A quarter of people will give less to charity this Christmas because of the cost-of-living crisis, according to new research.
Polling published by the match-funding organisation the Big Give shows that 25 per cent of the more than 2,200 UK adults polled said they expected to donate less to good causes over the festive period this year.
The Big Give calculated that if this reduction was spread across a year there would be a £3.2bn drop in donations to UK charities, based on annual giving figures from the Charities Aid Foundation.
The poll, which was conducted by market research group Savanta between 11 and 13 November, also found that 20 per cent of the respondents said they were not planning to donate to charity at all in December.
Younger people are more “financially impacted” by the cost-of-living crisis than older people, according to the Big Give’s research, with 29 per cent of respondents aged between 18 and 34-years-old saying they planned to give less. This is compared with 19 per cent for the over 55 age bracket.
Alex Day, managing director of the Big Give, said: “Charities play a vital role in the social fabric of the UK, providing vital and life-changing services.
“We appreciate it is tough times for everyone, and not everyone will be in a position to give.”
Separate research published by the payment service GoCardless, conducted by YouGov, found that fewer people donate regularly to charity today than they did last year.
The study found that only 45 per cent of respondents regularly donate to charity compared with 49 per cent the year before.
But it also found that “despite persistently high inflation and interest rates rising to their highest level in 15 years”, 63 per cent of respondents had donated to charity in the past few months.
The survey took place in two stages, with the same questions asked to 2,021 adults between 22 and 23 November 2022 and 2,014 adults between 19 and 20 July 2023.
Pat Phelan, managing director, UK & Ireland and chief customer officer at GoCardless, said: “Even though we’re all struggling with the rising cost of living, it’s hugely encouraging to see people continuing to give.
“Charities that keep on innovating, putting the donor experience first and looking for new ways to increase efficiency will stand a better chance of weathering these tough times and getting into a better position for the future.”