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Factors That Influence Willingness to Help the Homeless

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Journal of Social Distress and the Homeless

Abstract

Homelessness is an ongoing challenge for many families and individuals. Many struggle to meet their basic needs for food, clothing and shelter. Unfortunately, we know very little about the people who directly help homeless people meet these needs. The present study examines the relationships between empathy, religion, household income, political orientation, gender, race, and people's expressed willingness to assist the homeless. Results demonstrate a strong and consistent link between empathy and willingness to help. Moderately consistent associations are found for religion and race. Limitations, suggestions for further research, and for practical application are discussed.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Family and Child Development, Auburn University, Auburn, Alabama, 36849

    Michael M. Morgan, H. Wallace Goddard & Sherri Newton Givens

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  1. Michael M. Morgan
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  2. H. Wallace Goddard
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  3. Sherri Newton Givens
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Morgan, M.M., Goddard, H.W. & Givens, S.N. Factors That Influence Willingness to Help the Homeless. Journal of Social Distress and the Homeless 6, 45–56 (1997). https://doi.org/10.1023/B:JOSD.0000015188.20794.d5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/B:JOSD.0000015188.20794.d5

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