showed.
Overall, Myanmar was the most generous country for the third year running. The United States was second, making it the most generous nation in the western world, followed by Australia.
While Australia rated third in the overal giving index it dropped just outside the top 10 countries in the percentage of people who volunteer. Australia’s 40 per cent participation rate placed it at 11th with the US in fifth place and New Zealand in sixth place.
The CAF World Giving Index records the number of people who helped a stranger in the past month, volunteered their time or gave money to a good cause. This year 148,000 people in 140 countries were surveyed as part of the Gallup World Poll.
The findings include:
- Africa is the continent which has seen the biggest increase in generosity in the past year
- Disasters and adversity continue to inspire acts of generosity. This year’s index shows high levels of generosity in Iraq and Libya in terms of helping a stranger despite bloody conflicts, and Nepal, which achieves its highest index ranking following the devastating earthquakes of 2015.
- Only five of the G20 appear in the top 20 of the World Giving Index.
The index, now in its seventh year, showed high levels of generosity in some countries experiencing civil war, conflict and unrest.
In many countries men are significantly more likely than women to engage in volunteering or helping a stranger. However, at the global level, there is little difference between men and women when it comes to donating money.
Charities Aid Foundation is an international charity which helps people and companies give worldwide.
CAF chief executive John Low said the generosity of people, even in countries suffering from disaster and turmoil, was “truly humbling”.
“It’s amazing that more than half the people in the world said they helped a stranger,” Low said.
“In every country, people have this in-built desire to give and help others. Governments should encourage that spirit of generosity and create the environment in which a strong civil society can flourish allowing people to reach out to those less fortunate than themselves.
“Unconditional gifts of time and money are a life changing force for good in the world. As people become more prosperous and economies grow stronger we have an opportunity to build an ever stronger culture of giving right across the world,” he said.
Only five members of the group of 20 (G20), which represents 85 per cent of gross world product (GWP), appear in the top 20 countries by five-year average. These are Australia, Canada, Indonesia, the United Kingdom and the United States. The index showed that this trend was consistent with previous years.
Lisa Grinham the chief executive officer of Good2Give, formerly Charities Aid Foundation Australia, said although Australia was performing incredibly by global standards, it could still do better.
“Being able to preserve trust in Australian charities, fundraising practices and bring charitable giving into the digital age are all top of mind when it comes to integrating giving into our daily lives,” Grinham said.
“Australia has a strong culture of helping a stranger, helping a mate. It’s no surprise that when natural disasters hits, like the earthquake in Nepal, we see heightened levels of giving from Australians.
“Involvement and participation in local community groups and charities is also incredibly important to building our social fabric. Whether that’s us participating in the sporting club down the road, arts and music associations, or simply on the phone every second month volunteering with LifeLine.
“These shared activities are the foundations for building a more caring and resilient society and it’s wonderful to see our involvement and volunteering levels continue to thrive.
“It’s as much about giving back, as it is about giving forward, and I think it’s something that we should be proud of as a wider society, and also focus on nurturing in the years to come.”
The last three year’s reports are available here.
