Yet by nearly every measure Americans are more generous with their money and time than anyone — including Europeans.

Indeed, American charitable giving exceeds the entire GDP of most European countries.

According to the Almanac of American Philanthropy, Americans donate around seven times as much as continental Europeans to charitable causes per capita. Per person, even after adjusting for differences in household income, Americans donate twice as much of their income as the Dutch, three times as much as the French, five times as much as Germans, and ten times that of Italians.

Only 14 percent of American donations come from foundation grants, and another 5 percent from corporations. More than 80 percent of charitable giving, however, is done by individuals. And this charity is found wide and deep within society. Every year, six out of ten households in the United States donate to a charitable cause, and the typical household gives somewhere around $2,000 to $3,000.