Results from a new survey of around 1,000 members of the public released today by the Charities Aid Foundation (CAF) on the public’s engagement with disaster appeals shows that despite the recession continuing, donations to the most recent disaster appeal in the Asia-Pacific region remains buoyant.

The survey undertaken by GfK NOP shows that the proportion of the public giving to emergency appeals remains constant at 23 per cent for both the Burma Cyclone appeal in May 2008, and the Asia-Pacific appeal in October 2009.

However, both appeals are overshadowed by the Asian Tsunami appeal in 2004/05 where 81 per cent of individuals donated.

It is believed that the key reason for this unparalleled level of support is that the Tsunami occurred over the Christmas period.

Donors are increasingly turning to ‘new media’ (online and text) to donate with 17 per cent donating to the Asia-Pacific appeal.

This is a growth of 42 per cent from 2008, and a growth of 143 per cent from 2004/5. Yet traditional forms of giving such as cash, cheques and credit or debit cards are still the methods which donors are most likely to use with 60 per cent using one of these.

Cash giving remains the most popular way to donate to each of the three disaster appeals, but has dropped in popularity from over half of donors donating to the Asian Tsunami this way, to 28 per cent for the recent Asia-Pacific disasters.

When it comes to the medium most likely to inspire donations, it is still television that has the biggest effect, with 67 per cent of donors saying that it was something that they saw on screen that convinced them to donate.

Newspapers are the next most likely with 11 per cent of donors claiming that an article or advert inspired them to give. Only six per cent say that seeing something online inspired them to donate.

Liz Goodey, head of research at CAF, said: “This research shows that donations to disaster emergency appeals are defying the recession and the downward trend seen in overall charitable living from individuals in the UK.

“Emergency appeals often hit at the heart of people’s emotions and are the result of humanitarian tragedy on a massive scale. This proves that the UK population are still generous and caring, despite the financially strained times that they are facing.”

A full report, CAF Disaster Monitor: a survey of the UK general public’s donations to overseas disaster appeals will be available from: www.cafonline.org/disastermonitor