Nearly 40% of Americans have Received Assistance from Charity

The American public is largely sympathetic to people in need, but drastically misunderstands the causes of poverty, according to a new report, “ The Salvation Army\’s Report to America,” recently released by The Salvation Army. Among other eye-opening statistics, the report showed that while 38 percent of Americans have received assistance from a charitable group in their lifetime, another 27 percent of Americans believe that laziness is a root cause of poverty. Still, an overwhelming majority continues to donate to charities to help others in need. The report was based on a survey of more than 1,000 Americans, conducted in February 2012 by a third-party research firm. According to the survey commissioned by The Salvation Army and conducted on Vision Critical’s Springboard America panel, nearly 40 percent of Americans have requested help, including housing, food, financial and other assistance, from charitable organizations at some point in their lives. In particular, Americans with lower household incomes are much more likely to have experienced a lack of shelter, or a need to request assistance from a charitable group.

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