More than half prefer to receive a charitable donation on their behalf than a festive gift

It’s the season to be charitable according to new research, which finds over half of us (53%) plan to donate this December, with nine in ten intending to give the same amount or more than last year.

And this is something many are also asking of others, with over half (54%) of people preferring to receive a charitable donation on their behalf than a festive gift.

Nearly three quarters (72%) believe Christmas has become too commercial, finds PayPal, which conducted the research.

Almost three quarters (74%) of consumers said they would be more likely to shop at a business that is supporting a charity this Christmas. Yet whilst intentions are good, 59% of consumers say it’s difficult to donate because they haven’t got enough money to give, whilst almost 5% state they simply don’t have time.

PayPal says it has partnered with a number of brands this Christmas, making it easier to donate to charities focused on empowering youth.

For example, when shoppers pay with PayPal to buy a gift from notonthehighstreet’s Christmas collection or buy something on Nike.com or the Nike app, PayPal will make a donation to support youth charities. This means customers can help good causes without any extra time or cost.

Giving to charity via PayPal has got off to a flying start, with more than $31 million (around £24m) donated in the UK so far, making it the second most generous country donating via PayPal globally, after the US.

Rob Skinner, communications director at PayPal UK, said: “It’s clear that this Christmas the nation wants to give better and support causes that we feel make a difference to the lives of those less fortunate than us.

“That’s why PayPal has partnered with two of the UK’s most popular brands to make it really simple and easy for festive shoppers to help the nation’s youth without it denting their budget or cutting into precious family time during the festive season.”