Human Appeal, one of the UK’s fastest growing NGOs, has today launched a new white paper with research showing that despite the squeeze on household incomes, 1 in 3 people around the UK have increased their charitable donations over the past two years – with almost half (46%) 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.
The white paper’s research also found that the role of charity has become much more prominent around the UK. But 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% of respondents when listing their current reductions in household expenditure.
Overall, well over four-fifths (86%) of the UK population donates to charities on a monthly basis.
When deciding which charities to support, almost a third (29%) cited personal experience with the charity’s cause as the largest influencing major factor when it comes to supporting one organisation over another. But 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.
Commenting on the research, 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. 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.”
Human Appeal’s ‘Faith and Charity’ white paper is available for download on its website’s publications section.
Faith and charity
The purpose of this unique white paper study is to provide an update on the relationship and interconnections between faith and charity within UK communities.
The UK is broadly viewed as a highly secular society, with 53% of the British public describing themselves as having ‘no religion’ according to a survey by British Social Attitudes, 2018. For various cultural and historical reasons, Britain is nevertheless a highly diverse country encompassing many different ethnicities, nationalities and religions. In recent decades, the influx of religious diversity has reshaped the makeup of many communities, particularly in city regions, setting in motion wider societal trends that link faith, charity and community in the UK.
Download PDFMethodology
The survey was conducted among 1,001 UK consumers, across a nationally representative sample, and from a range of religions including no stated belief.
The interviews were conducted online by Sapio Research in March 2022 using an email invitation and an online survey
About Human Appeal
Human Appeal (registered charity 1154288) is a fully independent British development and relief NGO based in Manchester, UK. It was established in 1991, and runs targeted poverty relief programmes in collaboration with recognised global organisations like the United Nations. Its purpose is to save lives through emergency response and sustainable development programmes, across over 25 countries worldwide.
www.humanappeal.org.uk
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