Some 42% of people said they are more likely to donate money at Christmas than at other times of the year, according to a new report.
Enthuse’s latest Donor Pulse report found 42% are likely to give a monetary donation, either via a straight donation or taking part in a sponsored event.
The report states 61% of respondents said they are more likely to donate items rather than money over the festive period. This could include contributing to a food bank (43%) or gifts for children (42%).
It adds that people are actively looking for causes to support in December. More than two-fifths said they like to give at Christmas and are looking to give to good causes.
Almost a third (31%) said they donate to charities when they see campaigns that ask for donations. Overall, 47% of the survey sample said they had responded to a Christmas appeal.
The report surveyed 2,033 members of the UK public about their attitudes to charity in November 2023 via interviews and analysis.
80% of Gen Z plan to donate over Christmas
Four out of five 18 to 24-year-olds said they are planning to donate to charity over the festive period compared to 49% of 55 to 64-year-olds. Overall, 72% of those surveyed said they are planning to donate to charity over the next three months, an increase of one percentage point on the survey results this time last year.
Chester Mojay-Sinclare, Enthuse founder and CEO, said: “Christmas continues to be a generous time of year and it’s great news for charities that so many are actively looking to give over this period. The younger generation are much more inclined to give over December, and there’s still time for social media and email campaigns to make an impact, as well as more traditional methods like text messages and phone calls.”
9% donated to people affected by the Israel-Gaza conflict
A quarter of respondents to the survey said they did not understand the politics of the Israel and Gaza conflict while 26% said they were not sure the aid would reach the right place.
This shows that charities supporting people impacted by the conflict must give clear messaging on why funds are needed and how they will be used, Enthuse said.
However, 9% of people said they had already donated to provide humanitarian aid in Gaza or Israel, and a further 19% said they planned to.
Almost half (44%) of respondents said charities should steer clear of political discussions in the lead up to the general election, while the other respondents said they wanted charities to campaign for change.
Two-thirds of those surveyed said they believe the government should provide more funding for charities.
Inverse giving
14% of respondents said they had engaged in inverse giving in the last six months, which is when members of the public donate to charities being criticised in the media or on social platforms.
This is a fall from its previous survey results, when one in five respondents had engaged in inverse giving. However, the statistic rises to 27% for Gen Z.
The Donor Pulse survey also asked for the respondents voting intentions in the next general election, and found that Liberal Democrat voters are the most likely to engage in inverse giving (27%), followed by Conservative (17%), Labour (16%) and Green (16%).
