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NZers are a generous bunch

A survey showing New Zealanders are among the most generous of nationalities will be a relief to those who suffered the Canterbury earthquake, Community and Volunteer Minister Tariana Turia says.

NZPA
Fri, 10 Sep 2010

A survey showing New Zealanders are among the most generous of nationalities will be a relief to those who suffered the Canterbury earthquake, Community and Volunteer Minister Tariana Turia says.

New Zealand and Australia shared first place in a first-of-its kind survey ranking 153 nations on the willingness of their citizens to donate time and money to charity.

China ranked near the bottom, barely higher than last-place Madagascar.

The report, released by the British-based Charities Aid Foundation, showed striking variations in charitable behavior around the world.

It found only 4 percent of Lithuanians gave money to charity, compared with 83 percent of people in Malta; 61 percent of people in Turkmenistan did volunteer work, compared with 2 percent of Cambodians.

The overall rankings were a composite of three categories - the percentage of people who donated money, donated time and helped a stranger in the month prior to being surveyed.

New Zealand and Australia topped the index with an average score of 57 percent, trailed by Canada and Ireland at 56 percent, and the United States and Switzerland at 55 percent.

Mrs Turia said the generous spirit of New Zealanders had come into the fore in Canterbury following the earthquake.

"But of course we also see it everyday on our marae and in our community organisations, schools and neighbourhoods."

She will launch quarterly generosity indicators for New Zealand next week.

"Being identified as a generous nation reminds us that we have the capacity and the resource within us all to head off some complex challenges that we face as a society today."

Several of the world's most populous countries were near the bottom of the index - including India in 134th place, Russia in 138th and China in 147th. Only 4 percent of Chinese people donate their time to charity, and only 6 percent of Russians donate money, according to the survey.

In the West African nation of Liberia, only 8 percent of the population give money to charity every month, yet 76 percent regularly help a stranger - more than any other country.

The report was based primarily on data from Gallup's WorldView World Poll, an ongoing research project carried out in 153 countries accounting for 95 percent of the world's population.

In most countries surveyed, 1000 questionnaires were completed - in telephone and face-to-face interviews- by a representative sample of individuals living in urban centres. Margins of error ranged from plus or minus 5.3 percentage points in Lithuania to plus or minus 2.6 percentage points in India.

NZPA
Fri, 10 Sep 2010
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NZers are a generous bunch
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