The first CAF Scotland Giving report has been published
Scots are more generous than the UK as a whole according, new research has found.
The first annual CAF Scotland Giving report, a survey outlining how people support charities across the country, has revealed that 65% of Scots have donated money to charity in the past year. This compares to a UK-wide figure of 61%.
However just over half of those questioned (52%) said that they agreed charities are trustworthy.
The report, published by the Charities Aid Foundation (CAF), is based on a monthly tracking survey by research firm YouGov.
It also found that Scots are more likely to volunteer their time (19% vs 17%), donate goods to charity (58% vs 56%), and sponsor a friend or colleague (40% vs 37%).
Overall, the survey found people living in Scotland donated £813 million to charity in 2016. This represents 8.4% of the £9.7 billion donated to charity across the UK with Scotland accounting for 8.2% of the population.
The report also shows that young people in Scotland are more engaged with charity than the UK as a whole: 94% of 16-24 year olds reported they had done some form of charitable activity in the preceding year, significantly higher than the UK average which stands at 89%.
The research showed that levels of trust are similar in Scotland to the rest of the UK. It stated: “Although we cannot yet see how trust in charities in Scotland varies on a month by month basis, there are likely to be lessons from the UK as a whole which equally apply to Scotland. At the UK level, we saw that trust was relatively consistent across the year.”
Commenting on the report, Susan Pinkney, head of research at CAF, said: “We believe this report is the first of its kind, and we hope it will help build the amazing vibrant culture of charities in Scotland and help them expand the excellent work which supports so many people across the country.”
Pinkney said the survey showed that people in Scotland value charities. "This important new research confirms that Scots are incredibly generous and dedicated to supporting the causes they care about,” she said.
“When you look at it, Scotland performs incredibly well and this shows the amazing culture of giving we have here, of which we should all be very proud.”
Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations chief executive Martin Sime said that the survey was valuable as a way of understanding public attitudes and behaviours towards charities.
He said: “Through our own work over the years we’ve had a strong sense that people in Scotland are very supportive of charities, and it’s encouraging that in a number of areas this new research shows the picture is indeed somewhat rosier in Scotland than in the rest of the UK – for example in volunteering, and donations.”
