The British public are expected to give an estimated £2.8bn to charities during November and December this year, according to the Charities Aid Foundation.
CAF said the estimate is based on last year’s giving, expecting it to be broadly the same this year, and its analysis of donation trends this year.
CAF’s research for its annual UK Giving report estimates that the British public gave £2.68bn in 2022 (the same as estimated for 2021), and £2.08bn in 2020.
The charity has been producing the UK Giving report since 2004. The survey, conducted by YouGov, was carried out online every month and the total monthly sample size was more than 1,000 adults.
The foundation says November and December are typically the peak months for giving, when the highest number of people say they give to charity.
This coincides with Christmas charity campaigns and events including Giving Tuesday, Children in Need and the Poppy Appeal.
According to the research, 50 per cent of the public say they always or usually donate to charity over the festive period, higher than the one-third of people (34 per cent) who regularly give money to charity throughout the rest of the year – for instance by putting money in a bucket or by direct debit.
Of those who intend to give, the majority (74 per cent) said they would donate money, with just under half (46 per cent) planning to give goods and 14 per cent intending to donate their time to good causes.
The top reasons cited for donating during the festive period included people being more aware of those in need during this time (37 per cent); that it’s a traditional time to give (28 per cent); greater awareness of charity appeals (23 per cent); and people donating instead of giving presents (10 per cent).
Philippa Cornish, head of charities at CAF, said: “Up and down the country, charities are helping more and more people this winter – those who are most in need in our society. Charities understand more than most the financial pressures some households are facing.
“But the last few years has seen a decline in the number of people regularly donating to charity. We hope that for those who can afford to, they give generously this year to good causes. There are also other ways to help, such as through volunteering or donating goods. Many charities rely on mass giving and festive fundraising and they will certainly appreciate an injection of generosity this Christmas.”
According to the government’s latest annual Community Life Survey, published on 6 December, in 2023/24 67 per cent of adults said they had given money to charitable causes in the last four weeks, in line with levels of giving in 2021/22 (66 per cent).