A survey has revealed that a quarter of the public will donate less to charity this Christmas due to the cost-of-living crisis.

If spread across the year this dip represents a £3.2bn drop in income in donations, according to match funding platform Big Give, which has published the survey.

This also found that a one in five do not plan to give anything to charity this December.

Among those who plan to give less a higher proportion of those cutting back live in the East of the UK, followed by those in the East Midlands, North West and Wales.

Three in ten 18-54-year-olds plan to give less, while his proportion drops to one in give among those aged 55+.

Big Give has published the findings to coincide with the launch of its weeklong Christmas Challenge match funding campaign, which starts on today on annual charity fundraising day Giving Tuesday (28 November).

The match funder’s campaign aims to raise £30m for the more than 1,000 charities taking part through donations, which are matched by its funding partners, including The Reed Foundation and Julia and Hans Rausing Trust.

According to the platform’s survey, which has been carried out by Savanta, more than half of people would be more likely to donate to charity if they knew their gift was being matched.

Mark your calendars for Big Give's #ChristmasChallenge and experience the magic! From 28th November to 5th December, donate to a charity of your choice, and we'll double your donation. Now witness the wonder of the Big Give Doubler machine in action: https://t.co/fjMbaQyTVh🎄 pic.twitter.com/mwJ0Q80oTO

— Big Give (@BigGive) November 21, 2023

“With over £3 billion in public donations at risk due to the cost-of-living crisis, we are encouraging people to give what they can, big or small, and Big Give's Christmas Challenge will double that generous donation,” said Big Give managing director Alex Day.

“Charities play a vital role in the social fabric of the UK, providing vital and life-changing services. They are in desperate need of support, and the generosity of the public alongside our match funders really does make a major difference.

“We appreciate it is tough times for everyone, and not everyone will be in a position to give. Those who can’t donate can help raise awareness of the campaign so we can double the difference this Christmas.”

Research released in July by fundraising organisation Enthuse concluded that Giving Tuesday “has stagnated in the UK” after raising the same amount for the last three years “without really breaking through with consumers.

This contrasts with the global giving event’s increasing popularity in the US, due to its traditional connection with Thanksgiving and consumer spending events such as Black Friday.

This is “something the UK hasn’t been able to lean on in the same way”.

#GivingTuesday is a generosity movement that unites hundreds of millions of people as they give back to their communities through countless acts of kindness.

We all have something to give and Giving Tuesday is one day to make a world of difference: https://t.co/prxVpKGqvl pic.twitter.com/Zd8KHCSZWf

— #GivingTuesday UK (@GivingTuesdayUK) November 24, 2023

‘Charity over Christmas party’, say workers

Meanwhile, just under half of workers who receive a festive gift or allocation from their bosses, such as paying for a Christmas Party, would prefer to see this money donated to charity, a separate survey released on Giving Tuesday has found.

“What this poll tells us is that employer charitable giving is important to many workers, so much so that they are willing to give up some of the Christmas gifts and celebrations they have at work in exchange,” said Alex Ritche, chief executive of GlobalGiving UK, which has published the survey.

“This sends an important message to businesses about what’s important and meaningful to their teams.”

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