The current financial downturn is not stopping consumers from doing their bit to help the less fortunate. A survey by MasterCard Worldwide found that 57% of consumers in the Middle East and Levant have plans to contribute towards a charitable cause in the second half of the year.
Consumers in Kuwait (79%) and Qatar (75%) are opening their hearts and wallets as the highest proportion of consumers planning to make donations. Consumers in Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) (64%), United Arab Emirates (UAE) (52%), Egypt (49%) and Lebanon (28%) are also planning to make donations in the second half of the year. In the Middle East and Levant, men (60%) are slightly more inclined towards making a charitable contribution than their female counterparts (53%).
The majority of consumers across four out of the six markets in the Middle East and Levant are looking to donate less than 2% of their annual income. In Kuwait (30%) consumers are willing to put more than 5% of their annual income towards charitable causes. In Egypt, 56% of consumers are looking to give less than 1% of their annual income to charity.
Interestingly, consumers from all age groups in the Middle East and Levant have nearly an equal propensity to donate. Consumers below the age of 30 (58%), those aged 56 and above (58%), those aged 46-55 years (57%) and those aged between 31-45 (56%) are planning to make charitable contributions. Those who are married (59%) or single (55%) are also more likely to donate compared to those who are divorced (48%).
“In the Middle East and Levant, it is interesting to see that the majority of consumers are looking to give a portion of their annual income to charity and help the less fortunate despite the financial downturn,” said Raghu Malhotra, area business head, Gulf countries, Middle East, MasterCard Worldwide.
These were the findings from a consumer survey conducted between 23 March and 18 April 2009 . A total of 2,600 consumers from 6 markets were surveyed on their plans to make a charitable donation in the following 6 months.
Market Highlights
Egypt
•49% of Egyptian consumers plan to make a charitable contribution in the next six months.
•The majority of Egyptian consumers (56%) who plan to donate are looking to give less than 1% of their annual income. Only 7% of consumers planning to donate are looking to give more than 5% of their annual income.
•In Egypt, males appear to be more inclined towards donating than females, with 53% of males planning to contribute towards philanthropic ventures compared with 45% of females.
•In Egypt, the most generous consumers fall in the age bracket of 46-55 years, with 59% of them planning to donate. This is compared with consumers aged 18-30 years (46%), 31-45 years (50%) and 56 years and above (44%) intending to make charitable contributions.
Kuwait
•Kuwait ranks as one of the most charitable markets, with 79% of consumers in Kuwait planning to make a charitable contribution in the next six months
•The majority of consumers in Kuwait (30%) who plan to donate are looking to give more than 5% of their annual income.
•In Kuwait, 80% of male consumers and 79% of female consumers are looking to donate to a charitable cause.
•In Kuwait, a high (92%) proportion of consumers aged 56 and above is looking to donate to a worthy cause. This is compared with consumers aged 18-30 years (78%), 31-45 years (79%) and 46-55 years (74%).
Lebanon
•28% of Lebanese consumers plan to make a charitable contribution in the next six months
•The majority of Lebanese consumers (60%) who plan to donate are looking to give between 1-2% of their annual income. Only 4% of consumers planning to donate are looking to give more than 5% of their annual income.
•In Lebanon, 27% of males and 28% of females are looking to donate to a charitable cause.
•Interestingly, single females (32%) have a tendency to donate more compared with single males (27%). However, married males (26%) appear to be more generous than married females (23%) in terms of donating to a cause.
Qatar
•75% of consumers in Qatar plan to make a charitable contribution in the next six months, making it one of the most charitable markets in the Asia-Pacific, Middle East and Africa region.
•The majority of consumers in Qatar (33%) who plan to donate are looking to give between 1-2% of their annual income. 15% of consumers planning to donate are looking to give more than 5% of their annual income.
•Males in Qatar appear to have a higher propensity to donate as compared to females. 77% of males plan to donate to charity compared with 69% of females.
•More than 70% of consumers in the various age brackets plan to make donations over the next six months - 18-30 years (76%), 31-45 years (71%), 46-55 years (77%) and 56 years and above (79%).
Saudi Arabia
•64% of consumers in Saudi Arabia plan to make a charitable contribution in the next six months
•The majority of consumers in Saudi Arabia (51%) who plan to donate are looking to give between 1-2% of their annual income. Only 7% of consumers planning to donate are looking to give more than 5% of their annual income.
•Unlike many markets in the region, it is the younger consumers in Saudi Arabia that are more generous than their older counterparts. The most philanthropic consumers are aged between 18-30 years (76%), followed by those aged 31-45 years (62%), 56 years and above (50%) and 46-55 years (48%).
UAE
•52% of consumers in UAE plan to make a charitable contribution in the next six months
•The majority of consumers in UAE (40%) who plan to donate are looking to give between 1-2% of their annual income. Only 7% of consumers planning to donate are looking to give more than 5% of their annual income.
•53% of male consumers and 51% of female consumers plan to make donations.
•Consumers in the 46-55 years age bracket (60%) are the most generous, followed by those aged 18-30 years (56%), 56 years and above (55%) and those aged 31-45 years (44%).