More than 70% of people planning to donate over Christmas
Melanie May | 14 December 2023 | News
More than 7 in 10 people are planning to donate over Christmas, according to a new report, with 42% of those surveyed saying they are more likely to give at this time of year than at others.
Looking at different age groups, Enthuse‘s latest Donor Pulse found that four fifths (80%) of 18-24 year olds say they are planning to donate to charity over the Christmas period, compared to half (49%) of 55-64 year olds.
How people plan to donate
More than two fifths (43%) overall say they like to give at Christmas and are looking for chances to donate, while around a third (31%) donate in response to campaigns that ask for contributions.
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42% say they are more likely to give money over Christmas than at other times of the year – 34% by a straight donation and 26% by taking part in a sponsored event. 61% are more likely to donate items over the festive season, such as contributions to a food bank (43%) or gifts for children (42%). Only 1 in 10 (12%) say they are less likely to make a donation at Christmas.
Popular causes
The most popular cause areas for support over Christmas are children’s charities (50%), homelessness (43%) and health (30%). For children’s charities this is a rise from around a fifth of people donating in the past two quarters, and for homelessness charities it’s an increase from approximately 15% in the last 6 months.
Response to Christmas appeals
47% of the public say they have responded to a Christmas appeal, and for those who say they are likely to give over the festive season, this rises to two thirds (67%). Among those very likely to give at Christmas, one in ten have responded to email campaigns, and almost one in five to social media adverts.
Commenting on the research, Chester Mojay-Sinclare, Enthuse Founder and CEO, said:
“Christmas continues to be a generous time of year and it’s great news for charities that so many are actively looking to give over this period. The younger generation are much more inclined to give over December, and there’s still time for social media and email campaigns to make an impact, as well as more traditional methods like text messages and phone calls.”
Gaza and Israel
The research also looked at how people are feeling about giving to Gaza and Israel, indicating that clearer messaging on what funds are for may be needed. 25% of people said they don’t understand the politics in the region and 26% were unsure the aid would reach the right place. However, 1 in 10 (9%) people have already given to provide humanitarian aid in Gaza or Israel, and a further 19% plan to. 12% of under 45s say they have donated – compared to 6% of over 45s.
Support for campaigning, and for criticised charities
Half of people want charities to campaign for change versus 44% who believe they should steer clear.
Members of the public are also prepared to give to charities that have faced criticism in traditional or social media. Just under 1 in 7 (14%) have done so in the past 6 months, and this rises to 27% for Gen Z. The research also looks at the likelihood to take part in inverse giving by voting intention too. Liberal Democrat voters are the most likely to engage (27%), with Tory (17%), Labour (16%) and Green (16%) voters all having very similar participation levels, with Reform voters at 8%.
Two thirds (65%) of those surveyed also said they believed the Government should provide more funding for charities.
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.