Raising Social Awareness Through Philately and Its Effect on Philanthropy

Abstract:Philately is one channel for governments to educate the populace and affect social awareness. This article examines how postage stamps may be used in educating both local and international populations about social causes and is measured by evaluating the consequent philanthropic behavior towards medical needs and goals of a specific nation. Philanthropic donations to medically-related organizations are evaluated for the year of issuance of a postage stamp on the same topic as well as donations for following years. The research results find that for the majority of medical organizations studied, philanthropic contributions increase in the zero to two years following a topically related stamp's issuance, indicating the effectiveness of philatelic materials for educating the population and raising social awareness of medical causes.