Eighty-four per cent of the young people taking part in the online survey by Giving Nation voted "No" when asked "Do you like being asked for money for charity in the street?".

According to G-Nation campaign director Andy Thornton, the hostility may be down to social awkwardness. "We know that young people are keen to give, as 75% said they gave to a cause they believed in the last time they were asked," he said. "But similarly, 70% feel guilty when they can't give.

"What we don't know is how off-putting it is to be made to feel guilty in a social setting for those at a self-conscious stage in life, and the website's G-Polls are working towards building a clearer picture of the nation's youth and their charity incentives."

The survey ran between May and June on the website of G-Nation, the initiative launched by The Giving Campaign, and now backed by the Citizenship Foundation, to encourage young people's involvement with charities. More than 1,350 young people took part in the poll.