Study shows Americans overestimate their own generosity

A new report from Grey Matter Research shows that Americans who donate to charity typically overestimate—by quite a lot—their level of generosity, posing a problem for nonprofits that confront the question these donors raise: Why should I give more when I think I'm already giving a lot?

Publication Details

Journal
Nonprofit Business Advisor
Published
2026-04-21
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1002/nba.33164
Primary Topic
Nonprofit Sector and Volunteering
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
0.00
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article

Study shows Americans overestimate their own generosity

Nonprofit Business Advisor
Nonprofit Sector and Volunteering
article

Study shows Americans overestimate their own generosity

article en

Abstract

A new report from Grey Matter Research shows that Americans who donate to charity typically overestimate—by quite a lot—their level of generosity, posing a problem for nonprofits that confront the question these donors raise: Why should I give more when I think I'm already giving a lot?

Nonprofit Business AdvisorVol. 2026(440)
Openalex Percentile: Top 3%
Nonprofit Sector and Volunteering
DOISourceOpenAlex
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