Most Americans who use nonprofits do not count themselves as users, an Indiana University survey finds
Only 7.4% of adults said their household used a charity's services last year, while 71.9% went to worship, a museum, a show or another activity nonprofits typically provide. Fewer now say nonprofits beat government at meeting basic needs.
Used a nonprofit in the past year: asked in general, then by activity
Indianapolis. Only 7.4% of Americans said they or someone in their immediate family had received or used services from a charity or nonprofit in the past year, but 71.9% had taken part in at least one activity nonprofits typically provide, according to a report the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy released on Sept. 25.
The report, What Americans Think About Nonprofits & Philanthropy 2026, returns to questions the school first asked in 2023 and was funded by the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation. Ipsos Public Affairs surveyed 1,790 adults for the school from March 3 to March 16.
A recognition gap
Asked about specific activities, 46.5% said they or a family member had attended religious services in the past year, 35.5% had visited a museum and 29.7% had attended a performing arts event. Fewer had attended a private school or college (11.1%), took in a shelter animal (8.4%) or received food, shelter or other basic necessities from a private organization (7.2%). From the two answers, the authors conclude that nearly 90% of those who took part did not first see themselves as users of nonprofit services. The general figure was 5.4% in 2023.
Confidence in nonprofits was among the highest of any group, yet only 23.3% expressed high confidence in their ability to solve societal or global problems. And 22.7% said their confidence would fall if a political figure they trusted expressed a lack of confidence in the sector.
“The nonprofit sector is a part of everyday life in ways many people do not immediately identify. That recognition gap matters.”
Nonprofits, government and the new deduction
The share who said nonprofits are more effective than government at providing basic needs fell from 24.6% in 2023 to 18.9%. The largest groups said the two are too different to compare (28.6%) or that it does not matter who provides the services as long as they are available (26.8%). The report says the study does not establish what caused the shift. Mr. Bergdoll told The Chronicle of Philanthropy that the decline was likely due to a realization, after cuts in federal spending, that nonprofits do not have the government's scale.
The survey also asked about the charitable deduction that, beginning in 2026, lets households that do not itemize deduct up to $1,000 for single filers or $2,000 for married couples. Of respondents, 23.9% knew about it, 77.7% said it would not change their giving and 19.0% expected to give more. In 2023, when the deduction was hypothetical, 24.4% of those with an opinion expected to give more.
More than half, 53.5%, said they did not know whether the nonprofit and philanthropic sector was headed in the right direction.
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