Religion preaches help for the poor and loving your neighbour, but now a new study has provided evidence that religion can make people more generous in their everyday lives. Research commissioned by the BBC found that people who profess a religious belief are significantly more likely to give to charity than non-believers. Sikhs and Jews emerged as the most likely to share their worldly goods with a good cause, just ahead of Christians, Hindus and Muslims. The study, carried out for the BBC's network of local radio stations, included polling by ComRes of a sample of more than 3,000 people of all faiths and none. It found that levels of generosity across the British public are strikingly high, but are highest among those with a religious faith. The Revd Dr Martyn Atkins, General Secretary of the Methodist Church, said: ‘Religious faith should motivate people to acts of generosity, and it’s good to see this reflected in these figures’.