July 2012
Featured in this insight: Charity & not-for-profit, Financial services
Research gives overview of British charitable trends: Research published by the National Council for Voluntary Organisations and the Charities Aid Foundation gives the total amount of money donated by UK residents in 2011 to be £11 billion.
In a typical month, almost 60% of adults donate money to charity. Women aged 45–64 are the most likely to donate with 67% of them doing so, whilst young people aged 16–24 are the least likely with less than half giving to charity.
The most common amount donated fell into the £10–£100 category with 53% of donations falling between these amounts. Almost 2 in 5 (39%) donations were less than £10 and only 7% were more than £100.
People in professional occupations were the most likely to donate (70%) and cash is the most common way for people to give – almost half (47%) of all donations were in cash form. Only 2 in 5 (42%) donors gift aid their donations.
Medical research is the most popular cause, with 38% of all donations, followed by hospitals at 26% and children’s charities with 24%. The least popular cause was the arts which received just 1% of donations.
Sir Stuart Etherington, chief executive of the National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO) commented on the findings:
“This research is a welcome reminder of the British public’s willingness to help those in need, even when they are under significant financial pressures.”
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