Moderating role of religious beliefs on attitudes towards charities and motivation to donate

Abstract

Teah, M. and Lwin, M. and Cheah, I. 2014. Moderating role of religious beliefs on attitudes towards charities and motivation to donate. Asia Pacific Journal of Marketing and Logistics. 26 (5): pp. 738-760. 1 Moderating Role of Religious Beliefs on Attitudes towards Charities and Motivation to Donate PurposeThe study aims to examine the relationship between image of charitable organizations, attitudes towards charities and motivation to donate. In addition, the study will investigate the moderating effects of religious beliefs on attitudes towards charities and motivation to donate. Design/methodology/approachData is collected using a self-administered questionnaire. Trained interviewers employed a mallintercept method in downtown Kuala Lumpur over both weekdays and weekends. The scales are adapted from established sources. FindingsIt was found that religious beliefs moderates the relationship between attitudes towards charities and motivation to donate. In addition, image of charitable organizations has a positive influence on attitudes towards charities. It was also found that both image of charitable organizations and attitudes towards charities influence motivation to donate. Research limitations/implicationsThe study is conducted within downtown Kuala Lumpur and is not generalizable across Malaysia and other countries. In addition, this study only looked at general religious beliefs, therefore findings are not specific to a religion. As a result, possible religious differences may be neglected. Lastly, the study only focused on donors and further studies need to be conducted on non-donors to further understand donation behaviour. Practical implicationsThe findings from the study provide valuable insights to charities, government bodies and policy makers as it highlights the linkages between image of charitable organizations, attitudes towards charities and the motivation to donate of past donors. Additionally, religious bodies can also use the findings to formulate communication strategies to benefit charities as well as the broader community. Originality/valueThe study provides insights into the motivations of donors to donate to charities. More importantly, it also examines the influence of religious beliefs on donation behaviour, thus shedding insights on the opportunities for fundraising by charities.

Perceptions of Universiti Sains Malaysia Muslim Staff on Factors Influencing their Intention to Perform Cash Waqf

“…However, Ibrahim Sulaiman (2013) found the opposite when religiosity does not influence donation behaviour in Saudi Arabia. While Teah, Lwin and Cheah (2014) found that religiosity is a moderating factor between attitude towards donation and motivation to donate. Apart from that, Amirul Faiz Osman (2015) who done research on the behaviour of cash waqf contribution found the weak effect of religiosity in influencing intention towards cash waqf when the significant level is only at 10 percent degree of significant.…”

Civic engagement in the Indonesia health sector

“…The citizen with strong religious believes that donation to international charities can help them to gain recognition from employers and co-workers (Teah et al, 2014). The religiosity and materialism were inversely related, whereby religious people tend to become less materialistic (Bakar et al, 2013).…”

Individual Satisfaction and Tax Morale: The Perspective of Different Profession in Indonesia

“…The culture of Malaysian society that tends to have strong religious values proves to have a positive impact on individual tax compliance. Research on motivation to donate in Kuala Lumpur Malaysia found religious belief was a moderator that strengthens motivation to donate (Teah, Lwin, & Cheah, 2014). The reason because it is essential for individuals with strong religious belief to provide a signal in the form of action, where the action is in line with the religious doctrine that they believe.…”

“…This result is also ongoing with Ibrahim, Musah & Abdul-Hanan (2015) that trust in government is a crucial factor that drives tax morale. The research (Teah, Lwin & Cheah, 2014) on donor institutional confidence, also proves that donating venues affect motivation to donate. Individual trust in international charity is higher than local charity because international charity is considered more efficient and better in distributing funds for the needy.…”