Despite frequent news headlines about the generosity of American billionaires, according to a new study, in the U.S., the poor are more generous than the rich. The Atlantic recently looked at one of the most “confounding, facts of charity in America”: People who can’t really afford to give, typically donate more than those who can afford to.

In recent years, the top 20% of America’s wealthiest donated 1.3% of their incomes to charity, while the bottom 20% gave 3.2% of theirs. When sociologists looked at what’s behind the numbers, they found a surprising reason: It’s not that the country’s poorest are more generous than the typical person, it’s that America’s rich are far less generous than most people … Discuss