Getting Rich But Not Giving? Mechanisms Impeding Charitable Giving in China

• In Event: Engagement in Civic and Charitable Organizations

Abstract

The past few decades have witnessed phenomenal economic growth in China. However, in sharp contrast to this wealth expansion, many individuals are seemingly unwilling to engage in charity giving. According to the World Giving Index (2019), which measures how charitable the general population is within a nation, China is the world’s least generous nation over the last decade (2009-2018) – ranking 126 out of 126 nations. A large body of literature has examined charitable giving and its predictors in Western contexts. However, China represents a special case. Seemingly, while individuals are getting wealthier, they do not show a higher level of charitable giving. This “giving puzzle” is analytically interesting, but an under-explored question. In the soon-to-be largest economy in the world, what factors are impeding charitable giving in China? This paper draws data from the Chinese General Social Survey to examine potential conditions that hinder people from engaging in charitable giving in China. Moreover, it explores the mechanisms that inhibit people from giving in China. In particular, the paper proposes four mechanisms – political efficacy, perceived socio-economic status, financial security and social trust – as contributing variables to examine; and hypothesizes that low levels of these variables will hamper charitable giving in China.

Authors

• Reza Hasmath, University of Alberta

• Qian Wei, Stanford Philanthropy and Civil Society Center