Nearly a third of all donors to charities would reduce the amount that they give if the recession continued, new research has revealed.

A survey of more than 1,000 donors across the United Kingdom, conducted by CCB fast.MAP for Civil Society, found that 21 per cent have already reduced the amount that they donate since September 2008, while 29 per cent would consider doing so if the recession was to come back.

“The number expecting to decrease donations has dropped from 29 per cent to 22 per cent,” says David Cole, managing director of CCB fast.MAP. “But, because 21 per cent have already reduced the sum donated, this indicated that the attrition is set to continue through at a lower rate, as more donors are experiencing the effects of the recession.”

However, all is not lost, with the percentage of donors intending to continue giving the same amount increasing from 34 per cent in September 2008 to 42 per cent in October 2009.

People supporting charities and crisis appeals advertised in the media and by direct mail also did not suffer badly, with a one per cent decrease from the previous year, while donations to street collectors only decreased by two percent over the same period.