PUBLIC trust in charities has bounced back from the effect of scandals in 2018 to reach its highest level in ten years, new research from the Charity Commission has found.
The report, published on Friday, is based on a weighted online survey of 4599 respondents, and analysis of data from registered charities in England and Wales. The research, conducted by BMG, also used qualitative data from three focus groups meeting earlier this year.
Overall trust in charities peaked in 2014, with a mean score of 6.7 out of ten (ten meaning the public had complete trust; one, the equivalent of no trust). This dipped to 5.5 in 2018, when a crisis over allegations of sexual abuse in the aid sector led to the Charity Commission launching a formal inquiry (News, 16 February 2018).
This level increased to 6.2 in 2020 and has been steady since, with a mean score of 6.5 recorded in 2024. This year, the research found that 58 per cent of the public had “high trust” in charities — a score of between six and ten.
More than one third recorded “medium trust” (between four and six), and nine per cent recorded “low trust” (a score of one to three).
This score placed charities second in the list of most-trusted organisations, behind doctors (7.1) and ahead of banks (5.9), police (5.7) and social services (5.2). MPs and government ministers were lowest on the list, both with a score of 3.4, just below newspapers with a score of 4.0.
There has been very little change to this ranking since 2022.
The report also found that men were more likely to have low trust in charities (10 per cent vs. seven per cent of women). People educated to degree level or higher were more likely to have high trust (65 per cent vs. 57 per cent for those educated below degree level, and 39 per cent for those with no qualifications.
People who have recently heard about charities in the news were more likely to have high trust (64 per cent vs. 54 per cent that had not). This was also the case for people who had heard of the Charity Commission (63 per cent vs. 52 per cent).
Focus groups found that low trust in charities stemmed from the media, contact with charities, or disagreement with the actions or aims of a charity. High trust was “more implicit” until wrongdoing was uncovered.
The report explains: “Media coverage is particularly influential in leading to distrust in charities, but generally the public are cautious to not let the actions of one charity influence how they feel about others. However, for any charities where the media uncovers wrongdoing, there is little they can do to redeem their reputation; once sullied the trust is lost.”
Transparency was a key driver of trust: financial transparency and who is running the charity was particularly crucial. One respondent said: “Trust is based on visibly seeing what the charity does.”
Just more than one third (34 per cent) of respondents said that they had seen charities in the news recently, about half of whom felt more positive about charities as a result. Negative stories, however, stuck in the minds of focus-group participants.
Fewer people were aware of the Charity Commission in 2024 (47 per cent), compared to in 2020 (53 per cent). “Those that are older and live in less deprived areas tend to be more likely to have heard about the Charity Commission,” the report said. “Surprisingly, those belonging to the Untrusting and Uninvolved and Disengaged Donors segments tend to have higher awareness than average, despite having low engagement/involvement.”
In a multiple-choice question about the role of the Charity Commission, most who claimed to know it well “have a good grasp of the role, although some think it fines charities or campaigns on their behalf”.
People aged 16 – 34 (11 per cent) were the most likely to select only incorrect answers about the role of the Charity Commission.
A charity being registered increased public confidence in its standards of ethics, finances, operation, and impact.
The chief executive of the Charity Commission, David Holdsworth, said that the results were encouraging. “Charities collectively are once again firmly trusted by the public. . . But there is no room for complacency, for charities or for us as regulator. The new findings point to the challenging financial environment charities are operating in, with a decline in the number of people giving to charity, whilst the high cost of living appears to be driving more people to access charity services.
“In these financially challenging times, charities must continue to show people how they deliver on their purpose, including how every penny makes a positive difference.”