Research
Charity
In the issue 64 the Civic World started presenting parts of the publication “Trust, responsibility for social issues and charity in Macedonia”, published by the Macedonian Center for International Cooperation. The publication is, in fact, a report made on the basis of two questionnaires and the results of four focus-groups. The questionnaires and focus-groups have been carried out by the Institute for Sociological and Political-Legal Researches. The publication in PDF format is available on www.mcms.org.mk
Introduction
Most of the civil society organizations consider charity to be a solution to the present situation caused by many donors leaving Macedonia. In their perspectives, charity is a solution for their half-reduced budgets. Therefore MCIC wanted to check the factual situation. The research has shown how much the civil society organizations can count on citizens’ charity as a source of funds for their work in future.
Where should the concept of charity be learnt
According to the questionnaire, most citizens (50%) think that the concept of charity should be learnt within the family. Differences occur depending on the level of education, employment status and the region the respondents come from. Thus, those with incomplete education do not perceive formal education to be a place where charity should be learnt (5,3%), unlike those who have completed college or university education (18,2%). 13,2% of the respondents with incomplete primary education consider civil society organizations to be places where charity should be learnt, unlike all other respondents who are on the scale of 2,6% to 2,9%.
Chart VI.1.
Where should charity be mostly learnt?
|
Within the family |
50% |
|
In the formal education |
15.7% |
|
Charity should not be learnt |
10.7% |
|
Through the media campaign |
6.1% |
|
Through extracurricular activities in schools |
6.0% |
|
I do not know |
4.1% |
|
In religious communities |
3.9% |
|
In civil society organization |
2.9% |
|
Other |
0.6% |
The employed in the civil society organizations consider civil society organizations to be places where charity should be learnt. This attitude is confirmed by 13,3%, unlike only 1,4% of the employed in the public sector who have stated it. 20% of the employed in the civil society organizations think that charity should not be learnt, unlike pensioners (6,8%) or the employed in the public sector (7,7%).
Are charities used for the purpose?
This is one of the most frequent questions related to the concept of charity.
Respondents’ opinions in terms of the purpose use of charities are divided. According to respondents’ ethnicity, higher percentage (15,9%) of the Macedonians agrees with the attitude that charities are never used for the purpose unlike the ethnic Albanians whose percentage is 8,6%.
In terms of the respondents’ educational structure, it can be noticed that the percentage of those who think that charities are partly used for the purpose is getting higher, starting from 21,1% within respondents with incomplete primary education to 47% within respondents with complete college or university education.
In terms of the respondents’ employment status, a critical relation can be noticed within the employed in the civil society organizations. In lowest percentage (20%) they agree with the attitude “are partly used for the purpose”, unlike 47,2% of the employed in the public sector. The highest percentage (40%) of these respondents (employed in the civic sector) agrees with the attitude “are partly used not for the purpose”, unlike 22,8% of the farmers or 25,2% of the unemployed. It is the same with the attitude “are never used for the purpose”, where 26,7% of the employed in the civic sector agree with it, unlike 7,5% of the students or 9,4% of the employed in the public sector.
Chart VI.2.
Charities donated by the citizens are used strictly for the purpose
|
Yes, always |
5.4% |
|
Partly used for the purpose |
42.7% |
|
Partly unused |
28.0% |
|
Never used for the purpose |
14.5% |
|
I do not know |
9.4% |
About merits
There is no majority answer to the question “What should those who donate get?”. Nothing, 42,5% of the respondents think, that is, 17,9% of the respondents think that they should be given information about using the help.
Information about using the support is the most expected reaction of 20,6% of the employed in the public sector, unlike, for example, 5,3% of the farmers. 19,6% of the respondents from the Polog region think that those who donate should be given tax relief, unlike only 0,6% of the Pelagonija region who think that it is an appropriate satisfaction. The respondents from the northeast region least agree with the attitude that donors should not be given anything, only 8,8%, unlike those from the Pelagonija region where 60,2% think that donors should not be given anything.
Do citizens donate, why do they donate or why do not they donate
The questionnaire has shown that people over the age of 65 (56,3%), those with incomplete primary or complete primary education, 42,1%, that is, 42,2%, pensioners 43,2% and the respondents from the northeast region 40,4% donate least.
Chart VI.3.
Have you donated (money or goods) for the last 12 months?
|
Yes, a few times |
53.50% |
|
No |
24.50% |
|
Only once |
13.60% |
|
Yes, regularly, almost every month and for every event |
8.30% |
The percentage of those who have said they donated is high. Majority of respondents 83,2% donate of various reasons.
Chart VI.4.
Why do you donate?
|
People should support each other |
47.6% |
|
Out of compassion |
21.2% |
|
I do not donate |
16.8% |
|
I have enough and I can donate |
5.4% |
|
Out of superstition (for luck) |
4.9% |
|
Other |
2.7% |
|
To get rid of those who persistently ask |
1.5% |
People over the age of 65 (17,2%) and those with complete primary education (29,1%) least believe in the attitude that people should help each other, they donate more out of compassion (over the age of 65, 31,3%, that is 29,1% with complete primary education. Respondents from the Pelagonija and Polog region most believe in the attitude that people should support each other, 58%, that is, 59,4%.
It is interesting that superstition is business people’s motivation for donating. Most of the participants in the focus group have at least once thought that the business would go wrong if they did not donate.
However, 16,3% of the respondents are unmotivated for donating. The answer “I do not have enough for me” has most often been given by people over 65 (21,9%), the respondents with incomplete or complete primary education (31,6%, that is, 23,6%) and those with income to 2.000 denars (21,5%).
Chart VI.5.
Why do not you donate?
|
I donate |
83.7% |
|
I do not have enough for me (I need help, too) |
9.2% |
|
I do not trust anyone, I doubt misuses |
1.6% |
|
I do not believe it has an effect |
1.4% |
|
Everyone should take care of himself/herself |
1.3% |
|
I want, but I do not know how |
1.1% |
|
Other |
0.9% |
|
I am not informed how the funds are used |
0.8% |
Conclusion
Minority of the respondents (42,6%) think that the funds are not used for the purpose and they expect information about the use of help.
The percentage of those who think that the funds are not used for the purpose is still high (14,5% are completely sure in it and 28,1% partly), while 17,9% of the respondents have answered that they expected information about how the help was used. Charity should be learned within the family and it has the main role in forming a person to be human.
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