ISLAMABAD: In the face of the Covid-19 pandemic when the country was grappled with many socioeconomic challenges such as income-based disparities, unemployment and rising poverty, it was inspiring to note that a majority of Pakistanis remained committed to philanthropic giving in one form or another, said a survey.

Conducted by Pakistan Centre for Philanthropy, the survey was undertaken during the pandemic. It was heartening to see that people even from poor socioeconomic backgrounds reported giving in one form or another. This was testament to the spirit of giving that pervaded across all classes in Pakistan.

The results signified Pakistanis as a nation of givers. About eight in 10 persons interviewed males and females said they had given charity or financially helped a poor person during the past one year. When asked about the last time they made social contributions, around 40 per cent said they did so within the past one month. On an average, a Pakistani adult reported having spent around Rs10,000 a year in charitable cause.

Drawing on the methodology from World Giving Index by Charity Aid Foundation UK (CAF), the study was an attempt to examine the norms and practices of charitable giving among Pakistani people. Data was collected through a brief questionnaire using random digital dialing (RDD) technique. The interviews were conducted by Gallup Pakistan.

Says 84pc of respondents claimed to have given charity in one form or the other in past one year

Some of the key findings showed that charitable giving was common in Pakistan. About 84pc of the respondents claimed to have given charity in one form or the other during the past one year. A relatively lower score of giving - 81pc - was reported for the rural respondents than their urban counterparts of about 86pc.

The survey noted that giving in Pakistan was not just an income or employment status phenomenon. Around 79pc of unemployed respondents also reported giving in one form or the other compared to 82pc of part-time employed persons and 89pc of employed respondents. This signified the notion that being unemployed or having low income did not deter individuals from contributing to charitable giving and helping others in need.

Primary recipients of charity were those whom givers knew personally. About 46pc recipients were the poor persons/households or family that givers knew personally and 44pc the beggars they came across. About 30pc recipients were poor persons/households or family they did not know personally.

The survey identified religion as the main motivation to give charity as stated by 67pc of the respondents. Interestingly, 72pc among high income earners cited religion as a motivating factor compared to 58pc low income and 65pc middle-income earners. The survey said richer households were more likely to pay zakat and fitrana etc.

More than six in 10, (64pc) respondents believed that charity had a large impact on Pakistan as a whole as well as on local community.

Nearly seven in 10 or 76pc Pakistanis claimed to have paid zakat, sadaqa or khairat to either family or non-family members in the last year. On average, a Pakistani adult was reported to have spent Rs10,000 in a year. Some 14pc respondents claimed to have volunteered time to an organisation at some point in a year.

Published in Dawn, July 10th, 2022