Report Finds Younger Generations Less Charitable

Younger generations not as generous as their older counterparts, according to CAF. Photo: abhsi.com.au

Britain could be facing a long-term giving crisis, with younger generations failing to match the generosity of their older counterparts, according to international Not for Profit, Charities Aid Foundation (CAF).

The report, Mind the Gap: The growing generational divide in charitable giving, reveals that the UK’s older people – particularly those over the age of 60 – are increasingly taking the lion’s share of responsibility when it comes to giving and are now six times more generous than the under-30s.

The research was led by Professor Sarah Smith of the University of Bristol and builds on the ‘New State of Donation’ study.

It warns that charities face a ‘donation deficit’ in the years to come if action is not taken to ensure that younger generations match the generosity of the inter-war generation and those born in the immediate post-war baby boom.

Professor Smith also found more than half of all donations now come from the over-60s, compared to just over one third of donations 30 years ago. And the over-60s are now more than twice as likely to give to charity as the under 30s.

In 1980, 29% of the over-60s had given to charity, while the figure for those under 30 was 23%. Thirty years later, 32% of people over 60 said they gave to charities in the past fortnight, compared with just 16% of the under-30s.

CAF, which says it promotes charitable giving and provides financial services and social finance to Not for Profit organisations, is now calling for “urgent action” to reverse the trends highlighted in the new report.

CAF chief executive, John Low, said that the fact that Generation X and Generation Y are not giving to the same extent was “worrying”.

“We fear that charities will face a damaging donation deficit when people of the older generations pass away,” Low said.

“That would severely hit the funding of charities, and their ability to deliver vital services on which so many people rely. This must be addressed now if charities are to survive and thrive.

“We need clear steps to be taken in order to build up the culture of giving among younger people, to ensure that Britain continues to support the causes we all care about in the decades to come,” Low said.