Sociodemographic and Personality Characteristics of Canadian Donors Contributing to International Charity

Abstract

This study aims to establish a sociodemographic and personality profile of Canadians who donate internationally, fills the gap in the literature with regard to individual-level determinants of international giving, and compares these determinants with those of domestic donors. Women, volunteers, and individuals of non-Canadian origin, with higher income, higher education, higher level of religiosity, higher political awareness and participation, and higher frequency of extended family participation were more likely to contribute internationally. Higher education and a higher level of religiosity seem to influence international giving more than they did domestic giving. In terms of the variations in amount of international donations the important determinants are income, education, level of religiosity, and feeling of financial security. These results suggest that international charities should probably target their efforts at more-educated, higher-income and more-religious individuals. The other target donors are volunteers, women, individuals of non-Canadian origin, and politically aware and socially involved individuals.