Offering possessions to charity shops is the most popular way to give, according to new research.

Some 2,000 people were quizzed on their giving habits by Wriglesworth Research on behalf of membership and financial services company Foresters.

It found the most preferred way to support charities was by donating old items to charity shops (57 per cent). The remainder of people preferred to make a spontaneous cash donation or give time through volunteering.

The findings align with research from the Charity Retail Association which finds that charity shops are extremely popular – with 73 per cent of the public agreeing that charity shops are socially responsible businesses (only 3 per cent disagree) and the vast majority agreeing that charity shops help their local area including through reinvesting money back into the community.

But, the Charity Retail Association also warned last summer that the biggest concern of its charity shop members is low stock levels, arising, it said from bogus collections.

Additional findings

The Wriglesworth survey found that 9 out of 10 of those quizzed donated to charity in 2011. The older generation (over-65s) gave the most with the average amount given by this group being £121.

The most popular cause supported was charities looking for a cure (59 per cent), followed by those that focus on children (44 per cent), animals (37 per cent) or local community issues (38 per cent).