Giving Increased During the Pandemic in Areas Hit Hardest by COVID-19

Amidst the uncertainty, fear and tragedy of the pandemic, people became more financially generous toward others. Charitable giving increased in counties that experienced COVID-19-related deaths, reveals a new study from the University of California San Diego's Rady School of Management published in Nature's Scientific Reports. The findings reveal that during the study period from March to August of 2020, charitable giving increased in 78 percent of counties that experienced greater threat from COVID-19. Human services charities—organizations that help mitigate the effects of the pandemic—benefited the most from increases in generosity. These charities feed the hungry, shelter homeless, or care for the elderly or young children. "While giving increased overall in areas affected by COVID-19, we also did not see decreases in donations to any charity categories, such as education or environmental issues," said lead author Ariel Fridman, a PhD candidate in behavioral marketing at the Rady School. "This is surprising given that a record-high majority of Americans reported a worsening financial situation during the same time.