Views of Nonprofits Reflect America’s Political and Income Divides, Survey Says

Trust of the nonprofit field hinges on the same political and income divides that split the country, according to a new Independent Sector survey.

Affluent Americans with college educations have consistently more trust in the nonprofit world than others who have less income and less education. Similarly, Democrats and urban dwellers put more faith in nonprofits than do Republicans and rural residents.

These numbers affirm the results of last year’s Independent Sector survey, the organization’s first, which told a similar story of two Americas when it comes to the country’s embrace of the nonprofit field. Understanding what lies behind these numbers is critical because “public trust continues to be the currency of the nonprofit sector to support healthier and more equitable communities,” said Dan Cardinali, president of Independent Sector.

Over all, the survey showed that as the field stepped up to meet the extraordinary demands of the pandemic, Americans’ trust slipped a bit for nonprofits while eroding significantly for individual philanthropists and corporate and private foundations. An accompanying report noted that virtually all institutions in America lost a measure of trust during 2020. The nonprofit sector, like others, has wrestled for years with what has been called a “trust crisis.”

Fifty-seven percent of survey participants said they trust nonprofits to “do what is right,” down just 2 percentage points from 2020. Only 30 percent of respondents said they trusted major philanthropists or foundations, down from 36 percent. Major philanthropists are drawing increasing scrutiny as their wealth surges, needs grow, and questions arise about the benefits to society of their tax deductions.

Edelman Data & Intelligence conducted the survey in April and May, with 5,000 respondents to questions about nonprofits and 3,000 participants in the analysis of philanthropists and foundations. Findings include:

• Faith in nonprofits fell off sharply among the youngest American adults from 2020 to 2021. Only 45 percent of Generation Z survey takers said they trusted charities, a drop of 16 percentage points, from 61 percent. Meanwhile, 70 percent of members of the Greatest Generation expressed trust, a jump of 7 percentage points.
• More than two-thirds of Democrats surveyed — 69 percent — said they trusted nonprofits compared with 57 percent of Republicans.
• Sixty percent of respondents living in cities expressed their faith in the field, while 52 percent of rural residents did.
• Americans are more likely to trust a nonprofit with which they have engaged, whether through its services or as a volunteer. Those familiar with nonprofits and philanthropy report substantially higher trust than those who are not.