Report exposes which Aussie suburbs are the most charitable
Charitable giving is for everyone, but it's fair to wonder whether the top end of town is donating their fair share.
The answer is sort of, according to the National Australia Bank's Charitable Giving Index for 2016, which measures how much Australians are giving to charity. The latest report looks at where and how much Aussies spent on charities in the 12 months preceding February, and there are some surprises.
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Posh areas were the highest spenders per person, with the top 20 suburbs in this category having average taxable incomes of A$120,000 (US$91,602), according to the report. The suburb of Middle Park in Victoria was the highest spender on charity per person, with an average of A$327 (US$249) donated -- "more than three times the national average."
If you take a look at how much people are donating as a percentage of income, however, the results are wildly different.
Residents of the small city of Castlemaine in Victoria, with an average income of A$42,650 (US$32,556), donate on average 0.36 percent of their income to charity. In fact, the report notes the top 20 most generous suburbs by a percentage of income have an average income of under $A60,000 (US$45,801). Proof you don't need a lot of money to have a big heart.
Despite the disparity, the nation is improving when it comes to charity. In the 12 months prior to February 2016, there was a 6.5 percent growth in Australia in total charitable giving -- a jump from the 2.4 percent increase recorded in the year prior.
So where is all this money going? Unsurprisingly, humanitarian services attracted most of our donations, claiming a 35 percent share of Australia's dollars. Health and disability groups, plus charitable lotteries, have the next biggest share with 12 percent each.
Different ages also have different priorities. If you're between 15 to 24 years old, the majority of your age group (14 percent) donate to animal and environment charities. Makes sense. If you're over 65, the largest spend is on health and disability organisations (18 percent). Also makes sense. And finally, 25 to 34 year olds give most of their money to cancer charities (12 percent), which seems a little more unusual.
In the end though, we're not doing too badly. Well done, Australia.
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