Local Charities Seem Great If You're White and Rich

Across the United States, volunteer groups and nonprofits seek to improve the lives of the most needy in communities, often patching together holes in the social safety net on a hyperlocal level. Small, grassroots organizations, sometimes run by church-related groups, distribute such basic necessities as food and clothing. Local branches of more established, national organizations offer organized services to children and teens. But for these organizations to work, those in need—and those who support them—first need to know that they exist.

And that’s a tricky thing. Asked about how active these sorts of organizations were in their own communities, the 1,656 Americans contacted for our Atlantic Media/Siemens State of the City Poll had very different impressions. Race, income, and political party affiliation in particular all appear to play a role in how people view the activity and presence of volunteer organizations in their communities. But personal experience working with or receiving services from them seems to be the truest test of attitudes about them.