Press Office

Sydney, 11 December 2008 — As the festive season approaches, some cheer awaits the less fortunate as consumers across Australia continue to be committed to giving, despite the current economic environment.

Over a third of Australians (66%) plan to make charitable donations in the next 12 months, with men proving to be the more charitable of the sexes. Australia ranked just behind Indonesia (88.3%) and New Zealand (77.0%) in the Asia Pacific survey, conducted by MasterCard Worldwide.

Over seventy per cent (72.4%) of Australian males under 30 years old, 84.4% of men aged 46-55 years old and 66.7% of men above 56 years of age are looking to make a charitable donation in the coming 12 months, compared to 65.5% of women under 30 years of age, 73.0% of women aged 46-55 years old and 46.7% of women above 56 years old.

The only age bracket where Australian women are more charitable than men is 31-45, with 60.7% of women planning to donate compared to 48.6% of men.

Eddie Grobler, Executive vice president, Australasia, MasterCard Worldwide, says the survey is good news for Australian charities, who often feel the squeeze in tough economic times.

“The majority of Australian consumers (45.5%) plan to donate between 1-5% of their annual income next year to charitable causes, while 4.5% of consumers have plans to donate more than 5% of their annual income next year.

“This suggests that although times are tough, the Australian spirit of helping out those less fortunate is still strong. While giving patterns differ across the various demographics, it is encouraging to see that most Australians are opening their hearts and wallets to those that need it most,” he says.

Across the Asia Pacific region, the survey reveals more than 12% of consumers are planning to donate more than 5% of their annual income next year, with the fairer sex (54.3%) being slightly more charitable than their male counterparts (51.4%) – a contrast to the male dominated charitable intentions in Australia

Interestingly, consumers across the Asia Pacific region who are divorced/widowed (with 65.9% planning to donate) are more generous than those who are single (50.8%) or married (53.3%). More than 50% of Asia Pacific consumers across all age groups have plans to make donations in the coming 12 months, with those aged between 46-55 years being the most generous (57.5%), and those 30 years and below (50.4%) the least.

These were the findings from a consumer survey conducted between 1 to 29 September 2008. A total of 6,019 consumers were surveyed in 14 markets¹ [1] and data was collected via personal, telephone and Computer Aided Telephone interviews, with the questionnaire translated to the local language wherever appropriate and necessary.

• The majority of Australian consumers (45.5%) plan to donate between 1-5% of their annual income next year to charitable causes, while 4.5% of consumers have plans to donate more than 5% of their annual income next year.
• Male consumers in most age groups are more generous compared to their female counterparts. 72.4% of males under 30 years old, 84.4% of men aged 46-55 years old and 66.7% of men above 56 years of age are looking to make a charitable donation in the coming 12 months, compared to 65.5% of women under 30 years of age, 73.0% of women aged 46-55 years old and 46.7% of women above 56 years old.
• Females aged 31-45 years old are however more generous, with 60.7% of women planning to donate compared to 48.6% of men in that age bracket.
• Interestingly, unlike most of the markets in the region, single men in Australia are slightly more generous than single women, with 71.6% of single men looking to make a donation in the coming 12 months compared to 71.4% of single women.