Americans the Most Generous People

From A Nation of Givers, by Arthur C. Brooks:

Q. How much do Americans give? Is the amount we give going up?
A. In 2006, Americans gave about $295 billion to charity. This was up 4.2 percent over 2005 levels, and charitable giving has generally risen faster than the growth of the American economy for more than half a century....

Q. Are Americans more or less charitable than citizens of other countries?
A. No developed country approaches American giving. For example, in 1995 (the most recent year for which data are available), Americans gave, per capita, three and a half times as much to causes and charities as the French, seven times as much as the Germans, and 14 times as much as the Italians. Similarly, in 1998, Americans were 15 percent more likely to volunteer their time than the Dutch, 21 percent more likely than the Swiss, and 32 percent more likely than the Germans. These differences are not attributable to demographic characteristics such as education, income, age, sex, or marital status.

More in the original article about how much money Americans give, religious versus secular giving, liberals versus conservatives, and where the donations go.  On an anecdotal level, I found that I donated far more money after I returned to the Catholic Church.  While Catholics don't tithe, as many Protestants do, when you go to Church, you hear every week about the various hospitals, missions, homes for unwed mothers,  schools and soup kitchens that need your $$$.   You're simply reminded all the time that there are people in need and we are called to help those folks.  No surprise to me that religious people are more charitable than the non-religious.  Hat tip to Solomonia.