Working Poor Most Generous

In a recent article, Arthur C. Brooks, author of Gross National Happiness, pointed out an interesting fact about charity: Most studies have shown that the working poor tend to give away between four and five percent of their incomes, on average, while the rich give away between three and four percent. So-called “middle class” people gave the smallest percentage.

On one hand, I realize that, when a richer person gives a smaller percentage than a poorer person, the richer person may still have given more total dollars. On the other hand, after paying the cost-of-living, richer people have a higher percentage of their income leftover which they could put towards charity.

If I had to guess, I would speculate that poorer people give away more money to charity because they feel more solidarity with other people who suffer economically. Needing help themselves probably causes them to sympathize more with those in need.

Regardless, we all need to organize and work together much more, and do it with the goal of ending poverty and building a better world for all. As I have said before, I doubt charity alone can solve the problem of poverty and economic inequality. More than charity, I believe we need to work together in voluntarily cooperative and mutually beneficial ways, which will most often happen when we realize that poverty alleviation benefits us all.