Golden oldies: older people are more generous, says CAF

Howard Lake | 23 December 2004 | News

• Tagged with:
• Giving/Philanthropy
• Research / statistics

Older people are more generous than any other age group in giving to charity, according to research from Charities Aid Foundation (CAF).

The research involved analysis of the Expenditure and Food Survey 2002-03. It found that over one third of households headed by a 70 year old give to charity, compared to just over 18% of those headed by someone in their 20s. In addition, households headed by older people also tend to give more per person each week, than those headed by any other age group.

Older people also give more as a proportion of their income, more than double the proportion give by all other groups. The amount of money given to charity as a percentage of household income is far higher in households with a 60 or 70 year old at the helm. Households where the head is retired give 1.8% of their income to charity, with other groups giving just 0.8%.

Some older people do of course enjoy a greater disposable income once they have paid their mortgage and any children have left home. Not surprisingly, CAF reports that giving is at its highest among households which are rent-free, and where the head of the household is retired.

However, Cathy Pharoah, Director of Research at CAF, believes there is more to it than this, and points to a consistent trend in older people’s generosity. “The proportion of 70 year olds giving to charity has been growing steadily for the last 25 years”, she said. “What this seems to indicate is that our ageing population, far from being a drain on society, has a firmly entrenched sense of social responsibility.

“What we need to ensure is that these values, and the commitment to give to charity, are passed on to future generations.”

About Howard Lake
Howard Lake is consultant editor of UK Fundraising. He founded the site in 1994 and successfully sold it in 2022. As director of Giving X Ltd he is exploring growing giving on a massive scale. He is the founder of Fundraising Camp and co-founder of GoodJobs.