Evidence library

(OSCR) regularly commissions surveys on Scottish charities to give us further knowledge of charity life and public trust and confidence. The 2022 research was carried out on OSCR's behalf by DJS Research, an independent market research organisation and member of the Market Research Society. It presents views from 1,502 Scottish adults and 2,347 charity representatives as well as findings from four online focus groups with the general public and fifteen in-depth interviews by telephone or video conference calls with charities.

The 2022 Scottish Public and Charity Surveys represents the first opportunity for us to understand how the relationship between the Scottish public and the charity sector has evolved since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic in early 2020. Findings include that over the past two years:

• Trust in charities remains stable, with a mean score of 6.8 out of 10. This compares to 7.02 in 2020, 6.14 in 2018 and 6.08 in 2016. Almost nine in ten (86%) members of the public have also donated to charity this year, with 15% volunteering their time.
• Charities reported that financial concerns were their most pressing issues, with 80% of charities reported that financial issues surrounding funding and running costs were among their top three challenges.
• The Scottish public predict that charities will play an even more important role in people’s lives over the coming years, with the COVID-19 pandemic, the increases in cost of living, the conflict in Ukraine, and other macroeconomic changes continue making the lives of vulnerable people more challenging.
• Around 9 in 10 of the Scottish public view the role of the Scottish Charity Regulator (OSCR) in regulating Scotland’s 25,000 charities as important.