Northern Ireland most generous survey reveals

Howard Lake | 22 July 2007 | News

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• Ireland

People in Northern Ireland are the most likely in the UK to give money to charity, a survey has revealed. A think tank said the reasons could include higher levels of church-going or more effective fundraising strategies by voluntary groups.

Despite relatively low incomes, households which made donations were handing over £42 (‚€62.50) a month on average, a government study found. The report – Family Expenditure Survey – found that 47% of those polled in the province gave away money, compared with the UK average of 30%.

Charities benefiting range from those combating famine in Africa to supporting cancer research in the North. The portion of income given was 1.7% in the province.

The UK-wide 2006 snapshot showed people in the southern Great Britain were donating more than those in the North. Levels ranged from £15 (‚€22) per month in the East Midlands to £83 (‚€124) in London.

nfpSynergy is conducting an analysis of the research, which was based on 6,000 households across the UK.The group specialises in voluntary sector issues.

nfpSynergy spokesman Patrick Brennan said: It could be that Northern Ireland people are more intrinsically generous or local fundraisers are doing a better job.

These dramatic and unequivocal findings raise important further questions.

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.