Just 4 percent of Americans plan to donate their federal tax rebates to charity, according to a new survey by the Associated Press.

An economic-stimulus bill passed last week by Congress would give most single people a $600 rebate and married couples $1,200. Forty-five percent of people report that they would use a rebate to pay bills, while 19 percent say they would spend the money on consumer goods. Just in one in 25 of the 1,006 adults surveyed would support a charitable cause.

Read a special package in The Chronicle about the effect of a potential recession on charities.

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