Manchester, 20 August 2024 - Today, leading humanitarian aid charity Human Appeal, announces the release of a new survey which highlights how community sharing could ease some financial pressures for families and individuals during the ongoing cost of living crisis.
Conducted by YouGov on behalf of Human Appeal, this research comes at a time when many households across the UK continue to make cutbacks on essential items. However, the survey found that a solution may lie in our own front rooms and attics: donating things we no longer use.
The survey of over 2,000 adults across the UK revealed that households could be holding onto things unnecessarily, as almost two thirds of those surveyed (63.8%) agree that they are overdue a declutter.
In particular, the research found that almost three quarters (72.4%) of respondents have up to 40% of household items that they no longer use. Additionally, almost an identical percentage of those who have unused items at home (73.8%) claim that up to 40% of their belongings could be given to others.
This shows that the potential among local communities to engage in more circular economies is vast, and yet many of us hold onto items we no longer use.
The reasons for this vary. When respondents were asked the main reasons why they keep items they no longer use, the top three answers were: sentimental value (47%), potential future use (65.7%), and forgetting items that are stored away (37.7%).
Despite this, financial value is less of a factor for UK households than community, with almost three quarters of all respondents (84.1%) agreeing that they would be happier to give away an unused item for free if it was benefitting someone locally.
Commenting on the research, Owais Khan, Deputy CEO of Human Appeal, said, ‘It’s remarkable to see not only how many items the average UK household has at their disposal that could benefit others, but equally the heartening willingness to help their neighbours by giving things away for free. This presents an opportunity to bring people together, reduce our environmental impact and mitigate financial needs during the ongoing cost of living crisis. Our study shows that small acts of generosity can make a big difference to our wider community.’
Human Appeal’s ‘Community Sharing in a Cost-of-Living Crisis’ white paper is available to download here: Publications | Human Appeal.
The survey was conducted among a sample of 2,087 households in the North, Midlands, East, London, South, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. The figures are representative of UK adults (aged 18+). The survey was carried out in March 2024.
Human Appeal (registered charity 1154288) is a fully independent British charity and humanitarian NGO based in Manchester, UK. It was established in 1991 and runs targeted aid 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.
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