1 in 6 have given to charity to show solidarity with a cause
Melanie May | 27 March 2024 | News
One in six people (17%) have given when a charity’s actions were criticised in traditional or social media, with the same percentage having donated to show solidarity with a cause, according to the latest Donor Pulse research from Enthuse.
This edition of Enthuse’s quarterly Donor Pulse research provides insight into people’s giving habits, the public’s perception of how much political parties care about those in need, and drivers for fundraising event participation.
Enthuse also found that more than half (57%) of the public think the Conservatives do not care about disadvantaged people, scoring them between 1 and 4 out of 10. 34% say the same about the Liberal Democrats and Reform, and 29% about Labour.
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Nearly a third (31%) believe Labour cares a lot (8 or more out of 10) about helping the less fortunate. This drops to 24% for Reform, 21% for Liberal Democrats and 15% for the Conservatives.
More on inverse giving & politics here and here.
Public’s views on fundraising events
Enthuse also asked people if they were likely to get involved in a fundraising event this year, and what kind of events they like.
Overall, 44% said they were keen to take part. Split by age, 18-24-year-olds led the way at 61%, followed by 57% of under 45s, and 31% of over 45s.
Asked which words best describe their ideal charity event, the top answer given by the public was “fun” at 53%, followed by “sociable” (40%), “a well known cause” (32%) and “easy to sign up to” (28%). Being fun peaked at 58% for 44-54-year-olds down to 49% for 18-24s at the lower end of the scale.
Over two fifths (42%) of participants want to take part in challenge events and a third (33%) want to participate in large group events such as fun runs. Asked what would motivate them to sign up, the top answer was taking part as a team (40%), followed by information on how their money would be used (39%), encouragement from family (33%) and ideas for fundraising (23%). The biggest barrier to participation was a lack of fitness (45%).
Commenting on the research, Chester Mojay-Sinclare, Enthuse Founder and CEO, said:
“It’s clear that as we move towards a general election this year, discourse has become quite fraught and people seem increasingly compelled to voice their opinion as a result. Many have taken to backing up their views with donations to causes they care about too.
“Given the backdrop of a tough economic climate and political tension, it’s not surprising that the public is craving some levity. The message to charities is clear when it comes to fundraising events. People want them to be fun and sociable. Raising money for a great cause goes hand in hand with that social connection and the charities that can offer that will be the ones that thrive this year.”
Ongoing impact of economic crisis
Enthuse found that the number of people feeling worse off financially is going down with the gap between those feeling better and worse off the smallest it’s been in two years. However, almost half – 46% – of people say they feel worse off than three months ago and 16% say they feel better off in that time frame.
The top concerns about the cost of living are food prices (66%) and gas and electricity prices (65%). Just under one in five (19%) of people are worried about job security.
For those feeling worse off, about 1 in 5 (22%) say they’ve stopped donating altogether. 27% say they’re making fewer donations, 26% are making smaller donations when they do give and 21% say they’re being more selective with who they give to.
Three quarters (75%) of people have moderate to high trust in good causes, meaning they score trust at a 6 out of 10 or higher.
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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.