Study: States with least religious gave less

BOSTON -- States with the least religious residents are also the stingiest about giving money to charity, especially religious ones, a new study on the generosity of Americans suggests.

The study, released Monday by the Chronicle of Philanthropy, found that people in states where religious participation is higher than in the rest of the nation, particularly in the South, gave the greatest percentage of their discretionary income to charity.

The Northeast, with lower religious participation, was the least generous, with the six New England states filling the last six slots among the 50 states. Churches are counted as charities by the study, and when religious giving is not counted some states in the Northeast rank in the top 10.

In Utah, the most generous state, residents gave 10.6 percent of their discretionary income to charity. Next were Mississippi, Alabama, Tennessee and South Carolina. Least generous was New Hampshire, at 2.5 percent, then Maine, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island.

In Boston, semiretired carpenter Stephen Cremins said the traditional New England ideal of self-sufficiency might explain the reduced giving, particularly during tight times when people have less to spare.

"Charity begins at home. I'm a big believer of that. You know, you have to take care of yourself before you can help others," Cremins said.

The study found that in the Northeast, including New England, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and New York, people gave 4.1 percent of their discretionary income to charity. It was 5.2 percent in the Southern states, from Texas east to Delaware and Florida, including most of the so-called Bible Belt.

The Bible mandates a 10 percent annual donation, or tithe, to the church, and the donation is commonly preached as a way to thank God, care for others and show faith in God's provision. But it has a greater emphasis in some faiths.

In Mormon teachings, for instance, Latter-day Saints are required to pay a 10 percent tithe to remain church members in good standing, which helps explain the high giving rate in heavily Mormon Utah.

When only secular gifts are counted, New York climbs from No. 18 to No. 2 in giving, and Pennsylvania rises from No. 40 to No. 4.

The study was based on Internal Revenue Service records of people who itemized deductions in 2008, the most recent year statistics were available. The data allowed researchers to detail charitable giving down to the ZIP code.