Public trust in charities experienced a 9% dip between September 2006 and July 2007, with only two in five people saying they trusted charities, according to new research.

The survey of 1,200 Britons, carried out by think tank nfpSynergy, found that public trust in charities had reduced from 51% to 42%, with people from lower social grades, 55-64 year olds and those living in Yorkshire and the North East showing the least trust. The report found that women were generally more trusting than men (44% compared to 40%) and people who had donated to charities were more trusting than those who hadn’t (49% and 22% respectively).

Commenting on the report’s findings, nfpSynergy’s Joe Saxton said: “These latest figures may well set nerves twitching throughout the sector. Only two in five British adults claim they trust our charities. Just nine months earlier, the majority said they did… The situation can surely only be compounded by other research suggesting significant public apprehension, often ill-founded, around such areas as how charities raise and use funds or pay their staff.”

Saxton added that charities needed to proactively manage their reputation and image with clear communications strategies, and could not be “ostrich-like” pretending public trust would improve on its own.