THE NUMBER of people giving to charity in the UK is falling, with an estimated 1.6m fewer people donating last year.
However, donors initially gave more during the pandemic, according to analysis of the last 18 months from the Charities Aid Foundation.
The UK Giving report – the country’s largest study of giving behaviour found that 62 per cent of people gave to charity last year through donations or sponsorship, dropping from 65 per cent the previous year. The number of people giving has been steadily declining since 2016, when 69 per cent donated, but this latest drop is likely to have been fuelled by the large-scale cancellation of fund-raising events during several lockdowns and ongoing social distancing measures.
However, donation levels remained low in 2021, even though most restrictions had lifted.
As the Covid-19 pandemic took hold, those who did give, donated more than in the past. People gave an average of £53.52 via donations or sponsorship in any given month, compared to £45.69 in 2019, even though one in three (36 per cent) had personally experienced a decrease in their household’s disposable income because of the pandemic.
The average monthly donation remained slightly higher in 2021 compared to pre-pandemic levels, with an average monthly donation of £49 from January to June, compared to £42 for the same period in 2019.
Donation levels were especially low during the 2020 festive period, which is usually the peak time of year for charitable giving. In November 2020 only 32 per cent of people said they had given via donations or sponsorship in the past four weeks, a drop from 43 per cent in November 2019.
The giving trend by age group during the pandemic reflects the high levels of job insecurity, with younger people especially affected, as average donations (not including sponsorship) increased in 2020 amongst older adults and declined in younger adults.
Those aged 55 to 64 gave an average monthly donation of £71 in
