US News

Americans want Oprah as face of giving

When it comes to charitable giving, Americans want Oprah Winfrey to do the asking.

The “you get a car” chatterbox topped Bill and Melinda Gates, Warren Buffett and Angelina Jolie among celebrities that Americans would most want to front for their favorite causes, according to  “60 Minutes” and Vanity Fair magazine pollsters.

Asked “who would you most want to support your cause,” 28 percent of respondents picked Winfrey from a field of six notable philanthropists.

She edged out the Microsoft founder Gates and his wife [25 percent], Buffett  [13 percent], Jolie [9 percent], Prince William [7 percent] and Mark Zuckerberg [2 percent]. The third most popular answer turned out to be “don’t know” at 15 percent.

The charity-themed poll also asked Americans what kind of charitable giving can make the biggest impact. Medical research topped the choices at 32 percent, followed by  disaster relief [29 percent], faith-based charities [21 percent], homeless causes [15 percent] and politics [1 percent].

Pollsters asked Americans if they give to panhandlers and half of respondents said “no” – compared to 33 percent of the  “yes” vote and 17 percent who said they’d give, but only if the beggar was performing.