Some 48% of the UK public do not trust what they see, hear or read about charities in traditional media, according to a new survey.
Enthuse’s latest Donor Pulse report found that people were most trusting of the information they receive from a charity’s own channels, with 73% saying they trust this source.
In contrast, 62% said they mistrust social media as a place to get information about charitable organisations.
Half of the respondents also said they had low trust in celebrities providing information on charities.
Some 83% said that the government should be providing financial support to charities, with 43% saying this support should be increased.
Gen Z respondents were most passionate about this, with 55% of 18 to 24-year-olds saying they supported an increase in funding.
The report found that 73% of the public had moderate or high trust in charities, making it the most trusted institution in the survey.
Trust in faith and religious groups was the second highest at 36%. The least trusted institutions were political parties, which only 20% of the public trusted to a moderate or high amount.
More people planning to donate
According to the report, the percentage of the public that donated to charity over the last three months rose to 75%, the highest since winter 2022.
Intention to give was also the highest since the research began in 2020, with 78% of respondents saying they intend to donate to charity in the next three months.
The research found that under-45s were more likely to donate (80%) than over-45s (75%).
It reported that respondents feeling “better off” financially has risen to the highest point since its spring 2022 report (19%), and those that feel worse off have fallen to the lowest point since then (44%).
Enthuse founder Chester Mojay-Sinclare said: “The percentage of people donating is the highest it’s been in two years and the intent to give in the coming months remains high too.
“For people to donate, they have to trust – so it’s brilliant to see in our research that charities are comfortably the most trusted UK institution.
“With a general election fast approaching, I hope whoever comes out on top listens to charities and the voices of the people they represent that need to be heard. The sector needs support and the public wants to see it.”
Voting intention and charity funding
The report found that respondents intending to vote for the Green Party in the next general election were the most likely to think that the government should give more money to charities (52%).
Labour voters were the second most likely (50%), followed by those who intended to vote for the Liberal Democrats (42%).
Some 34% of Conservative voters said they thought the government should give more funding to charities, while people who intend to vote Reform were the least likely to think the government should fund charities more (30%).
RedFox Research surveyed 2,005 members of the UK public for the report, with interviews and analysis conducted in May 2024.
