Charities Increasingly Trustworthy, New Report Finds

Charities across Britain have been boosted by research showing that public trust in their work has increased for the third straight year, and is rebounding to approach the record heights recorded in 2010.
A report carried out by nfpSynergy looked at the attitudes of the public towards different institutions, and found that 66% of people now trust charities ‘quite a lot’ or ‘a great deal’ – up from 64% last year. A more detailed analysis shows that 13% of people trust charities ‘a great deal’ and 53% ‘quite a lot.’ By way of comparison, the corresponding figures from last year were 10% and 54%.

Charities are now the fourth most trusted institution in the UK, behind only the armed forces, scouts and guides, and the NHS. At the other end of the scale, people were least likely to trust political parties, the Government and insurance companies.

Levels of trust in charities have steadily increased over the past few years, rising from a low of 42% in July 2007 to a peak of 70% in January 2010. After a slightly decline, the figures from this year show that once again the public are placing their faith in charities.

People were most likely to trust charities because they know that the charity has high standards when it comes to fundraising, a friend or family member has had contact with the charity, or because they themselves has been in contact with the charity directly. Interestingly the least common reason that people chose was the use of a celebrity to promote a good cause, and there is a hardcore of 5% who said that nothing would make them likely to trust a charity.

It’s great that trust in charities is increasing, but it is worth considering that the report found that 28% of people do not trust charities. It’s important that charities continue to take action to improve the way that they are perceived by the public. As the Back Britain’s Charities campaign has argued, charities must look at the way that they do business to ensure that they are as efficient as possible. Getting as much money as possible to beneficiaries not only helps those who need support the most, but also demonstrates to the wider public that charities can be trusted and will encourage them to support good causes.