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The voice of Scotland’s vibrant voluntary sector

Published by Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations

TFN is published by the Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations, Mansfield Traquair Centre, 15 Mansfield Place, Edinburgh, EH3 6BB. The Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations (SCVO) is a Scottish Charitable Incorporated Organisation. Registration number SC003558.

UK public unwilling to cut charity support despite cost of living crisis

This news post is almost 2 years old
 

The findings, published by charity Human Appeal, has laid out the generosity still shown by the public.

One of the UK’s fastest growing NGOs has today launched a new white paper showing that people across the UK are unwilling to cut personal charity support despite the cost of living crisis. 

Research by Human Appeal has suggested one in three people around the UK have increased their charitable donations over the past two years – with almost half (46 per cent) stating that they expect to increase their charitable donations throughout this year too.

The research, which was conducted by Sapio Research in March 2022, explored why people donate to charities and how their relationship with charitable organisations has changed in recent years.

Despite households across the country being hit hard with high inflation, rising energy and food prices, the nation is unwilling to forget those in greater need. 

One third of respondents have increased their charitable donations following the pandemic and nearly half became more aware of charity work in their local communities during the Covid lockdowns.

Dr Mohamed Ashmawey, CEO of Human Appeal, said: “This research not only shows just how important charity organisations have become to the nation at a time of growing poverty and financial need, but also how deeply committed the nation is to helping others in need. 

“Even with household finances facing unprecedented demands, people are unwavering in their support for their chosen causes just as many need it the most. 

The white paper’s research also found that the role of charity has become much more prominent around the UK. 

Even as the cost of living rises across the country, respondents were unwilling to cut back on their support for charitable causes. 

While well over a third of respondents were “extremely concerned” about the rising cost of living, and many are cutting back on daily non-essential spending, reducing spend on charity donations was cited by just 19 per cent of respondents when listing their current reductions in household expenditure.

Overall, well over four-fifths (86 per cent) of the UK population donates to charities on a monthly basis.

When deciding which charities to support, almost a third (29 per cent) cited personal experience with the charity’s cause as the largest influencing major factor when it comes to supporting one organisation over another. 

The average UK resident supports two to three organisations at once, whether by one-off or regular monetary donations, sponsoring charity events or donating items to charity shops. 

Dr Ashmawey added: “It is incredibly encouraging to see the nation so committed to their chosen charities, as well as to see that the hard work and commitment of so many charity organisations in the UK has been recognised over the last few years.”