Survey: giving softened in 2006; fewer young donors.

Religion, food/hunger, and health/disease organizations were the most likely to receive checks during 2006, according to a new Wall Street Journal Online/Harris Interactive survey of 2,939 adults in the United States.

While an overwhelming majority (83 percent) of Americans said that they gave, average personal annual giving declined to $1,220, from $1,352 during 2005. Asked what compelled them to give, 76 percent said that they did it because they believed it was the right thing to do.

And as charities push harder to find younger donors, fewer people ages 18-34 reported giving to charity during 2006, dropping from 74 percent of respondents to 70 percent. It was the largest percentage drop in age category, with ages 35-44 dropping 1 point to 80 percent and 55 and older dropping 1 point to 91 percent. The number of respondents ages 45-54 who reported giving increased by 2 points to 88 percent, according to the survey data.

Hunger/food and health/disease organizations grabbed the most attention from the 18-34 group during 2006 at 27 percent and 26 percent, respectively.

Those who are giving are doing it directly and in cash, with just 8 percent using a donor-advised fund. Only 3 percent of those polled gave a gift of stock. Some 4 percent said that they had made provisions in a will for charity and 3 percent cited making a contribution to an endowment.

The organizations receiving the money were led by religion, as always, at 35 percent. But hunger/food charities were just 1 point behind. Health/disease charities came in third at 31 percent with disaster relief registering at 27 percent and shelter/housing registering 26 percent. Animal organizations received money from 23 percent of those surveyed and education received gifts from 20 percent of those questioned. Arts pulled in gifts from just 10 percent of respondents.

The deviation in that ranking was in the respondents who earn $35,000 to $49,999 and in the $50,000-$74,999 range. To those groups, shelter/homelessness was more important than disaster relief. To those reportedly earning more than $75,000, education was more important than shelter/homelessness.

Retirees were more apt to give to religion (47 percent) while students were more likely to give to health/disease organizations. For those who are self-employed or employed full-time, religion and hunger/food were the most likely to receive gifts. Those who reported being unemployed ranked hunger/food as the place where a gift was given.

Those giving between $501 and $1,000 had the largest increase in giving with every household income category showing an increase, led by those earning $35,000 or less. That group reported a 4-point increase, followed by those earning $75,000 or more with a 3-point increase.