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Are Poor People Better Givers Than Rich People?
Giving to others is part of a healthy path forward
A tall, broad ex-soldier asked us for money, and when we told him we had none and were homeless ourselves, he didn't question it, but gave us directions to a soup kitchen. Moth gave him some coins and his last chocolate bar. We had very little left, so we wandered up to dodge the rain and claim our free bowl of soup. — The Salt Path, Raynor Winn
Who donates more money to charity? The answer may be more complicated than you think. If you're talking about total amount, the top one percent of the population income wise gives way more than everybody else combined. But when you talk about giving as a percentage of income, poor people give substantially more than either rich people or middle-class people.
I was struck while reading the story of homeless hikers Raynor and Moth Winn how often they gave to others even when they didn’t have enough food and money for themselves.
Why? As an overfed middle-class person myself, panhandlers make me uneasy. I could give a little bit to every street person who asked me for spare change, yet I rarely do. Instead, I give to various organizations that support the poor.
I also vote for politicians in favor of a strong social safety net. I'd like to…
