The rate of white Christians and Hispanic Protestants donating to their churches and charities has significantly decreased, with nearly one-third reporting they did not donate in the past year.
The report, titled “The Giving Gap: Changes in Evangelical Generosity,” was released by the Public Religion Research Institute and is based on responses collected from 1,039 Evangelical Protestants in early 2024.
The poll found that only 61% of respondents donated to a church in the 12 months preceding the survey, a notable drop from 74% of Evangelicals who contributed in 2021. The decrease in charitable giving among Evangelicals extends beyond church donations, as only half (50%) gave money to a charity in the past year, compared to 58% in 2021.
In 2021, 19% of surveyed Evangelicals did not donate to either church or charity, but by 2024, this figure rose to nearly one-third (31%). Researchers noted, “Giving is down for every single segment of the evangelical population we reviewed,” highlighting that “the proportion who gave to either church or charity dropped 24% among the lowest income evangelicals, but also 7% among those earning $100,000 or more.”
As the percentage of Evangelicals donating to either church or charity has decreased from 2021 to 2024, the average amount given has also declined.
The average total giving among Evangelical donors in 2021 was $3,572, but it dropped to $3,053 by 2024. Contributions to churches specifically fell from $2,953 in 2021 to $2,503 in 2024, while donations to charity decreased from $1,210 to $1,151 during the same period.
The decline in charitable giving among Evangelicals spans all income levels. Among those earning more than $100,000 a year, 90% gave to charity in 2021, compared to just 83% in 2024. Similarly, the percentage of Evangelicals making between $60,000 and $100,000 who donated dropped from 88% in 2021 to 75% in 2024. For those with salaries ranging from $30,000 to $59,999, the donation rate fell from 81% in 2021 to two-thirds (67%) in 2024.
Less than half (49%) of Evangelicals earning under $30,000 a year donated to charity or their church in 2024, a decline from nearly two-thirds in 2021.
The report also notes that decreased giving is not unique to evangelical Protestants, referencing data from Giving USA: “According to Giving USA from the Lilly Family School of Philanthropy, inflation-adjusted giving by individuals in the U.S. declined 2.4% in 2023, and is currently below the record high levels seen in 2021.”
While the decline in charitable giving is concerning, the report suggests it may not indicate a long-term trend. “Grey Matter and Infinity Concepts only started measuring generosity in this manner, among evangelical Protestants defined in this way, three years ago. Two points in time do not form a trend,” the report states. “As Giving USA points out, 2021 saw record giving as people tried to react to all the needs that arose from the pandemic.”
The report emphasizes that the decline in giving to churches may be linked to the growing secularization in the U.S. Pew Research Center projects that if current trends continue, Christians will make up only 46% of American adults by 2070.
