Give more to charity, say Britons
Nearly a third of Britons think people should aim to give at least 2% of their income to charity each year, a survey has shown.
Around 29% of people thought consumers should hand over 2% or more of their pay to good causes, including 8% who thought they should give 5% away and 4% who thought 10% of people's pay should go to charity.
But 7% of those questioned said they did not think people should give any of their money away, while 32% thought handing over 1% or less was acceptable, according to the Charities Aid Foundation.
If people did give 2% of their income to charity, someone on average earnings of £25,000 would hand over £500 a year.
But in reality, people are giving far less than this away, with 74% of people admitting they had donated less than £100 to charity during the past year, with just 1% parting with more than £1,000.
Even if people became rich only 4% would prioritise giving money to charity, with 41% instead prioritising funding a comfortable lifestyle, while 31% would spend money on their children and 12% would save the extra cash.
Sheila Hooper, director of individual giving at the Charities Aid Foundation, said: "As many are feeling the pinch at the moment with house prices falling and household bills rising it is really heartening to see so many people think we should be giving more money to charity.
"I hope they will turn these charitable thoughts into actions."
