Fewer people giving to charity compared to one year ago

(via NICVA)

By Andrea Thornbury

People in Northern Ireland are less likely to give money to charity and in smaller amounts compared to last year, according to NICVA research.

The Individual Giving Survey found that 78% of people donated money to charity in the last 12 months, a decrease of 11% from 2016. The number of people who donated money to charity over the last four weeks experienced a similar trend, with a decrease from 68% in 2016 to 57% 2017.

In spite of this, comparison to UK wide research conducted by the Charities Aid Foundation - CAF, (2017) still suggests that people in Northern Ireland are more likely to donate money to charity than people in other parts of the UK; however the gap is narrowing.

The youngest age group surveyed (16-24) continue to be the least likely to have donated money to charity over a four-week period (56%), while those aged 55-64 years were most likely to have donated (69%). The figures indicate that patterns of giving generally increase within the working age population and decline again for those aged 65+.

The average amount donated to charity over a four-week period by donors was £22.20 (£12.29 per head of population), which marked a substantial decrease from £37.80 (£25.46 per head of population) in 2016. The median donation from donors (£10) over a four-week period however showed no change between 2016 and 2017.

Read more via NICVA...