# Five pounds – do children spend it on chocolate or charity?

- Link: https://fundraising.co.uk/2015/09/22/five-pounds-do-children-spend-it-on-chocolate-or-charity/
- Published: 2015-09-22T11:40:30+01:00
- Author: Howard Lake

**If you gave a child £5 to spend on what they wanted, would they spend it on some
chocolate for themselves, or donate it to charity? As part of Child Safety Week,
the Child Accident Prevention Trust found out.**

To highlight the fact that accidents are the second biggest cause of death for children
in the UK, the charity undertook a social experiment to see if children would choose
chocolate or charity.

Twenty children aged between 5 and 14 years old were given a £5 note. They were 
then told they could spend it on whatever they wanted. Not surprisingly they started
thinking of all the nice things they could buy. Chocolate, whether as a bar or cake,
cropped up quickly for most of them.

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They were then asked whether they would spend it on themselves or give it to The
Child Accident Prevention Trust to help stop accidents from happening to children.

Sophie Maunder-Allan, CEO of VCCPme and mother of two boys herself, said:

> “Our children went from angelic beauties to huffing and puffing divas demanding
> time to think about it.”

## Charity beats chocolate

⌊Kids care. Do yours?⌉⌊Kids care. Do yours?⌉

All but one child decided to give the money to charity. Even the girl who didn’t
said off-camera that she might share her toys instead.

But their good sides won out as all but one child handed over their five pounds 
to charity – and even she said off camera that perhaps she’d share her toys instead.

Maunder-Allan added:

> “I’m not sure the results would be the same if we tested adults.”

The Trust is inviting parents to [test their own children’s reactions](http://www.capt.org.uk/FiveQuidKids)“
and either gloat about their reaction or sheepishly share their child’s preference
at #FiveQuidKids”.

  

## Sound familiar?

You might have seen a similar experiment by Action Against Hunger Spain, in which
children were given the choice of keeping all the food offered to them, or sharing
it with a child that didn’t receive any food. The sharing impulse won in this too.

 _Main image: [chocolate bar ](http://www.shutterstock.com/pic-317540228.html)by
MskPhotoLife on Shutterstock.com_  

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