Assessment, Statistics, and Research

Giving on a large scale and in a socially responsible manner has been called philanthropy. For obvious reasons, people have studied philanthropy and philanthropists. The Philanthropy Scale is a measure of generosity. Generous givers fund large scale projects like hospitals and disease research. Some give to establish schools and museums. There are many ways wealthy people use their resources to benefit others. Fortunately, generosity is not restricted to the super wealthy. Everyday people give their time and talents to benefit local charities or support an organization known for helping people in need throughout the world. Philanthropy is often studied along with gratitude and compassion . The Philanthropy Scale is a 7-item Likert-type scale. Schuyt, Smit, and Bekkers developed the scale  and presented the results at a 2004 conference in Los Angeles, CA. Each of the 7-items is rated as: 1 = disagree completely, 2 = Disagree, 3 = Neither Agree nor Disagree, 4 = Agree, 5