Opinion: Church-Related Social Ties Boost Giving by Faithful

The cohesive social connections that form within congregations, rather than faith itself or theological teachings, drive the higher rates at which religious people donate to charity, a political scientist asserts in a Time magazine opinion column.

David E. Campbell, a Notre Dame professor and co-author of American Grace: How Religion Divides and Unites Us, says research for the book turned up no evidence linking belief per se with giving. Rather, he writes, “the ‘secret ingredient’ for charitable giving among religious Americans is the social networks formed within religious congregations.”

The number of friends someone has among fellow attendees correlates with how likely he or she is to donate time or money, a trend that also applies to nonreligious people with friends in a congregation, suggesting that if secular groups can replicate such tight social networks, they might spur comparable giving, Mr. Campbell writes.