UK adults increasingly reviewing non-essential spending
Melanie May | 13 September 2021 | News
People are increasingly watching their spending according to figures from About Loyalty, with the number having to review their day-to-day expenditure rising by almost two thirds (64%) in the last four weeks.
A quarter of 2,000 UK adults surveyed in About Loyalty’s weekly Public Sentiment Tracker currently say they are reviewing their ‘non-essential’ outgoings – up from 15% one month ago. More than 1 in 8 (13%) strongly agree that they might not have enough money to pay for their home, heating and food in the year ahead.
At the same time, the tracker reveals high confidence in charities with the public believing charities are more important now than before Covid. Public trust in charities has risen 34% over the last month, rising from +30.5% to +40.9% over the past four weeks. In contrast, trust in the Government currently sits at -9%.
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Net importance of charitable causes has risen by 72%, growing from 18% when tracking began in April 2020 to 31% in September 2021. In the last week, the relative importance of local causes has increased by 7.7%. This indicates, About Loyalty says, that people are more likely to support causes that demonstrate the local impact they are making.
Local, environment and NHS charities have all gained ground since the start of the pandemic, according to About Loyalty’s data. Early on in the pandemic, the environment scored very low but has recovered steadily. Over the past four weeks, with news headlines dominated by a surge in Covid cases, unrest in Afghanistan, and the Paralympics, the public’s recognition of the importance of the armed forces (up 18%), overseas aid (up 9%), health support and information (up 13%), and support for those living with disabilities (up 10%) have all risen.
Richard Spencer, Director of About Loyalty, said:
“Once more charities are facing a double-edged sword where some supporters will inevitably have to cut back on donations as they seek to manage their finances, while there will be even greater strain on charities when it comes to service delivery.
“But there is good news. At the same time public sentiment shows that people want charities to have a role in the nation’s recovery, and as charities we need to recognise that.
“It’s so important for fundraisers to be aware of the increased pressure on people’s purse strings, their worries, health and wellbeing at times like this; to understand what’s likely to be keeping them awake at night, and what their current priorities really are. With this knowledge, charities can resonate, ensuring their communications are relevant, spark interest and genuinely engage.
“While increased financial pressure will never be good news for charities, it’s at times like these that the public really connects with organisations that support those in need. People believe charities are important and trust is high, both key foundations for growing loyalty and regular giving.”
About Loyalty’s Public Sentiment Tracker surveys a nationally representative sample of 2,000 members of the public each week, including around 1,150 charity donors. The figures released today come 18 months after the weekly tracking study was first launched at the start of the pandemic with the intention of monitoring public sentiments around Covid-19 and a broad range of issues that can directly impact charitable support.
About Loyalty will be sharing the latest findings from its tracker at a free one-hour webinar taking place from 11am-12pm this Wednesday (15 September). There will also be an opportunity for charities to take up a free four-week trial of the latest tracker update of the Public Sentiment Tracker, which asks new and broader charity specific survey questions of the public every week.
About Melanie May
Melanie May is a journalist and copywriter specialising in writing both for and about the charity and marketing services sectors since 2001. She can be reached via thepurplepim.com.