Broadening the Definition of Philanthropy: Understanding U.S. Citizen’s Embrace of Muslim Philanthropic Traditions

Today, philanthropy in the United States is operationalized as formal philanthropic giving and financial donations to charitable organizations. This definition contrasts with other traditions, such as the Muslim tradition, which embraces a broader definition of philanthropy by focusing on good intentions and restraint from bad actions. In this survey, we use a representative sample of Muslim Americans and non-Muslims in the United States to study the general population’s embrace of this broader definition. We find a wide embrace of informal philanthropic practices among Muslim Americans and the general population, with nearly half of the general population saying they also consider these practices part of their philanthropy. We also find a sociodemographic distinction, with younger and more religious individuals more likely to embrace these broader philanthropic practices. Our findings challenge the traditional definitions of philanthropic thinking and hint at a sociodemographic attitudinal change in philanthropy in the United States.