They’d Give After They Received

Given “all the money in the world” to fulfill their “wildest dream,” charity would be a leading priority for Americans, a poll found.

Shearson Lehman Bros., which said it wanted to know how people define the American dream, sponsored the Roper poll.

Sixteen percent of those polled said they have already achieved the American dream. Six in 10 said their parents achieved, or will achieve, the dream. More than seven in 10 said that attaining the dream is harder now than it was a generation ago.

Given unlimited money, 27% said they would give to charity first, more than would travel (22%) or help their families (19%, excluding the 7% who would save for their children’s education). Just 3% would quit their jobs or retire.

Most of the remaining responses were scattered among various types of spending, such as buying a house or other real estate (19%), a car (6%) and paying bills (11%).

Americans gave $103.13 billion to charity in 1991, up 5.76% from the previous year, according to the American Assn. of Fund-Raising Counsel Trust for Philanthropy.

“When most of us think about the ‘80s, we conjure up notions of indulgence and excess,” said Joe Plumeri, president of the retail division of Shearson Lehman Bros. “The findings of this study indicate the focus is on traditional values and charity.”