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September 2022 - Voluntary

Survey finds that around a third of people in the UK give more in charitable donations currently, than they did pre pandemic: A survey has revealed that around one in three people in the UK have increased their charitable donations over the past two years -- despite the pressures being felt during the Covid-19 pandemic, and more recently, the cost of living crisis, with rising living costs, high inflation and energy price hikes affecting people’s lives and pockets.

Respondents to a survey by NGO, Human Appeal, were asked to think back to the pandemic and whether their charitable donations have increased or decreased to what they are now. While 45% said their donations remained at the same level, 21% said that they increased 'slightly' and 12% said they increased 'significantly' over the last two years. Just 10% said their donations decreased slightly, while 5% reported a significant decrease.

The purpose of the survey was to look at why people donate to charities and also how their relationships with the charities they donate to have changed over time. 

Increasing charitable donations

The research found that as well as many people increasing their charitable donations over the past two years, nearly half (46%) said that they plan to increase their donations further throughout 2022 also. 

When asked about the cost of living crisis, a third of respondents polled said they were 'extremely concerned', however, just one in five (19%) cited reducing how much they give to charities when highlighting the areas where they have made cutbacks to household expenditure.

Perceptions of increasing need and support required throughout the UK during 2022 seem to align to the cost of living increase, found the study. Respondents were asked to rank charitable causes based on how urgently they are in need of support at the current time, with 'children and families' and 'physical and mental healthcare' being the top answers given (34% each). Poverty relief (26%), animals (23%), the elderly (17%), disability (16%) and overseas relief (15%) also placed highly, followed by housing (14%), human rights (11%), environmental (11%), military and public services (8%), education (7%), community (7%) and sports (4%). 

The survey also found that the most common reason cited for giving to a cause was having a personal connection to it in some way (29%). 

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