As the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic continue to decrease due to the distribution of vaccines, millions of Americans will participate in group activities this Easter, like going to church services, having family dinners or hunting for Easter eggs. While things will be back to relative normalcy in the U.S., though, many parts of the world are still in crisis. One such crisis is Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and a recent WalletHub survey found that 68% of people would rather donate money this Easter to the humanitarian efforts in Ukraine than to a religious organization.
WalletHub’s survey aimed to find out Americans’ attitudes regarding the Easter holiday this season, including their thoughts on charitable giving, spending, religion and safety in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Key Stats
- People plan to spend more this year. 45% of Americans are planning to spend more on Easter this year than in 2021.
- More people plan to celebrate in person this year. Americans are 15% more likely to celebrate Easter with friends and family compared to last year.
- Religion is a source of comfort. 51% of Americans say that religion has helped them get through the pandemic.
- Taxes don’t matter as much for church donations. 72% of people say they don’t consider the tax benefits when making religious donations.
- Younger people are more likely to donate more. People under 30 are almost 3.5X more likely to donate more than usual to their church this Easter than those over 59.
Ask the Experts
Easter is one of the biggest holidays of the year, but it will be drastically different than usual due to the coronavirus pandemic. In order to provide further guidance to those who celebrate Easter, WalletHub turned to a panel of experts. Click on the experts below to view their bios and responses to the following key questions:
- Does it surprise you that 70% of Easter-celebrating Americans say they will not go to church for Easter this year, even if it’s open?
- How big of an impact has COVID-19 had on church finances?
- Should state and local governments allow church services on Easter Sunday?
Ask the Experts
Associate Professor, Department of Religion; Faculty Associate, Consortium of Studies in Race, Migration, and Sexuality – Dartmouth College
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Ph.D. – Margaret E. Burton Professor of Religion and Ethics; Senior Advisor to the Provost for Programs in Social Ethics; Chair, Ethics Area; Faculty of The Divinity School, The College, The Greenberg Center for Jewish Studies, The McLean Center for Clinical Medical Ethics at The Pritzker School of Medicine – University of Chicago
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Professor, Department of History, College of Arts & Sciences – University of Memphis
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Ph.D. – Associate Professor of Religious Studies; Associate Provost, Undergraduate Studies – Santa Clara University
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Ph.D. – Assistant Professor of Sociology – Westmont College
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Survey Methodology
This report reflects the results of a nationally representative online survey of nearly 370 respondents.
After we collected all responses, we normalized the data by age, gender, and income so the sample would reflect U.S. demographics.
Full Details Overall
| Which would you rather donate money to this year, your religious organization or humanitarian efforts in Ukraine? | |
|---|---|
| Ukraine | 68% |
| Religious organization | 32% |
| Has religion helped you make it through the pandemic? | |
| Yes | 51% |
| No | 49% |
| How did you celebrate Easter LAST year? (check all that apply) | |
| Stay at home | 50% |
| Friends and family get together | 48% |
| Church | 26% |
| Meal at a restaurant | 13% |
| How will you celebrate Easter THIS year? (check all that apply) | |
| Friends and family get together | 55% |
| Stay at home | 35% |
| Church | 30% |
| Meal at a restaurant | 19% |
| Will the coronavirus affect your Easter spending this year? | |
| No | 77% |
| Yes | 23% |
| Do you consider the tax benefits when making religious donations? | |
| No | 72% |
| Yes | 28% |
| What has the coronavirus made you more thankful for, if anything? | |
| My family | 40% |
| My health | 34% |
| Nothing | 12% |
| My freedom | 9% |
| My job | 5% |
| How much will you donate to your church this Easter? | |
| Normal amount | 69% |
| Less than usual | 20% |
| More than usual | 11% |
| Will you donate some of your tax refund to a religious organization? | |
| No | 77% |
| Yes | 23% |
| Are you planning to spend more or less on Easter this year than in 2021? | |
| Less | 55% |
| More | 45% |
Note: Percentages may not total 100% due to rounding.