دانشگاه اصفهان مطالعات وقف و امور خیریه 3115-7475 4 1 2026 03 21 Explaining Citizens' Attitudes Toward Charitable Institutions Supervised by the State Welfare Organization of Guilan Province تبیین نگرش شهروندان به مؤسسه‌های خیریه تحت نظارت بهزیستی استان گیلان 145 166 30473 10.22108/ecs.2026.148521.1178 FA رضا علیزاده استادیار پژوهشکدۀ گیلان‌شناسی، دانشگاه گیلان، رشت، ایران رضا جعفری دانش‌آموختۀ دکتری جامعه‌شناسی مسائل اجتماعی ایران، دانشگاه آزاد اسلامی، واحد تهران مرکز، ایران مهدی مظلوم خداشهری دانش‌آموختۀ کارشناسی‌ارشد جامعه‌شناسی، دانشگاه گیلان، رشت، ایران Journal Article 2026 02 25 Introduction Citizen participation in charitable affairs and helping others is contingent upon various factors. According to available statistics from the State Welfare Organization, there are 500 charitable institutions under the supervision of the Guilan Welfare Organization. However, due to rising poverty in society and the proliferation of charitable centers across different institutions, the level of public participation is not optimal—indeed, the rate of participation has declined. Public participation in charity increases financial revenue, enhances motivation, and improves transparency. Nevertheless, citizens' decreased participation does not necessarily imply a negative attitude on their part; it is quite possible that individuals with a positive attitude refrain from taking practical action due to factors such as institutional distrust or weak information dissemination. On the other hand, a negative attitude—even without manifesting in short-term participation—can gradually erode social capital and the enduring motivation for philanthropy. Based on qualitative observations and sporadic reports of rare violations in a few institutions, the Guilan Provincial Welfare Organization has serious concerns about declining participation in charitable affairs. However, the organization possesses no systematic or reliable data to ascertain the validity of this concern or to identify vulnerable points in public attitudes at an early stage. The present study has been designed precisely to fill this informational gap and to enable continuous monitoring of attitudes as a strategic indicator. Consequently, this research seeks not only to measure the attitudes of citizens toward charitable institutions under the auspices of the Welfare Organization but also to examine the variables affecting these attitudes. Methodology The present study was conducted using a quantitative approach, employing the survey technique and a questionnaire as the data collection tool. The statistical population consisted of citizens aged 18 years and older in Gilan Province. According to statistical data from the Management and Planning Organization of Gilan Province, this population numbers 2 million people. Based on Cochran's formula, the calculated sample size was 384 individuals. However, to account for potential errors and incomplete questionnaires, as well as the geographical scope of the study area, the sample size was increased to 500 individuals, and questionnaires were completed in urban areas. A random cluster sampling method was used for sample selection. Validation was carried out using face validity, drawing on expert opinions, while reliability was assessed using Cronbach's alpha coefficient. The reliability of the questionnaire was evaluated through a pre-test administered to 30 respondents, from which Cronbach's alpha was calculated; subsequently, inconsistent items were removed. After data collection, the obtained information was entered into SPSS software. Following error detection, the construction of required indices, and the conducting of descriptive and inferential analyses, the research findings were presented. Findings Attitudes toward charitable institutions vary according to gender, age groups, educational levels, income levels, and marital status (single vs. married). Trust in charitable institutions influences citizens' attitudes toward these institutions, and the relationship between trust and all three dimensions—cognition, behavior, and affect—is significant. The relationship between religiosity and attitude is also significant; increased religiosity effectively enhances citizens' cognition, affect, and willingness to participate in charitable activities. Social affiliations also play an effective role in increasing citizens' participation in charitable activities. The sense of justice in society influences citizens' attitudes toward these institutions, and an increased sense of justice leads to greater cognition, affect, and willingness to participate in charitable activities. The relationship between virtual space (social media/online platforms) and attitude is not significant. Specifically, the relationship between virtual space and the behavioral dimension—i.e., willingness to participate in charitable activities—is not significant. However, the relationship is significant regarding the cognitive and affective dimensions, but it has an inverse (negative) effect on citizens' cognitive and affective attitudes. According to the multiple regression results, the effects of trust, religiosity, and media on attitude (cognitive, behavioral, and affective) are significant, and the predictor variables explain approximately 65% of the variance in attitudes toward charitable institutions. Path analysis results further indicate that trust has the strongest direct effect on attitudes toward charitable institutions. Discussion and Conclusion The research findings indicated that increased trust, religiosity, social belonging, and a sense of social justice significantly enhance the tendency to participate in charitable activities. This finding directly confirms Allport's proposition regarding the role of attitudes in predicting behavior. A positive attitude formed at the cognitive and emotional levels acts as an empirical reference stored within individuals' mental frameworks. In decision-making situations (such as financial donations or voluntary participation), this attitude leads to the manifestation of prosocial behavior. Charities, as institutions that help reduce inequality, provide social support, and foster collective solidarity, are meaningfully interpreted within individuals' attitudinal systems as instruments of social and moral adaptation. Thus, a positive attitude toward these institutions is not merely an individual evaluation but also an adaptive response to the social, economic, and cultural conditions of the environment. The positive effect of formal media on the cognitive dimension demonstrates that these media, acting as external informational stimuli, shape the cognitive inputs of individuals' attitudinal systems and reinforce positive beliefs regarding the transparency, efficiency, and legitimacy of charities. The affective dimension of attitude consistently recorded the highest mean score in most cases. This indicates that positive emotions such as empathy, compassion, social belonging, and a sense of moral responsibility play a prominent role in shaping citizens' attitudes toward charitable institutions. The significant impact of religiosity and trust on the affective component confirms that religious beliefs and a sense of trust, through evoking moral and value-based emotions, generate a more positive attitude toward charities. Acknowledgments We thank the General Administration of the Guilan Province Welfare Organization for its financial support of this project. مؤسسه‌های خیریه نقش اساسی در کاهش فقر و حمایت از اقشار آسیب‌پذیر جامعه دارند. با وجود افزایش تعداد مؤسسه‌های خیریه در استان گیلان، جذب مشارکت مردمی کاهش یافته است. در همین ارتباط، شناخت دقیق نگرش شهروندان نسبت به مشارکت در امور خیریه اهمیت زیادی دارد. پژوهش حاضر با هدف تبیین نگرش شهروندان مناطق شهری گیلان به مؤسسه‌های خیریه تحت نظارت بهزیستی انجام شد. این مطالعه با رویکرد کمّی و به‌کارگیری تکنیک پیمایش روی 500 نفر از شهروندان بالای 18 سال ساکن مناطق شهری گیلان اجرا شد. نمونه‌گیری به روش خوشه‌ای تصادفی انجام شد و داده‌ها با پرسشنامه گردآوری شدند. اعتبار ابزار به روش صوری و پایایی با آلفای کرونباخ تأیید شد. یافته‌ها نشان داد اعتماد، دین‌داری، تعلقات اجتماعی، احساس عدالت و رسانه‌ها تأثیری معنادار بر نگرش شهروندان (شامل ابعاد شناختی، عاطفی و رفتاری) نسبت به مؤسسه‌های خیریه دارند. همچنین، نگرش برحسب جنسیت، سن، تأهل، تحصیلات و درآمد تفاوت معنادار دارد. تحلیل رگرسیونی نشان داد متغیرهای مستقل (اعتماد، دین‌داری و رسانه) 65 درصد از تغییرات نگرش را تبیین می‌کنند که در این میان، اعتماد قوی‌ترین پیش‌بین است.

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