Just over a third (34%) of Brits surveyed say that the pandemic has caused them to be more generous, according to a report released this week.
PayPal studied people’s giving habits for its Generosity and Giving 2021 report, which surveyed 2,000 nationally representative respondents. The study was conducted online through OnePoll.
Respondents said the pandemic caused them to feel more motivated to support charities. The most popular causes to give to were animal welfare (22%), hospital and hospices (21%), homelessness (21%) and mental health care (21%).
Despite this rise in generosity when it came to donating money, 60% of respondents admitted that they never volunteer for charity.
Geographic generosity
PayPal’s study found that geographically, Scots are the most generous Britons – with Aberdeen being the most generous city in the UK.
On average, Brits say they donate £103.41 a year to causes they care about. People from Aberdeen donated almost twice this national average, at £193.76 a year. The next most generous were Edinburgh (£138.38) and Liverpool (£125.64).
How generous are we?
Only 31% of those surveyed considered themselves a generous person, while 24% felt they could be more generous than they currently are.
PayPal reported that respondents were not more generous for many reasons, including:
- Money worries (28%)
- The cost-of-living crisis (25%)
- Covid-19 lockdown measures (23%)
- Donors having reservations about how the money is spent in charities (19%)
Virtual giving increases
Unsurprisingly, charitable giving is increasing online, with a quarter (24%) of adults raising money for causes via online platforms like JustGiving and GoFundMe, with younger people more likely to donate this way. Over half, 54%, of GenZ donate via online platforms and 38% of Millennials do.
PayPal reported that Brits raise on average £959.76 for good causes through online platforms. However, Oxford raises more than three times the UK average at £3,319.25.
In September PayPal launched its own online giving platforms, called the Generosity Network and Generosity Network for charities, in the UK.
PayPal has also begun a Give at Check Out initiative, where shoppers are asked whether they would like to make a charitable donation when they go to pay.
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