Singaporeans more giving but still not too helpful: survey
Singaporeans have become more big-hearted.
That’s what a report published yearly by British-based nonprofit group Charities Aid Foundation and released Tuesday suggests.
Singapore’s ranking on the group’s 2013 World Giving Index leapt to 64th place, up 50 slots from last year’s 114th place, according to the report.
This is Singapore’s best showing in the four years since the index was launched. In the first two years, Singapore ranked 94th.
The index is compiled by looking at three gauges of giving: donating money to charity, volunteering and helping a stranger.
This year, 135 countries and territories were surveyed and ranked according to data collected in 2012.
It seems that Singaporeans are generous in making donations, placing 17th in this aspect. More than one in two (55 per cent) of Singaporeans have donated to charities in the month before they were surveyed, almost double that of last year’s results of 29 per cent.
More Singaporeans are also volunteering – almost one in five (17 per cent), up from 2012’s one in 10 (8 per cent).
Unfortunately, people in the country take the second last place when it comes to helping a stranger, with less than a quarter (24 per cent) having done so, the same score as the previous year. For this measure, Cambodia comes in last with 21 per cent.
Taking the title as the most giving country is the United States, which took the top slot on the index. Canada, Myanmar, and New Zealand tied for second place, and Ireland followed up after, rounding out the top 5.
Three Asian countries made it into the top 20: Sri Lanka (10th place), Philippines (16th place) and Hong Kong and Indonesia (both ranked 17th).
The survey also found that, overall, women are more likely to donate to charities, while men more willing to help a stranger.
When it comes to volunteering, the level of participation from 15-24 year olds across the globe has seen a significant increase. The group went from being the least likely to volunteer in 2008 to coming in second for this year’s findings.
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