The Sign of a Giver

"When you have eliminated the impossible,
whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth."
– Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

Finding clues to what makes a giver is one of public radio’s most popular pastimes. Nearly everyone has a theory or two.

AUDIENCE 98^® helps solve this mystery by investigating a number of possible theories. We rounded up the usual suspects in our Holmesian hunt for the truth – a wide range of listener attributes that, some speculate, weigh significantly in the decision to give.

For instance, more than a few armchair detectives assume that the characteristics that prompt people to listen also predict giving.

Watch out – that line of inquiry is a dead end.

Most people in public radio’s audience are better educated than most and share certain interests and values that attract them to listen in the first place.

So once in the audience, does one degree – more or less – make a difference? Are men, with more disposal income than women, more disposed to give? Do nest eggs and empty nests make it more likely for older people to pledge? Does the color of skin correlate to the color of money?

In AUDIENCE 98’s analysis, neither age, gender, race, nor level of education offer meaningful clues to giving.

If these descriptors fail to prove important, what about behavior? If the basis of giving is programming, does listening to any particular program or format forecast a gift?

Some speculate that a news/talk format is potentially more lucrative than music. We’re all familiar with the claim that classical listeners, with fatter wallets, are more apt to give than jazz users.

AUDIENCE 98 tests – and rejects – all evidence that a person’s listening to certain programs or formats plays any role in the decision to give.

By eliminating program choices and these personal characteristics from the list of speculation, we solidify the case for what is true:

If a person listens to public radio, tunes in regularly, values what he hears, believes he needs to do his share, and has money to give, that person is likely to give some to you.

This is the evidence that holds up under the closest statistical scrutiny. It’s compelling, yet still…elementary.

 – Leslie Peters
 – David Giovannoni
AUDIENCE 98 Core Team

 

Audience Research Analysis
Copyright © ARA and CPB.  All rights reserved.
Revised: September 01, 2000 12:38 PM.