Thomas Nurcombe is a researcher at Bright Blue.
“Always preserve a habit of giving, however little, as a habit not to be lost,” the great philosopher Edmund Burke wrote to his son in the late Eighteenth Century. Two hundred and fifty years on, Britain finds itself lacking this habit: charitable giving has significantly declined.
Over the past decade, the number of people donating to charity in the UK has dropped by around 20 percentage points. Consequently, small charities – ones that are often the most deeply rooted in our communities – have lost over a quarter of their income.
What is more, while charitable giving typically conjures thoughts of monetary donations, it is crucial to also think about the giving of time. Charities rely not only on financial support, but also on manpower; they need volunteers.
Unfortunately, Britain has also seen a steep decline in volunteering in the past decade, especially among young adults. In 2021, only 30 per cent of the population engaged in volunteering, with a mere 12 per cent of 25-34-year-olds contributing their time. Ultimately, over half of the country’s charities are now struggling to recruit or retain suitable volunteers.
The UK’s concerning deterioration in social capital – the networks of relationships which allow a society to function cohesively – is a direct effect of the failure to preserve the habit of giving time.
Almost three-quarters of the public now say that they do not know their neighbours and, according to research by Bright Blue, in some London boroughs, less than 13 per cent of people trust their neighbours. This is even more evident in left-behind areas, where volunteering rates are notably lower; indeed, 98 per cent of left-behind areas have lower rates of volunteering – and perform worse for social connectedness as a result.
However, when people contribute their time, it increases a sense of purpose and belonging, whilst also forging relationships which can open up valuable opportunities to the least advantaged. Studies from the United States found that volunteering increases the chances of one joining a community group or a local organisation by almost 25 per cent.
It is imperative that the Government prioritises opening up volunteering opportunities – especially for the youth.
In Britain, work commitments often serve as the primary barrier to formal volunteering, with approximately half of individuals citing this as their reason for limited involvement. Economic pressures often overshadow civic-mindedness, making it difficult to prioritise community engagement over financial gain.
This is quite understandable for young people, especially those from less affluent backgrounds. They contend with exorbitant rents, high marginal tax rates, and the seeming impossibility of acquiring assets. Regardless of the nobility of the cause, missing a day of work – and a day of pay – is, for many, too high of an opportunity cost given the economic hardships they face.
This trend could lead us down a path towards the complete corrosion of charitable efforts and the long-term weakening of social bonds. If the young are not encouraged to engage in charitable activities, the habit of giving will cease to exist, along with the sense of belonging and purpose that it fosters.
There have been proposals aimed at promoting service in the community. For instance, in the 2015 Conservative manifesto David Cameron announced that the party would “make volunteering for three days per year a workplace entitlement for people working in large companies and the public sector.” Unfortunately, this policy idea never materialised.
Yet it is an idea worth revisiting. By addressing the primary obstacle to volunteering – namely, work commitments – and ensuring that individuals understand that they can volunteer without losing out on essential pay, we can overcome the insurmountable barrier to volunteering, help the charitable sector thrive, and give a much-needed boost to our country’s social capital.
But this idea can also be expanded. It is pivotal to note that of the 5.6 million private sector businesses in the UK, only 8,000 are categorised as large. The majority, over 5.5 million, are small businesses, with just shy of 37,000 being medium-sized businesses.
Given that small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) hold 61 per cent of Britain’s total employment, to defend and extend a culture of giving manifesto commitments should extend their scope, and look to incentivise employees of SMEs to volunteer as well.
This expansion of focus holds particular significance in fostering social cohesion in those left-behind areas which already have lower volunteering rates and social connectedness. For instance, in the North East, just a third of employees were employed by large businesses, contrasting with the nearly half in London and the South East. Broadening the reach of volunteering incentives to encompass SMEs not only promotes the culture of giving, but acts to level up social connectedness too.
With the next general election in sight, the Conservative Party should heed Burke’s wisdom; as to give much “is the highest glory a man can aspire to.”
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Author: Thomas Nurcombe
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