Donating money despite low income

Many people in Germany donate money to social, religious, cultural, and charitable causes.

Who donates how much, and how does donation behavior change over time? Prof. Jürgen Schupp from the Socio-economic Panel (SOEP) investigated these questions. Differences emerged between East and West, men and women and, not least of all, between people with low and high incomes: High-income households account for 37 percent of total donations in Germany, but low-income households donate more relative to their available annual income.

The results of this year’s survey will show how donation behavior in Germany is changing in a phase of high inflation and rising prices.

Further information

DIW Berlin (Deutsches Institut für Wirtschaftsforschung): Ärmere Haushalte spenden anteilig am verfügbaren Einkommen mehr als einkommensstarke Haushalte

DIE WELT: Ärmere sind oft großzügiger als Reiche (Video)

Der Tagesspiegel: Trotz geringer Rücklagen: Ärmere Haushalte spenden mehr als reiche

All results in the overview