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Charitable giving and the future of NGOs in Russia: what can we learn from individual data?
This study seeks to discuss the survivability of charitable NGOs in Russia without foreign funding. We use cross-section data from a quantitative household survey conducted in April 2016 to investigate common giving patterns of Russians. Using statistic and regression analysis, we explore causes of donations and individual and social attributes of charitable giving in general and to NGO in particular. We find that Russians prefer direct giving to people in need rather than to NGOs; the donations are small, spontaneous and irregular; they are mainly targeted to support poor and unhealthy. Involvement in religion activities and higher self-assessed income are two factors, which contribute most to the probability of donating. Educated and younger donors are more likely to donate to NGOs compared to donating to particular people/families. The study suggests that private donations to NGOs will decline if no changes in public policy are made. NGOs supporting education, environment, culture or civil organizations seem to be worst-hit.