The research, Campaigns & the Public, from think tank nfpSynergy found that people were generally supportive of campaigning efforts, with 64% of those questioned giving support to charities spending money on public campaigning and 58% backing the spend on government lobbying. Also, 61% said they had been involved in the MakePovertyHistory campaign, as opposed to 59% and 61% who voted in the 2001 and 2005 general elections respectively.

Commenting on the findings, nfpSynergy’s driver of ideas Joe Saxton said: “This research shows the public perceive campaigning as one of the most justified and cost effective of charitable activities, and they think charities are right to spend money on it. Moreover, as we saw with the recent MakePoertyHistory campaign, in an era when people are less and less likely to vote, they increasingly rely on our charities to lobby government to effect social change.”