Generosity has long been part of the American Spirit. We hope it remains so.

“That’s the conclusion of the World Giving Index, a ranking that measured how likely residents of 128 countries were to practice acts of generosity. The index, from the U.K.-based nonprofit Charities Aid Foundation, is based on Gallup’s World Poll surveys of 1.3 million people.” So reports MSN News.

“Between 2009 and 2018, interviewers asked respondents whether they had done the following in the last month: helped a stranger or someone they didn’t know who needed help, donated money to charity, or volunteered their time to an organization.”

“At the top of the list were the U.S., Myanmar and New Zealand. The countries that scored the lowest were Yemen, Greece and China.”

It should come as no surprise that American Spirit, driven by Christian morality, should be generous. However, there is reason for concern and a reminder that Americans must strive for vigilance against a spirit of complacency.

Market Watch reports, “Fewer Americans are giving money to charity, and their relationship with God may have something to do with it.”

“The share of U.S. adults who donated to charity dropped significantly between 2000 and 2016, according to an analysis released this month from the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy and Vanguard Charitable.”

“By 2016, just over half — 53% — of Americans gave money to charity, down from 66% in 2000. That figure held mostly steady until the Great Recession. Then it started to drop off and took a dive after 2010, said report co-author Una Osili, associate dean for research and international programs at the Lilly School. The decline amounts to 20 million fewer households donating to charity in 2016 (the most recent year for which data was available) versus 2000, researchers said.”