Parents Powerfully Influence Their Children’s Charity: Indiana Research

Key findings included the following:

• Boys and girls were equally likely to give to charity
• Nearly 90% of subjects age 8 to 19 gave to charity
• Girls were more likely than boys to volunteer their time
• Most children across all income levels had parents who talked to them about giving to charity
• Talking to children about philanthropy was equally effective regardless of the child's gender, race and age.
• Talking to boys and girls about charity was more influential on children's giving than whether the household donated to charity
• There was no evidence that talking to children about philanthropy was more effective in one income group than in another.

The 2013 report is the fourth in a series of research reports conducted at the Women's Philanthropy Institute that focus on gender differences in giving to charity. A previous report showed that boomer women were more charitable than their male counterparts.