Affluent households that amassed their wealth through business donated more than twice as much to charities as those that inherited their wealth, according to a new survey by Bank of America and the Center of Philanthropy at Indiana University.

Affluent households with a majority of assets stemming from entrepreneurship dispensed an average of $232,206 to charities in 2005. Households with a majority from inheritance, meanwhile, bestowed an average of $109,745.

The Study of High-Net-Worth Philanthropy also revealed that affluent households gave more often to religious causes than the average U.S. household, but their contributions accounted for a significantly smaller portion of their overall charitable giving. More than seven in 10 affluent families contributed to religious causes (72 percent), but this accounted for just 22 percent of their total donations. Less than half (45.4 percent) of average U.S. households gave to that sector, but it accounted for 60 percent of their total philanthropy.

Affluent households identified the most important drivers behind their charity as meeting critical needs (86.3 percent); giving back to society (82.6 percent); and reciprocity (81.5 percent). More than seven in 10 (74.8 percent) said they would dispense more to charity if less money were spent on administration, and nearly six in 10 (58.3 percent) said they would give more if they were able to determine the impact of gifts.

—Andrew Farrell