Ecclesiastical Insurance Ireland has launched the Value of Giving Report, a new piece of research highlighting the peaks and troughs of charitable giving and volunteering in Ireland in 2022.
The nationally representative research, conducted among 1,000 respondents, revealed that three quarters (77% ) of Irish adults donated to charity in 2022, this number is up from 69% in 2019.
The research, commissioned by Ecclesiastical Insurance Ireland, and conducted by Sapio Research, also found that 71% of those who donated to charity in 2022 stated that they are optimistic about the future.
Volunteer work – a constant in a world of change
More than two fifths (42% ) of respondents said that they had given some form of unpaid help or have worked as a volunteer for not-for-profit organisations or charities in the last year. This number has grown since 2019 and there has been a post-pandemic rise in volunteering of 3%. During the lockdown, Government sanctioned restrictions limited people’s ability to interact with such organisations. Post-lockdown, it is clear that people are responding to the opportunity to engage meaningfully with charities once again. This is reflected in an increase from the public in volunteering at international and local levels.
Despite the Covid-19 pandemic completely transforming the way in which we live our lives, the amount of time which people spend volunteering has remained relatively constant. The report indicated that the average amount of volunteering hours increased slightly from 5.22 hours over a four-week period before the pandemic, to approximately 5.58 hours in 2022.
Generational Interest & Donation levels
The research uncovered that Generation Z are actively engaged with volunteering with 59% of 18–24-year-olds having volunteered in the last 12 months. Almost half (48% ) of those in the 25-34 age bracket gave up their time to charitable causes last year, while older generations spent less time volunteering in 2022 (43% = 35-44; and 36% = 45-54 ).
Another key finding was the level of donations across counties in Ireland. The most generous county is Laois, with 91% of county respondents having donated money to charity in the past year; followed by Roscommon and Westmeath with 89% indicating that they had donated to charities.
Attitudes towards charitable donations and volunteering
There is a clear correlation between peoples’ outlook and their desire to donate. With people who are more optimistic about the future being the most likely group to donate or volunteer (44% ). Interestingly, 19% of those who have felt isolated from other people recently, stated that in the past 12 months they have not given any unpaid help or worked as a volunteer for any type of local, national, or international organisation or charity.
The current socio-economic climate is also undoubtedly influencing the amount of money people can give to charitable organisations. In 2019, people donated approximately €111.67 yearly to charities, while in the last 12 months, people gave an average of €93.35.
“Our giving ethos is woven deep into the fabric of Irish society, and this report gives an overview of the economic value of charitable giving and volunteering in Ireland.
Our report found that while the average cash value of donations has decreased during the cost-of-living crisis, the number of people giving and volunteering is higher than pre-pandemic levels. It is also encouraging to see that younger people in Ireland are engaging significantly with worthy causes. They are finding boundless opportunities to support organisations through technology, social media, and more creative methods than ever before, and are more vocal about the causes they care about.
Businesses also play a pivotal role in supporting the sector. They continue to donate and empower their employees to continue volunteering – making a vital contribution,” David Lane, Managing Director of Ecclesiastical Insurance Ireland, said.
