A LOOK AHEAD * L.A. has often been criticized as too self-absorbed to help the needy, a perception backed up by a 1994 study. But a new poll has found that . . . : Angelenos’ Spirit of Giving Is Alive, Well

Contrary to public perception of Angelenos as those who spend on themselves rather than on the needy, Los Angeles County residents give to charity at a rate just above the rest of the nation, according to the first survey of charitable behavior in the county.

The Field Research Corp. study, which will be released today, found that 74% of those interviewed reported giving to charity in the past year, 5% higher than the national average as established in a 1996 Gallup survey. The size of contributions also generally mirrored national rates.

“It verifies the hunch we had all along--that Angelenos are a lot more charitable and a lot more giving than they are described,” said Jack Shakeley, president of the California Community Foundation, which commissioned the study.

The finding clashes with a much-cited 1994 study by the Chronicle of Philanthropy, which ranked Los Angeles 48th out of 50 cities nationwide in per capita giving. That study was based on statistics from 10 of the largest national charities and from groups that tally giving to nonprofit and community foundations.

Deborah Jay, president of the Field Corp., said the Chronicle of Philanthropy study may have shortchanged Los Angeles County because its residents give to a wide range of charities rather than clustering their donations around select organizations.

“Given that our data suggests that Los Angeles County residents spread their money across many types of charities, that could explain why Los Angeles looks less generous,” Jay said.

*

The 48th ranking has become a mantra in certain philanthropic circles. A recent United Way radio ad cites the ranking as an announcer says, “I know that implants, tanning salons, personal trainers, cafe lattes and other necessities of life are expensive--but not as high as the price we pay for doing nothing.”

The perception of Los Angeles stinginess is also strong among residents. The Field study found that only 10% of those polled rate the county as “excellent” in its giving and volunteering.

The recent financial reality at the nonprofit California Community Foundation has run counter to conventional wisdom about Los Angeles’ penny-pinching. The foundation oversees funds that donors set up for charitable purposes and then makes grants for those donors.

In the last fiscal year, grants rose 18% to $32.1 million. Assets have been sharply rising in community foundations across the state.

So the foundation commissioned the poll, which surveyed 604 county residents this month and has a margin of error of plus or minus four percentage points, to settle the question.

Charities are expected to take on even more of a role in coming months as welfare reforms continue and some impoverished families are unable to rely on government support. Shakeley said that his group hopes to conduct the poll annually to measure how charitable attitudes in Los Angeles develop.

The poll did find areas in which Los Angeles County giving habits stood apart from those in the nation. Residents volunteered slightly less than the national average--44% of Angelenos compared to 49% of the population nationwide.

Also, “there seems to be more diversity in terms of the types of organizations that people give to,” Jay said. “That may be because [Los Angeles County] is more diverse.”

The poll also gauged residents’ perceptions of life in the county, which tied into giving patterns.

For example, 76% said the county had excellent or good arts and entertainment options; only 17% said they gave to arts-related charities--above the national average of 9% but far down the priorities list. Just 9% said a top priority for charities was fostering the performing arts; 12% called assisting visual arts a top priority. Fifty-nine percent supported a government role in arts funding.

The respondents registered concerns about schools, living conditions and safety, and the most popular charitable organizations were ones that helped the disabled and needy.

Religious and educational charities were the second and third most popular recipients of charitable Los Angeles County dollars. Nationally, these two categories are the most popular in charitable giving.

Priorities for giving generally cut across ethnic and racial lines, as well as geographic ones. The San Fernando Valley gave to the same programs at the same rates as the rest of the county, the study found. The Valley is the only area of the county broken out for separate analysis.

“We’re a very generous community, and we have a lot of similarity in our beliefs,” Shakeley said.

The most successful method of generating donations appears to be through churches, with 66% of respondents saying they gave because they were asked at their house of worship--far more than the national average of 52%.

“That may be because churches in Los Angeles are supporting a variety of organizations,” Jay said.

Far less successful are telephone and mail solicitations. Only 37% cited mail solicitations as very important or important factors in their giving; only 28% cited telephone solicitations.

Respondents also said employer matching programs--in which businesses match the charitable donations of their employees--are added incentives to giving. They said they would be more likely to give if they were confident that charities could improve their communities, that their money would be used effectively and if they had a voice in how it is used.

“Philanthropy is a business,” said Allan Parachini, a spokesman for the California Community Foundation, “and the customers are saying loudly and clearly what they want, and that they want to know about the companies they are giving money to.”

Shakeley said that may be one reason his organization, which works with donors in deciding where to direct their money, has seen a rise in giving recently.

“We listen very carefully to what our donors say and we are responsive to them,” he said.

The study also found that 91% of respondents supported charities’ rights to speak at public hearings, and 76% supported charities trying to influence legislation that affects them. Republicans in Congress have recently suggested limiting both activities by nonprofits.

Overall, Jay said, the survey presents the most fine-grained look at Los Angeles giving and refutes national stereotypes.

“Given that we hear a lot about the problems in Los Angeles,” she said, “it’s nice to hear something positive.”

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

Charity in L.A. County

The California Community Foundation commissioned the first comprehensive study of giving habits in Los Angeles County. Here are some of the findings in the poll of 604 county residents:

% reporting household contribution in past 12 months

% reporting volunteer activity in past 12 months

****

Did You Give?

Residents of Los Angeles County are more likely than the national average to make a charitable contribution but less likely to spend time in volunteer or service activities, according to a new Field Poll.

What Is the Best Charity?

Salvation Army: 10.6%

Red Cross: 10.1%

United Way: 6.6%

Goodwill: 2.3%

American Cancer Society: 2.2%

****

Whom Did You Give to?

Human Services Organization: 54%

Church/Temple: 49%

Schools/Educational Institutions: 37%

Children’s Group: 34%

Youth Development Group: 28%

Groups Concerned with the Elderly: 26%

Health Organization: 26%

Political Organization: 22%

Recreation/Sports: 19%

Religious outside Church/Temple: 19%

Art, Literary, Cultural: 17%

Work-Related: 17%

Library: 13%

International: 11%

Neighborhood, Homeowner’s: 11%

Sorority/Fraternity, Alumni: 11%

Other: 2%

****

Why Did You Give?

Want to help others: 30%

Civic duty/social responsibility: 18%

People in need: 12%

Religious beliefs/church-related: 11%

Didn’t need property/others could use it: 10%

Personal satisfaction: 10%

Belief in a particular cause: 10%

Personal experiences/someone close affected: 4%

Organization activity: 4%

I was asked: 3%

Tax deduction: 2%

Other: 4%

****

Why Didn’t You Give?

Can’t afford it: 62%

Don’t know about groups/have not been contacted: 6%

Have no property to donate: 6%

Never thought about it: 4%

Don’t trust charities: 4%

Too busy: 4%

Other: 5%

Don’t know or refused to answer: 13%

Source: Field Research Corp., Gallup Organization