CAF UK Giving Report 2022
Key Finding: The number of people giving to charity in the UK is declining significantly. Between January and April 2022, an estimated 4.9m fewer people said they donated to charity or sponsored someone in the previous year, compared to the same months in 2019.
"The CAF UK Giving report is the largest study of household donor behaviour in the UK and this latest research tracks giving trends throughout 2021 and into the first four months of 2022 as the pandemic receded.
Although the number of people giving has been steadily decreasing since 2016, this trend stalled during the initial stages of the pandemic. But as life returns to normal, donations and sponsorship are continuing to fall below pre-pandemic levels- a trend which is consistent across age groups and regions. From January to April 2022, only 57% of people said they donated or sponsored someone in the previous 12 months, compared to 65% in 2019. Although face-to-face fundraising events are resuming, only 13% of people have given in this way in 2022, compared to 23% in the same months in 2019.
The only exception has been the spike in donations to charities helping people affected by the crisis in Ukraine, as the UK public responded with record-setting generosity. In March 2022, around a third of people (32%) said they had donated money specifically in response to the crisis, and the average donation increased to £85 – significantly higher than usual levels, representing the largest monthly donation average CAF has ever recorded in its UK Giving research.
CAF estimates that the total amount given in the UK during 2021 was £10.7 billion, a substantial decrease from the £11.3 billion given in 2020. Inflationary pressures also mean that in real terms, it is likely that charities will have fewer financial resources.
Amidst rising living costs, around one in eight (13%) are currently considering cutting back on donations to charity in the next six months whilst one in 12 people (8%) said they had already chosen not to make a one-off donation (March-May 2022)." https://www.cafonline.org/about-us/media-office-news/millions-fewer-people-donating-to-charity
