BLOOD-DONOR MOTIVATION - A SURVEY OF MINORITY COLLEGE-STUDENTS

Ninety-five percent of all blood donors are Caucasian. To investigate why minorities are under-represented as blood donors, a random sample of 120 minority college students were surveyed about attitudes and beh avior regarding blood donations. This sample of minority students had donated blood at the same rate (33%) and for the same positive motivat ion (altruism) and negative motivations (for those who did not donate- fear, medical excuses, didn't think of it, no time) as Caucasian donor s. The low rate of blood donations by minorities is not due to their m embership in ethnic groups per se, but to other variables such as educ ation and socioeconomic level. A recruitment strategy based on the res ults of this study is presented.