Three-quarters of charities avoid getting involved in politics, finds survey
February 2023 - Voluntary
Three-quarters of charities avoid getting involved in politics: A survey has revealed that 74% of UK charities refrain from getting involved in political debates, with voluntary organisations in less affluent areas more likely to engage in local lobbying. The research also revealed that larger organisations were more likely to get involved in lobbying than their smaller counterparts, and newer organisations were more likely to get involved than more established ones.
The research also found that fewer than one in 10 voluntary organisations (9%) said they are 'strongly committed' to getting involved in debates about local social and public policy.
The survey by Third Sector Trends received 6,070 responses from voluntary organisations in 2022, with almost two-thirds of these being charities (65%). Other responses came from community interest companies and faith organisations.
It revealed that around seven in 10 organisations engage in formal consultations regarding local social and public policy while just under half reported that they campaign to influence local policy.
A look at government funding
The research found that while many organisations are not optimistic when it comes to future levels of statutory funding, the expectations are more positive than in 2013, 2016 and 2019.
While the survey revealed some optimism amongst larger third sector organisations that statutory government funding will increase (with almost a third taking this view), this was in contrast to around a quarter (25%) who believe it will decline.
Collaboration
According to the research, around a third of the third sector organisations polled work in formal partnership arrangements with other voluntary organisations and groups, with a further fifth interested in doing so. However, for almost half the respondents polled (47%) this is not something they would be interested in setting up.
Three-quarters reported working informally with other third sector groups, with almost one in 10 saying they would like to work with other voluntary organisations in this way. Just under a third (65%) said they work 'closely' in a semi-formal way with other third sector organisations.
Sign up to our newsletter to receive free insights from your sector...
Support Us...
We hope that you have found this article useful. This section is freely available for all to use. Please help support it by liking us or following us on our social media platforms:
