A new Sacred Heart University poll found that 75% of Connecticut residents said that it is important for Americans to give money and time to charities during the pandemic.
But many of the respondents said donations they’ve actually given to charity since the pandemic started has not changed.
“This poll shows us that people believe it’s more important now than ever to donate time and money, but they haven’t really changed their behavior,” said Steven Michels, director of the school’s Institute for Public Policy and Civic Engagement. “It’s hard to draw a clear conclusion for this gap in giving. It could be people believe that others are doing more, so they don’t have to. Or it could be because of the financial and health concerns from COVID-19.”
About 32% of respondents said they are giving the same amount of time and money to charity as they did pre-pandemic. Only 7% say they now volunteer more time and donate more money.
The poll of 1,000 state residents was conducted between October 14 and 27. It has an error rate of plus or minus 3%.
Sacred Heart University is the licensee of WSHU Public Radio.
