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Who Really Cares: The Surprising Truth About Compasionate Conservatism Who Gives, Who Doesn't, and Why It Matters
 
 
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Who Really Cares: The Surprising Truth About Compasionate Conservatism Who Gives, Who Doesn't, and Why It Matters [Hardcover]

Arthur C. Brooks (Author)
3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (57 customer reviews)

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Editorial Reviews

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"Lucidly written, carefully distilled and persuasively cogent." Wall Street Journal" --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Product Description

Surprising proof that conservatives really are more compassionate--and more generous--than liberals.

We all know we should give to charity, but who really does? Approximately three-quarters of Americans give their time and money to various charities, churches, and causes; the other quarter of the population does not. Why has America split into two nations: givers and non-givers?

Arthur Brooks, a top scholar of economics and public policy, has spent years researching this trend, and even he was surprised by what he found. In Who Really Cares, he demonstrates conclusively that conservatives really are compassionate-far more compassionate than their liberal foes. Strong families, church attendance, earned income (as opposed to state-subsidized income), and the belief that individuals, not government, offer the best solution to social ills-all of these factors determine how likely one is to give.

Charity matters--not just to the givers and to the recipients, but to the nation as a whole. It is crucial to our prosperity, happiness, health, and our ability to govern ourselves as a free people. In Who Really Cares, Brooks outlines strategies for expanding the ranks of givers, for the good of all Americans.

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Product Details

  • Hardcover: 272 pages
  • Publisher: Basic Books (November 27, 2006)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0465008216
  • ISBN-13: 978-0465008216
  • Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.2 x 1 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces
  • Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (57 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #96,956 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
    #40 in  Books > Nonfiction > Social Sciences > Philanthropy & Charity

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Arthur C. Brooks
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Front Cover | Front Flap | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Flap | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
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Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
forced income redistribution, charity gap, percentage volunteering, government income redistribution, nonreligious charities, nonreligious causes, charity differences, secular charities, charitable behavior, charity each year, secular conservatives, secular causes, private giving, family philanthropy, welfare receipt, giving behavior, religious liberals, giving differences, charitable giving
Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
United States, New York, Democratic Party, Western Europe, San Francisco, South Dakota, Common Cents, New Jersey, New Hampshire, Red Hook, White House, Charitable America, European Union, Matel Dawson, President Lyndon, United Nations, United Way
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Customer Reviews

57 Reviews
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Average Customer Review
3.9 out of 5 stars (57 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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52 of 58 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars surprisingly good, better researched than expected, December 15, 2006
This review is from: Who Really Cares: The Surprising Truth About Compasionate Conservatism Who Gives, Who Doesn't, and Why It Matters (Hardcover)
The book uses data from many sources to prove that the one overwhelming predictor of generosity is religion. Political affiliation is almost irrelevent - the statistics for religious liberals and religious conservaties are identical. Religious people are statistically more likely to give than secularists (91% to 66%), and give more of their money (3.5 times more than secularists), are more likely to volunteer their time (67% to 44%), and volunteer more of their time (almost twice as much). The fact that the conservative population is more charitable than the liberal population is due to the fact that religious people tend to be politically conservative.

Brooks defines religious people as those who attend a place of worship at least once a week (roughly 30% of the population), and secularists as those who do not believe in a diety or attend a place of worship one time a year or less (20% of the population). That clearly leaves a large "middle class" where I suspect the statistics are hazy.

Contrary to comments in a previous review (by Richard Bennet), Brooks does address the issue of who the aid is given to. The statistics hold independent of the recipient of the donation or how the donation is solicited. Compared to secularists, religious people are more likely to donate to secular organizations or when the recipient is not local or is unknown. Religious people are more likely to make a donation when asked (by any organization, religious or not) than secularists.

Brooks also addresses the issue (in an entire chapter) of comparing US generosity with the generosity of other countries. Foreign aid as a percentage of GDP by the US federal government may be smaller than some nations, but private donations more than make up for the difference. For example, even accounting for the cost of living, Americans give twice as high a percentage of their incomes as the Dutch (and since there are many more Americans than Dutch, the total dollar amount is overwhelming). Brooks does have some data on other countries that shows the religious versus secularist statistics are not limited to the US population.

There is a lot of discussion in the book about the definition of charity which in some ways is more interesting than the statistical conclusions. How do you compare "compassion" versus "charity"? What is more important, motives or actions? Can charity be measured simply by donations or should the results of the donations be considered? The one area that Brooks is clear on is that charity must be consensual and beneficial. Charity is a personal, voluntary sacrifice for the good of another person. That means government aid as a result of taxation is not charity since the giver is forced to give (pay taxes).

Overall, this is a very good book with a lot of references and data contained in a long appendix. Data is from multiple sources including religious and secular charities and government organizations. Its well written and the numbers and statistics don't overwhelm the reader. Its obvious that the conclusions will be controversial and some are very surprising (such as the working poor are the most charitable of any group, but the nonworking poor are the worst even though they both have the same income).
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84 of 97 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars Solid Research but Still Political, November 25, 2006
This review is from: Who Really Cares: The Surprising Truth About Compasionate Conservatism Who Gives, Who Doesn't, and Why It Matters (Hardcover)
Brooks research shows that 1) Americans are charitable, 2) Conservitives/religious individuals care, 3) government negatively impacts charity, and 4) charity will make your life better. The appendix and notes section of the book is large and thorough. Furthermore, Brooks takes the time to explain complex analysis of charity and simplify it for everyone.

The main point that stood out to me was religious people are the real givers; it doesn't matter what their voting preference is. If you have faith in the Almighty you're more likely to love ("charity" according to 1 Corinthians ch 13) your neighbor.

The one negative is that the book has a political slant. No, it doesn't say we need to vote conservative and Brooks goes as far as even challenging liberals to change their philanthropic ways. But, it seems as if everything in our society revolves around politics.

Brooks is a clever writer that uses common language. The chapters are well thought out and the book is short enough to digest in one reading. I recommend this book to all non-profit organizations, economics students, and anyone looking to affirm their faith in charity.
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22 of 25 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Compassion gap, September 20, 2007
This review is from: Who Really Cares: The Surprising Truth About Compasionate Conservatism Who Gives, Who Doesn't, and Why It Matters (Hardcover)
The title of this book refers to the surprising find that the author came across in his research: conservatives are much more generous than liberals. This flies in the face of the conventional wisdom where even president Bush had to brandish his 2000 campaign as "compassionate conservatism". It turns out "compassionate" is redundant: conservatives of all stripes outflank liberalism when it comes to charitable giving and generosity. This is a very stable and robust find, and it turns out that it does not depend on the kind of charity: money, time, treasure, blood donations, secular or religious causes, in all those categories conservatives, especially the religious kind, are by far more giving and generous than anyone else. One of the great strengths of this book is the reliance on empirical, quantifiable, data and not case studies or the word of mouth. Even though the book is data driven, it is eminently readable and should be read by anyone who has even the slightest interest in public policy debate.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars Explains the Statistics on Who Gives to Charity and Why
This is a book I've been waiting to see written for a long time. In this book, the author lays out the statistics and does an analysis showing who gives and why they give. Read more
Published 2 months ago by ironman96

4.0 out of 5 stars Why giving matters
I heard Arthur Brooks give a speech based on this book and my first thought was, "Every American should listen to this guy! Read more
Published 3 months ago by V. Robison

5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing read that should be required in every high school in america
Great Book. Uses data to show that charitable giving is a secret to happiness. Who actually gives is surprising and that the benefits from giving are amazing. Read more
Published 6 months ago by K. F. Petersen

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the most interesting and profound books I've read this year
I'm a high school teacher that founded and sponsored the local Key Club (secular volunteer organization) at my high school for 7 years. Read more
Published 8 months ago by DWD

4.0 out of 5 stars Good book so far....
I have read half of this book so far. Very good arguments on charity in this country.
Published 13 months ago by Marc B. Virkus

1.0 out of 5 stars Poorly Documented-Clearly Biased
This book is completely lacking in valid research. Simply put, if you love Bill O'Reilly and Rush Limbaugh, you'll love this book for its praise of conservatism and bashing of... Read more
Published 17 months ago by Anastasia

4.0 out of 5 stars Not At All Surprising
It is certainly no surprise that people on the political Right tend to be positive about this book, and those on the Left negative. Read more
Published 18 months ago by John Winterson Richards

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Book!
Very enlighting book. I am amazed that a liberal would actually tell the truth! Very refreshing!
Published 19 months ago by Nancy C. Thomas

3.0 out of 5 stars Too much conservative opinions
The first part of the book presents results of studies which show that the Americans give a lot to charity. This is great. I enjoyed it when I was in U.S. 40 years ago. Read more
Published 19 months ago by Markku Ojanen

2.0 out of 5 stars Not convinced...
The Author negates most of his premise by starting off saying that Danes are the happiest people on earth. Read more
Published 20 months ago by R. Porter

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