Charity is public’s lowest priority for increased spending, says CAF Survey
Howard Lake | 17 June 2014 | News
The improvement for some in the UK’s economic condition might not extend to charities and their income, according to research conducted for the Charities Aid Foundation.
When asked what British adults were likely to increase their spending on in the next year, charity was given the lowest priority, with just 9% saying that they would increase their charitable giving.
Instead, Britons are mostly likely to increase their spending on;
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- groceries in the supermarket (31%)
- holidays (21%)
- clothes (17%)
- leisure activities (14%)
- eating out / takeaways (14%)
- charity (9%)
The survey suggests Britons are away that they are becoming more materialistic as the economic recovery returns for some. According to the survey, 59% of Britons think their fellow citizens are “often too focussed on their own lives to help others”, and 73% think that people in the UK are becoming more materialistic.
At the same time, nearly half (48%) say that they believe that “people should spend more money on charities as well as themselves”.
#GivingTuesday
The survey findings were released the day before the launch in the UK of a national event to promote charitable giving.
GivingTuesday was founded in the United States in 2012 by 92nd Street Y, the New York cultural and community centre, and is active now in nine countries. Focused on the first Tuesday in December, it has raised many millions of dollars for charities and encouraged millions of people to give time, money or their voice to charity.
The first Tuesday of December was chosen to contrast the campaign with the consumerism of the pre-Christmas shopping period, and the prominence accorded to peak shopping days dubbed ‘Black Friday’ and ‘Cyber Monday’.
Giving Tuesday in the UK is being promoted by the Charities Aid Foundation, with support from Blackbaud, Cancer Research UK, Alder Hey Children’s Charity and the Financial Times.
Celebrities who have supported the global GivingTuesday campaign include Lily Cole, Ringo Star, Heidi Klum and Bill Gates.
“It’s time for a bit of conspicuous compassion”
John Low, Chief Executive of the Charities Aid Foundation, said:
“It’s great news that people are feeling more optimistic about the economy and want charities to benefit from the upturn, but disappointing that people feel the country is becoming ever more materialistic at the same time.
“#GivingTuesday is our way of getting people to think about others and give a little back – I think it’s time for a bit of conspicuous compassion to counter the consumption”.
Henry Timms, co-founder of the #GivingTuesday movement and Executive Director of 92Y, said:
“This movement has inspired and drawn on the tremendous generosity of people in countries around the globe who are committed to making the world a better place. As an Englishman now living in New York, I’m particularly delighted to see #GivingTuesday take hold in the United Kingdom, and I look forward to how this celebration of giving will play out.”
Timms will be speaking at a GivingTuesday launch event today at Blackbaud Europe, which will be chaired by UK Fundraising’s Howard Lake and which can be viewed via a livestream.
About the survey
ComRes interviewed 2,006 British adults online between the 4th and 6th June 2014. Data were weighted to be representative of all British adults aged 18+. ComRes is a member of the British Polling Council and abides by its rules. Full data tables are available.
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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.