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MORE Singaporeans are planning to donate to a charitable cause in the next six months, a new survey has shown.
Out of 400 Singaporean consumers polled in a global MasterCard survey on their plans for charitable donations, 57 per cent are looking to donate to charity in the near future, up from 54 per cent when the same survey was conducted at the end of last year, and 47 per cent in mid-2009.
The steady rise is of no surprise, given that the country's economy has rebounded from one of the worst recessions. Sociologist Terence Chong at the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies said the booming economy is a key reason why more are willing to give. 'People are more optimistic during good times and may feel more charitable, while during bad times they may worry about their own finances.'
The findings mirror a trend seen in the Commissioner of Charities' latest annual report, which saw tax-deductible individual donations last year hitting $240 million, a 13.7 per cent increase from $211 million in 2008. Interestingly, charities said donors may have been moved to give more because they felt others were more badly off due to the recession. The increase in tax exemptions from 200 per cent to 250 per cent could also have played a part.
For example, the Community Chest has seen a rise in the number of donors supporting their Share programme - in which individuals make monthly donations - over the last five years.
The amount collected from donation boxes and direct mailers has also gone up in the last three years, noted ComChest director Tan Bee Heong.
Out of 400 Singaporean consumers polled in a global MasterCard survey on their plans for charitable donations, 57 per cent are looking to donate to charity in the near future, up from 54 per cent when the same survey was conducted at the end of last year, and 47 per cent in mid-2009.
The steady rise is of no surprise, given that the country's economy has rebounded from one of the worst recessions. Sociologist Terence Chong at the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies said the booming economy is a key reason why more are willing to give. 'People are more optimistic during good times and may feel more charitable, while during bad times they may worry about their own finances.'
The findings mirror a trend seen in the Commissioner of Charities' latest annual report, which saw tax-deductible individual donations last year hitting $240 million, a 13.7 per cent increase from $211 million in 2008. Interestingly, charities said donors may have been moved to give more because they felt others were more badly off due to the recession. The increase in tax exemptions from 200 per cent to 250 per cent could also have played a part.
For example, the Community Chest has seen a rise in the number of donors supporting their Share programme - in which individuals make monthly donations - over the last five years.
The amount collected from donation boxes and direct mailers has also gone up in the last three years, noted ComChest director Tan Bee Heong.
