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 behavior regarding blood donations. This sample of minority students had donated blood at the same rate (33%) and for the same positive motivation (altruism) and negative motivations (for those who did not donate--fear, medical excuses, didn't think of it, no time) as Caucasian donors. The low rate of blood donations by minorities is not due to their membership in ethnic groups per se, but to other variables such as education and socioeconomic level. A recruitment strategy based on the results of this study is presented.