Only a minority of Australians leave a charitable bequest in their wills, a recent study from Swinburne University of Technology has found.
The study examined a random sample of Victorian probate records from 2006 and found that only around one in twenty people who leave a will, leave a charitable bequest.
Although an estimated 87 per cent of Australians make gifts to charity each year, the records show that Australians tend to leave their estates to immediate family members.
“Most people tend to think that as Australians we are generous and respond well to people in times of flood, fire and other disasters, but only a small minority do so in their wills. When it comes to our estates we make provision first for our families and then for charities,” researcher Dr Christopher Baker said.
Read more at Swinburne University of Technology