Recessionary times and philanthropy: Establishing the pathway of charitable donations during the Irish economic downturn

Ireland has a strong tradition of philanthropy, and charity has played a significant part in the development of modern Ireland. Charitable giving in Ireland has, however, changed considerably over the past 15 years. This paper analyses charitable giving in Ireland by using the general population of the Mid-West region of Ireland as a sample of the entire Irish population. A self-completion questionnaire is used to examine people’s altruistic behaviour, in order to determine whether the recent economic downturn has had an impact on their attitudes towards charity. This paper concludes that financial stability is not the sole determinant of an individual’s ability to make donations to charity. Irish philanthropy is very reactive and spontaneous in nature; therefore the level of donations is unlikely to fluctuate greatly between periods of both strong and weak economic activity. Ireland has a strong tradition of philanthropy, and charity has played a significant part in the development of modern Ireland. Charitable giving in Ireland has, however, changed considerably over the past 15 years. This paper analyses charitable giving in Ireland by using the general population of the Mid-West region of Ireland as a sample of the entire Irish population. A self-completion questionnaire is used to examine people’s altruistic behaviour, in order to determine whether the recent economic downturn has had an impact on their attitudes towards charity. This paper concludes that financial stability is not the sole determinant of an individual’s ability to make donations to charity. Irish philanthropy is very reactive and spontaneous in nature; therefore the level of donations is unlikely to fluctuate greatly between periods of both strong and weak economic activity.