Challenges for Comparative Research on Philanthropy in Europe

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Challenges for Comparative Research on Philanthropy in Europe

René BekkersCenter for Philanthropic Studies, VU University Amsterdam ,The [email protected]

12 July 2012 ISTR Conference, Siena

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Research Questions1. How large are differences in

philanthropy (incidence, amounts, causes) between nations in Europe?

2. How can these differences be explained?


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What we have…

Lots of data on volunteering, but much less on charitable giving

Several datasets on giving using Different definitions of

philanthropy Different questionnaire modules

to measure philanthropy Different survey methods


We’re in big trouble. How many people report

donations to various causes varies from one dataset to another.

Even differences in giving within the same country vary from one dataset to another.

Finally, differences between countries are explained by different variables in the two datasets.


What now?

Let’s start all over again. And do it better.


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Prospects for Data Access Tax data: legal definitions,

thresholds, privacy issues Survey data on corporate

philanthropy difficult to gather Foundations even more

difficult to get access to Getting survey data on

households least problematic let’s do this!


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What we need…

New data on giving, using: A clear definition of

philanthropy. A validated, cross-nationally

adequate instrument to measure philanthropy.

One single method of data collection; online is the only feasible option.


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Definitions

Should be operationalized. Definitions should identify a

clearly delimited set of phenomena

Easy way out: Exclude memberships and

fees. Exclude informal giving. Avoid the word ‘voluntary’.


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Conceptual model

Source Channel Destination

Donor Organization Cause

Money Services

Households, individuals, corporations

Churches, charities,

foundations

Groups,Ideals


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The questionnaire should identify Units of analysis: individuals,

AND/OR households, OR foundations, OR corporations

Channels: churches, charities, foundations, other nonprofit organizations

Destinations: causes and services

Resources: money, goods, labor


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European Social Survey

E1-12 a) CARD 43 For each of the voluntary organisations I will now mention, please use this card to tell me whether any of these things apply to you now or in the last 12 months, and, if so, which.E1-12 b) Do you have personal friends within this organisation?

a) CODE ALL THAT APPLY FOR EACH ORGANISATION

b)

None Member Participated

Donated money

Volun-teered

Personal friends?

E1 .…Firstly, a sports club or club for out-door activities?

Yes No DK

0 1 2 3 4 1 2 8

E2… an organisation for cultural or hobby activities?

0 1 2 3 4 1 2 8


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WARNING

DATA FROM THESEMEASURES MAY BE *VERY FAR* FROM THE LIKELY TRUE VALUES


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Questionnaires on household giving The Gold Standard: the ‘Method +

Area Module’ (e.g., GINPS) Incomplete coverage: ‘Area’

(ESS2002, EB 62.2) Severely limited: (Very) ‘Short’ “Methodology is Destiny”: shorter

questionnaires yield (strong) underestimates of giving volume and bias parameter estimates

Source: Bekkers, R., & Wiepking, P. (2006). ‘To Give or Not to Give…That’s the Question’. Nonprofit & Voluntary Sector Quarterly, 35 (3): 533‐540.


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Donors per sector (%) NL US

a religious or church organization 19 19

humanitarian aid, human rights, minorities, immigrants 20 5

environmental protection, peace or animal rights 23 5

science, education, or teachers and parents 2 5

cultural or hobby activities 4 3

sports club or club for outdoor activities 8 4

social club, club for the young, the retired/ elderly, women 3 4

political party 2 5

trade union 2 1

business, professional, or farmers’ organization 1 2

consumer or automobile organization 2 1

any other voluntary organization 4 2

Donates money to at least one sector 45 29


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Donors per sector in the Netherlands in two data sources (%) ESS GINPS



environmental protection, (peace) or animal rights 23 (7)

health NA 13

science, education, or teachers and parents 2 2

cultural or hobby activities 4 2

sports club or club for outdoor activities 8 5

social club, club for the young, the retired/ elderly, women 3 10

political party 2 NA

trade union 2 NA

business, professional, or farmers’ organization 1 NA

consumer or automobile organization 2 NA




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PhilanthropyEuropean Social Survey, 2002

0

10

20

30

40

50

Hungary Greece Poland Czech Republic Israel

Spain Portugal Finland USA Slovenia

Ireland UK Norway Sweden Netherlands


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Giving is under-reported in the ESS

Direct Q

Matrix

No88%

Yes12%

No97%

2947 307

Yes3%

13 89

Cross tabulation of ESS direct question on political giving and marking ‘donated’ for ‘political party’ in the matrix question (US+NL)


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Correlates of giving

ESS GINPS

Age 35-65 1.19 1.13

Age>65 1.82 ** 0.80

Secondary education 1.60 ** 1.05

Tertiary education 3.50 ** 1.30

Big city 0.89 0.55 **

Suburb 0.79 (*) 0.75 (*)

Generalized social trust 1.20 ** 1.34 **

Right wing political self-placement 1.25 * 1.50 **

Volunteered last year 3.33 ** 1.76 **

Coefficients in bold are significantly different from each other (p<.05)


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What we don’t know…

How are France, Germany, Italy, Denmark, Switzerland doing?

How much is donated to charity?

How do countries differ in the composition of philanthropy?

How do countries differ in the characteristics of donors?

Where do all these country differences come from?


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PhilanthropyEuroBarometer 62.2, 2004

0

20

40

60

80

100


Spain Portugal Finland France Slovenia

Ireland UK Germany West Sweden Netherlands

Luxemburg Malta


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Donors per sector in the Netherlands in two data sources (%) EB GINPS



environmental protection, (peace) or animal rights 40 (7)

Patients organization [and health] 30 [13]

Education (arts, culture) 13 2

Recreational organization [and sports] 20 5

Leisure organization for the elderly 3 NA

Rights for the elderly 3 NA

political party 5 NA

trade union 4 NA

business, professional, or farmers’ organization 1 NA

consumer or automobile organization 2 NA




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Giving is likely to be overreported in EB 5% report giving to a ‘political

party or organization’; but only 2.5% is a member and only a fraction donate

40% report giving to an environmental organization; at best, 28% is a member

Humanitarian aid is way too high (41%)


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EB GINPS

Big city 0.60 * 0.55 **

Suburb 0.78 0.75 (*)

Age 35-65 2.41 ** 1.13

Age>65 2.66 ** 0.80


Tertiary education 1.56 1.30

Generalized social trust 1.21 * 1.34 **

Right wing political self-placement 0.87 1.50 **

Volunteered last year 3.33 *** 1.76 **

Coefficients in bold are significantly different from each other (p<.05)


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Why do countries differ?

EB ESS

Individual level variables YES YES YES YES

Country level variables NO YES NO YES

Country level variance 3.27% 5.45% 3.27% 9.97%

Secondary education 1.321** 1.305** 1.491 1.555**

% Secondary education 0.031** 25.744*

Generalized trust 1.075 1.075 1.109 1.120**

Mean Generalized trust 2.096** 1.098NS

Observations 16,279 16,279 32,905 32,905

Countries 17 17 17 17


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What we want…

Giving Europe, using: A clear definition of

philanthropy. A validated, cross-nationally

adequate instrument to measure philanthropy, based on GINPS.

One single method of data collection; online is the only feasible option.


Thanks, says

René BekkersHead of Research

Center for Philanthropic StudiesVU University Amsterdam

[email protected]: @renebekkers

http://renebekkers.wordpress.com

12 July 2012 ISTR Conference, Siena 28

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ESS GINPS

Age 35-65 1.16 1.09

Age>65 1.59 ** 0.64 *


Tertiary education 3.84 ** 1.35

Big city 0.97 0.56 **

Suburb 0.84 0.80

Catholic 1.25 (*) 2.18 **

Protestant 2.02 ** 2.27 **

Other Christian 1.21 0.46

Other religion 0.90 4.66

Church attendance (times per year) 1.01 ** 1.01

Generalized social trust 1.19 ** 1.33 **

Right wing political self-placement 1.12 1.40 *

Volunteering 3.15 ** 1.55 **


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Volunteering European Social Survey, 2002

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40


Spain Portugal Finland Slovenia Ireland

UK Norway Sweden Netherlands


Challenges for Comparative Research on Philanthropy in Europe

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