It would seem the Welsh are the most generous people in the UK and are more responsive in the run up to Christmas to charity appeals than any other set of people in the country. The findings come from the inaugural report into individual giving in Wales by the Charities Aid Foundation. The study by CAF suggests that in the UK the main months for giving are during the months of November and December, though Wales outperformed all other parts of the UK during those months last year.
More people donate
48 per cent of those people polled in Wales claimed they gave money to charity during those months which is consistent with the large number of big appeals. In the UK as a whole, 39 per cent of people polled said they donated to charity during the months of November and December. The report also found that the Welsh were more likely than people in the rest of the UK to have participated in a charitable or social activity.
Donate lower amounts because incomes are lower
Despite the larger number of people giving money, the average donation in Wales was lower than the UK as a whole. The findings by CAF show the median monthly donation n Wales during 2018 either through donation or sponsorship during the last four weeks of 2018 was £15 compared to the £36 mean amount. Nationally, the median figure was £20 and the mean donation amount was £45. According to CAF this is down to the fact that the average salary in Wales is lower compared to the rest of the UK.
Wales donates 4.5% of national total
The number of people who claimed Gift Aid tax credit was also lower in Wales compared to the rest of the UK. 9 out of 10 people in Wales have participated in at least one charitable or social activity during 2018 which is broadly similar to the rest of the UK. 80 per cent of people living in Wales made a donation in 2018 with 25 per cent claiming they donate monthly. People living in Wales donated an estimated £454 million which represents 4.5 per of the £10.1 billion that was donated nationally.
Cash the most common form of donation
The most common method of donation was giving cash to charity, with a little under 60 per cent saying they did that last year and slightly above the UK national average which is just over half. The second most common form of charitable giving was through the donation of goods. 57 per cent of people living in Wales said they donated goods during 2018 with 27 per cent saying they did so during the last four weeks of the year.
