Charity Commission Study into Public Trust and Confidence in Charities

Governance | 30 May 2008

The Charity Commission has published the 2008 Charity Commission Study into Public Trust and Confidence in Charities. This is based on independent research conducted by Ipsos MORI which shows there has been an increase in public trust and confidence since the research was last undertaken in 2005. The research looks at what drives public trust and confidence, and includes research on the percentage of people that give money, goods or time to charities, and what people's perception of charities is. The Commission has also produced some initial analysis of issues that the research raises.

According to the report 2008 Study into Public Trust and Confidence in Charities published today;

nearly 1 in 5 people (18%) say they have given more than £200 to charity in the last year;
nearly half of the public (47%) say they have given goods and
one in three (36%) people say they, or someone they know, are actively involved with charities (either as an employee, trustee or volunteer)
all increases from the last time the same survey was conducted in 2005.

The majority of people (85%) say they have given money to charity within the last year.

The survey shows that of those listed, only doctors and the police score higher than charities with the public for trust and confidence, and that the public trust charities more than several bodies including social services, banks and central and local Government.

A third (35%) say that ‘charities making a positive difference to the cause they work for’ is the most important quality in engendering trust and confidence, while 71% of people agree that charities are effective at bringing about social change.

The research also outlines the most common reasons for trusting some charities either more or less than others. Asked if there are any specific charities they trusted more or less, and asked to give a reason, the most common reason for trusting a charity more (at 25%) is people having experienced or seen for themselves what the charity does, or that they believe in its cause (19%).

http://www.charity-commission.gov.uk/Library/news_thumbs/pdfs/Charities%20survey.pdf

Directory: Charity Commission

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