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Title: Muslim American Giving 2021

Citation Type: Miscellaneous

Publication Year: 2021

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Abstract: Muslim-Americans are often at the center of conversations in the U.S. political and socioeconomic sphere. They are also one of the fastest-growing demographics in the U.S., with around 1.1% of the U.S. population belonging to the Muslim faith. The 2018 Pew survey projections say that Muslim-Americans are going to be the second largest faith in the U.S. by 2040. Muslim-Americans are also one of the most racially diverse groups in the U.S., comprising Arabs, Asians, African-Americans, and Caucasians among others. Latinos are currently one of the fastest-growing Muslim-Americans demographics as well. However, despite their importance, there is limited data-driven research on Muslim giving. There is extraordinarily little data and information available on Muslim philanthropic practices. Given the centrality of giving among Muslim communities and the vital role religious giving plays in philanthropy more broadly, it is worth taking a deeper look at how and why American Muslims give. Thousands of organizations nationwide support Muslim communities across a broad spectrum of needs. While some funding for these pursuits flows from outside Muslim communities (both from individuals and foundations), they are limited; most financing of organizations that support Muslim communities’ unique needs still comes from Muslims themselves. Thus, a deep dive into the philanthropic practices of American Muslims is necessary as we consider the development and strengthening of the communities and the institutions that serve them. At the same time, it is also essential to understand the motivations behind Muslim giving, mainly the reasons that may motivate them to giving toward specific causes. To this end, the Muslim Philanthropy Initiative at the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy survey in collaboration with Islamic Relief USA included a broad range of studies for uncovering American Muslims’ philanthropic practices and motivations. Moreover, this survey is also unique because earlier surveys only looked at whether Muslims practiced philanthropy and gave to specific causes. This study is the first survey to attempt to understand Muslim charities’ overall extent and scope and assess monetary support toward various causes. This report presents the data and findings from the section on Muslim philanthropy in the Muslim American Philanthropy Poll. The study was a self-administered web survey conducted by the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy. The study investigated the opinions of Muslims and the general population regarding faith customs, donation practices and attitudes, volunteer work, COVID-19, uncertainty intolerance, financial well-being, and discrimination. The survey also looked at how Muslims made decisions about donations. SSRS surveyed from March 17 through April 7, 2021. Overall, the team surveyed 2,005 respondents, including 1,003 Muslim respondents and 1,002 general population adult respondents. Overall, the survey finds that Muslims give more toward both faith- and non-faith-based causes than nonMuslims. Overall, if we extrapolate the overall giving to 3.45 million Muslims (based on Pew Survey), we find that Muslims gave a guestimate of 4.3 billion USD. Similarly, Muslims gave USD 1,810 to faith-based causes compared to USD 1,138 in the general population. Again, if we extrapolate the average giving of Muslims to 3.45 million Muslims, we find that Muslims gave USD 2.4 billion toward faith-based giving. Similarly, an average Muslim gave USD 1,400 to non-faith-based causes compared to USD 767 in the general population. If we extrapolate it to 3.45 million, Muslims gave an estimated USD 1.9 billion for non-faith-based causes. Overall, the report finds that American Muslims give their money and time generously in the U.S., much more than the average population. Their philanthropic patterns and preferences are well-assimilated with the American landscape and, for the most part, aligned remarkably well with the general public. There are, however, some distinct differences. For instance, Muslims generally spend a smaller proportion of their charity toward houses of worship or mosques (27.45%) compared to the average population (51.28%). Similarly, Muslims give a more significant proportion of their donations toward overseas relief and civil rights causes than the average population.

Url: https://scholarworks.iupui.edu/bitstream/handle/1805/26703/Muslim-American-Giving-2021_Final.pdf

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Authors: Siddiqui, Shariq; Wasif, Rafeel

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Data Collections: IPUMS CPS

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