01/02/10

By Andrew Holt

As the economic downturn has worn on, the Scottish public has increasingly felt that charitable donations made north of the border should also be spent there, according to new data out today.

Scottish males, those from higher social-demographic groups, 25-34-year olds and non-donors have especially driven this more philanthropically insular trend.

These are the latest key findings from not-for-profit sector research consultancy nfpSynergy's Scottish Charity Engagement Monitor, yielding regular insights into what the Scottish public thinks about a range of charitable and social issues.

Overall, the proportion of Scots claiming they would prefer any charitable donation they made to be spent in Scotland rose from under half (48%) back in April 2007, pre-downturn, to almost 3 in 5 (59%) in Oct 2009.

Groups showing the sharpest rise in propensity for Scottish donations to benefit the Scots have been men (48% April 2007, 60% Oct 2009); social grade ABs (39% April 2007, 52% Oct 2009) and C1s (44% April 2007, 59% Oct 2009), although C2s and DEs are still more likely to want Scottish charity kept "at home"; 25-34-year olds (48% April 2007, 66% Oct 2009); and non-donors (51% April 2007, 64% Oct 2009).

nfpSynergy's researcher, Jonathan Baker, commented: "As the downturn has worn on, and corresponding social need has doubtless increased, the Scottish public has felt ever more strongly that charity begins 'at home'. This will have come at the expense of money they would previously have preferred spent elsewhere in the UK, or wider internationally.

"Scottish charities should thus emphasise their local spending on local beneficiaries if they wish to boost domestic donations from the Scottish public. Moreover, a brand which clearly communicates Scottish identity will help a charity better achieve this.

"Naturally, it may well be that Scots choose to override this broadly insular charitable trend when confronted by such an exceptional major overseas disaster as the recent earthquake in Haiti

The survey covers a representative sample of over 1000 adult Scots, online twice-yearly.