Downturn can grow people's allegiance to a cause

Giving to charity is considered more important during the cost of living crisis, new research reveals.

Research agency Medialab found that a quarter of its 2,000 survey sample placed greater emphasis on giving as the crisis deepened.

And more than one fifth of those who had taken steps to reduce their outgoings still thought it was important to donate.

Approximately half – some 41% - of those surveyed over the age of 65 said it was more important to give.

The report, The Era of Considered Consumption, looks at how sustained cost of living pressure is changing people’s behaviour, and what can be done about it.

It found the current crisis is driving a shift in behaviour, as people more carefully consider every spending decision in search of value and fairness.

Nick Parker, integration director at Medialab, said: “Charity giving is still below 2019 levels, but it’s not all doom and gloom. There are signs that consideration to donate to charities has lifted, possibly driven by higher charity media spend.

“Effective fundraising to drive income now is clearly key. However, as previous downturns have shown, it’s also crucial, where possible, to grow people’s connection to the cause, to harness shared moments to show the relevance of the cause, and to pull every lever from earned media to corporate partnerships to drive share of voice.”