Trust levels for charities falls to 56% in April 2014

June 2014

Trust levels for charities falls to 56% in April 2014: Trust levels for charities have dropped 10% in the last year to plummet down to 56% in April 2014, compared to their May 2013 reading of 66%.

The survey, conducted by Charity Awareness Monitor, with 1,000 16+ year olds in Britain, discovered that just over one in 10 (11%) people now trust charities a great deal, with 45% trusting them quite a lot. On the other hand, over one quarter (26%) said they do not trust charities much, with 12% trusting them very little.

Charities are now the seventh most trusted institution behind: the Armed Forces (70%), the NHS (68%), scouts and guides (64%), small businesses (62%), schools (61%) and the royal family (57%).

Political parties are by far the least trusted institution with just 2% of respondents saying they trust them a great deal and over half (51%) trusting them very little.

April’s decline in trust is the first time figures have fallen since 2011:

• April 2014 – 56%
• May 2013 – 66%
• May 2012 – 64%
• July 2011 – 59%
• January 2011 – 53%
• January 2010 – 70%

Charities’ lowest level of trust was recorded in July 2007 at just 42%.

When asked what statements charities could make about their costs to make donating to a charity more reassuring or convince people that charities are doing a good job, 70% of participants said they would be very/quite assured/convinced if every new charity had to be scrutinised by the Charity Commission before it is approved.

The subsequent top three statements were:

• Review all costs every year to make sure they are as low as possible – 68%
• Every charity’s accounts are on the Charity Commission website for anybody to see – 67%
• Staff to be working for the charity, not for the money – 67%

The three least favoured statements were:

• Head teachers and GPs are now paid £125,000 a year – so why not charity CEOs – 17%
• If we paid our CEO less your donation would not be as well spent – 19%
• If we paid our CEO £50,000 a year we could not get the same quality of leader and your donation would not be as well spent – 21%

Note: % = number of participants that would be very/quite assured/convinced.