- Trust in charities has risen nearly 4 percentage points since last Autumn from 60% to 64% - Charities are now the third most trusted public institution in the UK after the NHS and Armed Forces - Trust in the Fundraising Regulator has more than doubled since 2009 from 15% to 35%

1. Trust in charities and other
public institutions
Trend data and analysis
Published May 2017 updating with February 2017
data

2. 2
Summary of findings
• Trust in charities has risen by nearly four percentage points since last Autumn from 60% to 64%
• Charities have risen to the third most trusted public institution after the NHS and the Armed
Forces
• Trust in the FRSB and now Fundraising Regulator has more than doubled since 2009: from 15%
to 35%.
• 18 months ago charities were in 12th place behind TV and radio stations
• The under 24s now trust charities more than any other age group at 71%, with the over 65s
dropping to 60% trust from 70% in October 2016
• Charity supporters trust in charities is at 72%, a lot more than non-supporters who are at 47%
(though that is up from 37% last time)
• There is no evidence in our research that increases or decreases in trust in the general public
have any impact on levels of giving or volunteering.
• There is absolutely no grounds for complacency in the rise in trust in charities. We don’t know
enough about why trust has risen, and it maybe as much to do with events like Brexit and
Trump’s election as anything the charity sector has specifically done.

3. 3
The most and least trusted institutions – top half
“Please indicate how much trust you have in each of the bodies”
28%
28%
13%
14%
11%
14%
12%
6%
12%
15%
6%
4%
43%
42%
52%
48%
50%
44%
46%
52%
36%
33%
41%
39%
17%
16%
20%
23%
24%
24%
21%
25%
27%
26%
34%
37%
8%
8%
10%
10%
9%
13%
8%
8%
18%
18%
13%
14%
4%
5%
6%
5%
6%
3%
11%
8%
6%
7%
5%
5%
1%
1%
1%
1%
1%
1%
2%
1%
1%
2%
1%
1%
The NHS
The Armed Forces
Charities
The Royal Mail
Schools
The Police
Scouts and Guides
Small businesses
The BBC
The Royal Family
Supermarkets
TV and radio stations
A great deal Quite a lot Not much Very little Not sure Haven't heard of
Base: 1,000 adults 16+, Britain | Source: Charity Awareness Monitor, Feb 17, nfpSynergy

4. 4
The most and least trusted institutions – bottom
half
6%
6%
4%
4%
9%
4%
4%
3%
4%
3%
3%
3%
35%
32%
29%
29%
24%
28%
25%
19%
18%
19%
15%
9%
33%
26%
36%
32%
28%
39%
32%
36%
34%
38%
36%
31%
21%
13%
20%
29%
30%
23%
27%
33%
38%
34%
33%
50%
5%
10%
8%
5%
8%
6%
9%
7%
6%
6%
10%
6%
1%
14%
2%
1%
2%
1%
2%
2%
1%
1%
3%
2%
Legal system
The Fundraising Regulator
Civil Service
Banks
The Church
Local Authorities
Trade Unions
Insurance companies
Government
Newspapers
Multinational companies
Political parties
A great deal Quite a lot Not much Very little Not sure Haven't heard of
Base: 1,000 adults 16+, Britain | Source: Charity Awareness Monitor, Feb 17, nfpSynergy
“Please indicate how much trust you have in each of the bodies”

5. 5
Trust in charities and the Fundraising Regulator
Trend data
Base: 1,000 adults 16+, Britain | Source: Charity Awareness Monitor, Jul 09-Feb 17, nfpSynergy
“Below is a list of public bodies and institutions. Please indicate, by ticking in the appropriate column, how much trust you have in each of the
bodies” A great deal or quite a lot
16%
35%
65%
70%
53%
59%
64%
66%
56%
53%
47%
56%
57% 60%
64%
Jul 09 Jan 10 Jan 11 Jul 11 May 12 May 13 Apr 14 Apr 15 Oct 15 Apr 16 Jul 16 Oct 16 Feb 17
The Fundraising Standards Board (FRSB)/ Fundraising Regulator* Charities
*Prompted as
Fundraising Regulator in
Oct 16 and Feb 17

6. 6
Trust in various institutions
Trend data
Base: 1,000 adults 16+, Britain | Source: Charity Awareness Monitor, Jan 09-Feb 17, nfpSynergy
“Below is a list of public bodies and institutions. Please indicate, by ticking in the appropriate column, how much trust you have in each of the
bodies” A great deal or quite a lot
3%
11%7%
22%
22%
12%
34%33%
33%
44%
49%
65% 64%
67% 71%
Jul 09 Jan 10 Jan 11 Jul 11 May 12 May 13 Apr 14 Apr 15 Oct 15 Apr 16 Jul 16 Oct 16 Feb 17
Political Parties Government Newspapers Banks
The Church The BBC Charities The NHS

7. 7
Trust in charities
By age groups
Base: 1,000 adults 16+, Britain | Source: Charity Awareness Monitor, Sep 06-Feb 17, nfpSynergy
59%
71%
55%
52%
66%
44%
57%
45%
49%
60%
51%
64%
Sep-06 Jul-07 Jul-08 Nov-08 Jan-09 Jan-10 Jan-11 Jul-11 May-12 May-13 Apr-14 Apr-15 Oct-15 May-16 Oct-16 Feb-17
16-24 25-34 35-44 45-54 55-64 65+ Total
“Below is a list of public bodies and institutions. Please indicate, by ticking in the appropriate column, how much trust you have in each of the
bodies Charities” A great deal or quite a lot

8. 8
Trust in Charities – February 2017
Demographics
Base: 1,000 adults 16+, Britain | Source: Charity Awareness Monitor, Feb 2017, nfpSynergy
“Below is a list of public bodies and institutions. Please indicate, by ticking in the appropriate column,
how much trust you have in each of the bodies Charities” A great deal or quite a lot
64%
61%
67%
65%
65%
67%
60%
71%
66%
66%
57%
65%
60%
72%
47%
Total
Male
Female
AB
C1
C2
DE
16-24
25-34
35-44
45-54
55-64
65+
Charity supporter
Non-charity supporter

9. 9
Demographics of trust in charities – Feb 2017 vs Oct
2015 (the low point of charity trust)
Demographics
Base: 1,000 adults 16+, Britain | Source: Charity Awareness Monitor, Oct 2016, nfpSynergy
“Below is a list of public bodies and institutions. Please indicate, by ticking in the appropriate column,
how much trust you have in each of the bodies. Charities” A great deal or quite a lot
64%
61%
67%
65%
65%
67%
60%
71%
66%
66%
57%
65%
60%
72%
47%
48%
47%
48%
55%
50%
44%
43%
61%
53%
45%
46%
41%
42%
55%
33%
Total
Male
Female
AB
C1
C2
DE
16-24
25-34
35-44
45-54
55-64
65+
Charity supporter
Non-charity supporter
Feb-17
Oct-15

10. 10
Demographics of trust in charities - Oct 2016 vs Feb
2017
Demographics
Base: 1,000 adults 16+, Britain | Source: Charity Awareness Monitor, Oct 2016 and Feb 2017, nfpSynergy
“Below is a list of public bodies and institutions. Please indicate, by ticking in the appropriate column,
how much trust you have in each of the bodies Charities” A great deal or quite a lot
64%
61%
67%
65%
65%
67%
60%
71%
66%
66%
57%
65%
60%
72%
47%
Total
Male
Female
AB
C1
C2
DE
16-24
25-34
35-44
45-54
55-64
65+
Charity supporter
Non-charity supporter
Oct-16
Feb-17

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