Consumers lack confidence in their ability to give in 2011, as a new survey shows that more than one in four Brits plan to reduce or refuse their charitable donations next year.

Amid seemingly endless stories of economic instability and austerity impending and current, one in eight (13 per cent) of 2,000 people surveyed by ICM for giveonthemobile said they plan to reduce their donations in 2011. A further 14 per cent said they planned not to give at all.

While surveys of the public's giving intentions are notoriously difficult to apply to their behaviour, the ICM survey did bring up some interesting demographic distinctions in relation to giving predictions. The age group most likely to expect to reduce their philanthropy in 2011 was the relatively wealthy 45 -54 year old age group, with nearly one in five of respondents in that age bracket saying they plan on cutting back.

Meanwhile, despite plans to increase higher education fees, the difficult job market and other pressures on younger people, 13 per cent of these said they plan to increase their giving, against a national average of 4 per cent.

Regional differences arose also, with Scots more likely to expect to increase giving (7 per cent responded in the positive to this) and 19 per cent of East Midlanders predicting their giving will fall.