Younger people are more likely than their older counterparts to donate to charity over Christmas, according to new research.
The Winter Donor Pulse report, published today by the fundraising technology provider Enthuse, says 80 per cent of 18-to-24-year-olds say they are planning to donate money or items over the holiday period.
This is compared with just half of those aged between 55 and 64, researchers found.
The research, which is based on a survey of more than 2,000 members of the UK public in November, found that more than two-fifths of respondents were actively looking for good causes to donate to over the festive period, with 42 per cent saying they were more likely to give money than at other times of the year.
It found that 61 per cent of respondents said they were more likely to donate items over the Christmas period, such as donating to food banks or giving gifts for children in need.
Children’s charities were the most popular charitable cause to support over the holiday season, with half of respondents saying they were likely to back a charity in this area over the coming three months.
This was followed by homelessness, which 43 per cent of respondents said they were likely to support over this period.
Younger people were more likely to have donated to charities providing humanitarian aid to those caught in the conflict in Gaza, the report finds.
Of respondents under the age of 45, 12 per cent said they had donated to this cause. This was double the percentage of over 45s who have donated.
But older people were more likely to donate to causes related to Armistice Day, with 18 per cent of those over 45 having donated compared with just 8 per cent of those aged under 45.
Reasons for not donating to humanitarian aid for Gaza were varied, with 39 per cent of those who were undecided or unlikely to donate saying they could not afford it.
A further 26 per cent said they did not think the aid would reach the right place, while 25 per cent said they did not understand the political situation well enough to donate.
Respondents were divided on whether charities should involve themselves in politics more generally, with 50 per cent saying they wanted charities to campaign for change and 44 per cent saying that charities should avoid politics.
But most people believed that charities need better support from politicians, with two thirds of those asked saying that the government should provide more funding for charities.
Chester Mojay-Sinclare, founder and chief executive of Enthuse, said: “Christmas continues to be a generous time of year and it’s great news for charities that so many are actively looking to give over this period.
“The younger generation are much more inclined to give over December, and there’s still time for social media and email campaigns to make an impact, as well as more traditional methods such as text messages and phone calls.”