UK poverty is seen as one of the “most urgent” causes to support in the next three months, according to the Cost of Giving Monitor.
In June 2022, GOOD Agency hosted a roundtable with leaders from some of the UK’s largest charities, and it said the consensus amongst attendees was that there is insufficient data and insight into how this crisis will affect income in the short and long term.
This led to the creation of the Cost of Giving Monitor, which is a quarterly audience survey carried out in conjunction with GOOD Agency and YouGov. It most recently surveyed 2,042 respondents and all were asked 26 questions related to charity giving and how they have been affected by the cost-of-living crisis.
The report states: “Whilst other causes can have generational divides, the majority of respondents were united in the view that domestic poverty is a priority issue.”
Housing and homelessness, as well as mental health, also polled as high priority issues according to the survey.
Changes to charitable giving
The research reveals that three times more people plan to reduce their charitable giving, compared to those who intend to give more.
“As a result, we should expect a shrinking donor market. We also found that certain demographics plan to give less over the next three months. Gen X, Seniors and those with children under 18 report the highest rates of reduced giving,” it explains.
Less than half of charity donors (45%) and only a third of the population think charities are doing an effective job at supporting people in the cost-of-living crisis, which the report suggests means “there is work to be done for the sector to prove its impact”.
It finds the majority of the UK agree that more people need support during the cost-of-living crisis than they did during the pandemic.
'The future for charity giving is more uncertain now that it has been for many years'
Chris Norman, chief executive and founder of GOOD Agency said: “The future for charity giving is more uncertain now that it has been for many years, and at a time when the demand for their services is growing rapidly.”
He added the Cost of Giving Monitor would provide the sector valuable insights to not only understand the changes in attitude and behaviour of donors, but also to adapt to become more resilient to the changes.
The second wave of the Cost of Giving Monitor will be conducted in October and released early November 2022.
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