Sceptical UK investors donate 17 per cent more than European counterparts

Finance | Gareth Jones | 1 Feb 2007

British UK investors donate 17 per cent more to charities compared to their European counterparts despite being sceptical that their money will be put to good use. The research, conducted by investment house ABN AMRO Asset Management, surveyed 800 people, 200 from each of Britain, Netherlands, Germany and France.

The results show there is a considerably higher rate of charitable giving among British investors (86 per cent) compared to their European neighbours (69 per cent). However, only 56 per cent of British investors show a positive attitude to charities putting the money to good use, compared to the European average of 66 per cent.

British respondents also revealed they made a positive link between sustainable business practices and long-term financial returns, with almost 90 per cent saying they thought the offering of socially responsible investment funds was a good idea, compared to 84 per cent of respondents in Holland and Germany and 82 per cent in France.

David Morrow, SRI global product specialist at ABN AMRO Asset Management, said: 'This implies that the British make connections between ethical issues and personal finance decisions. There seems to be a positive correlation between SRI and charitable giving, given that the British donate more to charity and have a more favourable view of SRI. British investors must be very committed to charitable causes given their cynicism about how donations are used.'

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