Charitable Giving: Red States vs. Blue States

We've covered this on CC here and here.  Turns out the most charitable and generous states are the Red States and the stingiest states are Blue States:

U.S. states with the least religious residents are also the stingiest about giving money to charity, a new survey has revealed. The study released today by the Chronicle of Philanthropy found that residents in states where religious participation is higher than the rest of the nation, particularly in the South, gave the greatest percentage of their discretionary income to charity.The Northeast, with lower religious participation, was the least generous to charities, with the six New England states filling the last six slots among the 50 states.

Charitable: The survey found that Utah residents gave the greatest percentage of their discretionary income to charity; the Mormon church expects members to pay a 10 per cent tithe; seen here is the Mormon Temple in Salt Lake City
The study also found that patterns of charitable giving are colored in political reds and blues.

Of the 10 least generous states, nine voted for Democrat Barack Obama for president in the last election. By contrast, of the 10 most generous states, eight voted for Republican John McCain.But Peter Panepento, the Chronicle's assistant managing editor, said that political breakdown likely speaks to a state's religious makeup, not its prevailing political views. He noted the lowest-ranked Democrat states were also among the least religious, while the top-ranked Republican states were among the more religious.'I don't know if I could go out and say it's a complete Republican-Democrat difference as much as it is different religious attitudes and culture in these states,' he said.The study was based on Internal Revenue Service records of people who itemized deductions in 2008, the most recent year statistics were available.FIVE MOST GENEROUS STATES
1. Utah - residents gave 10.6 per cent of their discretionary income to charity (the Mormon church requires members to pay 10 per cent tithes)2. Mississippi - 7.2 per cent3. Alabama - 7.1 per cent4. Tennessee - 6.6 per cent5. South Carolina - 6.4 per cent These five states are all Republican. 

FIVE STINGIEST STATES
1. New Hampshire - residents gave 2.5 per cent of their discretionary income to charity2= Maine - 2.8 per cent2= Vermont - 2.8 per cent2= Massachusetts - 2.8 per cent5.Rhode Island - 3.1 per centThese five states are all Democrat.
By focusing on the percentage given to charity from discretionary income - the money left over after necessities are paid for - the study aimed to remove variables such as the differing costs of living around the country, Panepento said. The data allowed researchers to detail charitable giving down to the ZIP code, he said.
The most generous state was Utah, where a majority of residents are Mormon who are expected to give ten percent of their income to the church. Indeed, Utah residents gave 10.6 percent of their discretionary income to charity.
Next were Mississippi, Alabama, Tennessee and South Carolina. The least generous was New Hampshire, at 2.5 percent, followed by Maine, Vermont, Massachusetts and Rhode Island.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2191073/The-religious-states-stingiest-charity-thats-New-England.html#ixzz248kzyqrX