Charitable contributions are higher in states that have larger populations of religious people, according to a new report released by the Chronicle of Philanthropy.

The report shows that people living in states where religious participation is more widespread give the largest percentage of their discretionary income to charity.

It also found that states with the lowest religious participation give the least.

The most generous state was Utah, followed by the Bible Belt states of Mississippi, Alabama, Tennessee, and South Carolina.

The stingiest and least religious area of the country was the Northeast. New Hampshire residents gave the least, followed by Maine, Vermont, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island.

The study also found that the least generous and least religious states voted for the Democrat ticket in the last presidential election, while those that gave most voted for the Republicans.

The study was based on IRS records from 2008.