Children who grow up in families with strong charitable giving traditions are likelier to engage in charitable activities as adults, Fidelity Charitable, an independent public charity, reported Thursday.
In a new study, Fidelity Charitable looked at how giving habits and priorities experienced during childhood affect adult giving, and how giving traditions influence a family's dynamic, including happiness.
The study was based on a survey conducted by Artemis Strategy Group of 3,000 respondents who gave to charity and itemized deductions on their taxes last year.
The survey found that 45% of respondents who grew up with strong giving traditions reported that they annually donated $5,000 or more to charity, and 89% volunteered an average of eight hours a month.
The research suggested that engaging in philanthropic activities can make people feel happier and closer to family members. Forty-eight percent of those whose backgrounds included strong giving traditions considered themselves a very happy today, compared with 33% who did not grow up with strong giving traditions.
In addition, 81% of the former described their core family as very close, versus 71% of the latter.
"We've always known that strategic philanthropy benefits the charities donors support, but this study proves that the impact goes beyond that," Fidelity Charitable's president, Pamela Norley, said in a statement. "Giving makes people happier and is a significant contributor to a happier and healthy family, too."
