Recession creates 'mini-boom' for charity shops, says Ecclesiastical Insurance
Howard Lake | 26 May 2009 | News
A survey by specialist charity insurer Ecclesiastical Insurance indicates that the recession has resulted in more people buying from charity shops, and more people donating goods to them. Thirteen per cent of Britons have started shopping at charity shops.
The survey reveals that 18% of existing charity shoppers are buying more from charity shops than they did before the recession (two years ago), and 21% of adults have begun to donate goods.
The survey was conducted by independent research company YouGov.
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According to the survey, women are more generous than men: 51% of the women questioned were charity shop donors before the recession and an additional 23% have now started donating.
The top five items that respondents who buy goods from charity shops look for are:
1. Books, which 65% purchase
2. Clothes (45%)
3. Household items (32%)
4. DVDs/videos (24%)
5. Music (15%)
Most of the respondents (66%) said that their main reason for shopping at charity shops to support the charity, with low prices (47%) and value for money (44%) also being important factors for many.
Despite the figures, Ecclesiastical acknowledge that charities themselves are reporting a shortage of stock. Oxfam, which operates a chain of 714 shops nationally, is the latest to express concern saying that donations have fallen by 12% so far this year.
YouGov’s total sample size was 2,140 adults, with figures weighted to be representative of all GB adults (aged 18+). Fieldwork was undertaken between 1 and 5 May 2009 with the survey being carried out online.
www.ecclesiastical.com
Photo: An Oxfam charity shop by Al Jordan on Flickr.com
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.