Eight in ten Pakistanis reported giving charity during the last year, according to Executive Director Pakistan Centre for Philanthropy (PCP), Shazia Maqsood Amjad.
She mentioned these stats during the virtual launch of the Pakistan Giving Index (PGI) 2021.
The PCP conducted the virtual launch of the Pakistan Giving Index (PGI) 2021, a pioneering study to capture the giving behavior of people across the country.
Taking inspiration from the World Giving Index report, PGI aims to highlight the patterns and practices of giving in different forms, primary recipients of charity, and the perceived impact of giving.
Dean/Principal NUST School of Social Sciences, Dr. Ashfaque Hassan Khan, and Chair PCP Research Committee, Dr. Attiya Inayatullah, were the guest speakers at the launch.
Among the selected sample of 2,000 respondents from across Pakistan, about 84 percent males and 83 percent females reported having engaged in charitable giving.
The headline finding was that almost every adult Pakistani spends an average of Rs. 10,000 annually on charity for religious reasons. Amjad added that time volunteerism is not a common practice among Pakistanis as only around 14 percent of the respondents reported having volunteered one time in a year. As Pakistan is a developing country with a substantial proportion of the population living below poverty, it is encouraging to note that charitable giving is a common phenomenon, Dr. Khan stated. In this context, the survey revealed that people even from low socio-economic backgrounds give charity in one form or the other regardless of the pandemic.
In her closing remarks, Dr. Inayatullah highlighted that the PGI identifies the giving practices besides the giving attitude of people as it is important to understand why people donate. She also commended the efforts of the PCP to promote philanthropic knowledge by introducing philanthropy as a subject in SZABIST University Islamabad, which is expected to be expanded to public universities.
All the speakers at the launch acknowledged the PCP’s efforts in enhancing philanthropic knowledge through pioneering attempts like the PGI 2021. It was also unanimously recommended that the PGI should be conducted every two years to get better insights into philanthropic giving behavior in Pakistan.