mind the gap - a new crisis of trust?

© Ipsos MORI

Mind the Gap - a new crisis of trust? Bobby Duffy

Managing Director, Ipsos MORI Social Research Institute

Visiting Senior Research Fellow, King’s College London Wed 5 March 2014

© Ipsos MORI

Must be hitting trust and support?

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Thinking back over the past 3 years would you say in general your views

towards charities have become...

Not really…

Base: All GB Adults (1035) Source: Ipsos MORI/NPC

14%

17%

42%

14%

9% 2%

Don’t know

A lot more positive

A little more positive

Neither/nor

A little more negative

A lot more negative

Negative views increases

with age:

18-34s = +23 net positive

35-54s = +6

55+ = -1

© Ipsos MORI

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013

“On a scale of 0-10 how much trust and confidence do you have in charities?”

“ I am going to read out some different types of people. For each, please tell me

whether you trust the to tell the truth or not.”

Trust is pretty flat…

Base: 1,000 British adults 16+ Source: Ipsos MORI

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013

Doctors

Clergymen/priests

Charities

Politicians generally

Journalists

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Overall, how important a role do you think charities play in society today?

Increasingly essential to our society…

Base: Adults aged 18+ in England and Wales – 2012 (1,142); 2010 (1,150); 2008 (1,008) and 2003 (1,001) Source: Ipsos MOR/Charity Commission

* Option changed to ‘essential’ for 2008 and 2010 from ‘extremely important’ in 2005

+ Option changed to ‘fairly important’ for 2008 and 2010 from ‘quite important’ in 2005

29

32

30

37

34

40

37

39

32

24

29

20

3

3

3

2

1

.

*

1

1

1

2005

2008

2010

2012

% Essential* % Very important % Fairly important+

% Not very important % Not at all important % Don't know

© Ipsos MORI

But charities do get

things wrong…

© Ipsos MORI

Which, if any, of the following, do you think are the main things that charities

are doing wrong? (top 9)

What do charities get wrong?


42%

36%

29%

29%

26%

23%

15%

14%

11%

Spend too much money on executive salaries

Not transparent about spending

Spend too much money abroad

Too much pressure on people to donate

Too much money on running costs

Delivering public services that state should

Behave like a profit-making business

You never see the benefits of your donation

Too much money on employee salaries

Those who are

more negative

about charities in

last 3 years…

Spend too much money on executive salaries

Not transparent about spending

Spend too much money abroad

Too much pressure on people to donate

Too much money on running costs

Delivering public services that state should

Behave like a profit-making business

You never see the benefits of your donation

Too much money on employee salaries

49%

36%

© Ipsos MORI

£112,632

CEO of alarge

company

Firstly, CEO pay – perception gaps?

Source: Ipsos MORI; nfpSynergy

£70,000

£60,000 CharityCEOs

Actual Public estimate

But wide range

in actual pay….

Previous studies show c£50k average “acceptable” level for

Charity CEOs, consistently £20k less than private sector…

£3.8 million

© Ipsos MORI

2%

5% 7%

28%

42%

16%

Which of the following best describes how much you believe that the chief

executive of a charity should be paid?

Should charity CEOs be paid more or less than MPs?


52% of higher social

grades say charity

CEOs should be paid

same/more than MPs

Don’t know

More than an MP on

£66,000 per year

The same as an MP on

£66,000 per year

Less than an MP on

£66,000 per year

I don’t think the chief executive

should be paid at all

I don’t have a strong view on

what charity CEOs are paid

© Ipsos MORI

Why do you trust [charity] less than others?

Lack of information on spend top reason for lack of

trust for decade…

Base: Respondents mentioning a charity/charity type – 2012 (62); 2010 (409); 2008 (419); 2005 (214) Source: Ipsos MOR/Charity Commission

Because I don’t know how they spend their money

Because I have heard bad stories about them

Because they are big

Money lost through corruption/open to abuse/ doesn’t get to end cause

Because they are international

6%

12%

16%

20%

31%

6%

12%

14%

21%

30%

5%

13%

9%

18%

35%

7%

11%

14%

21%

36%

Top five mentions only 2005 2008 2010 2012

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Which one, if any, of these qualities is most important to your trust and confidence in

charities overall?

And reflects increasing focus on proportion going to

end cause?

Base: All respondents – 2012 (1,142), 2010 (1,150), 2008 (1,008), 2005 (1,001) Source: Ipsos MOR/Charity Commission

43%

31%

13%

9%

3%

1%

42%

31%

15%

8%

3%

3%

32%

35%

8%

5%

2%

30%

27%

11%

9%

1%

Ensure reasonable proportion of donations get to end cause

Make a positive difference to cause they work for

Ensure fundraisers are honest and ethical

Be well managed

Make independent decisions to further the cause

they work for

Don’t know

2005 2008 2010 2012

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How much attention, if any, do you pay to evidence that the organisation is

having an impact when you give to charity?

Split views on the importance of impact as a driver to

donate…


9%

38%

38%

12% 1%

1%

I pay extremely close

attention to this

I pay close

attention to this

I pay little attention

to this

I pay no attention to this

I don’t donate to charity

Those in higher

social grades are

more likely to pay

attention to impact Connection

with the

cause and

reciprocity

are vital

© Ipsos MORI

Some of the fundraising methods used by charities make me uncomfortable

Pressure to donate: fundraising techniques are

becoming more of an irritant…

Base: Adults aged 18+ in England and Wales – 2012 (1,142); 2010 (1,150) Source: Ipsos MOR/Charity Commission

36%

32%

7%

15%

10%

1%

Qualitative work

shows unease at

emotional/shock

appeals (although

effective): issue for

sector, given

sketchy recall

“Chuggers” and

high volume mail –

pressure and waste

Agree

2010 2012

60% 68%

Strongly agree

Tend to agree

Neither /

nor

Tend to disagree

Strongly disagree

Don't know

© Ipsos MORI

44

31

15

9

38

28

22

20

7

17

26

27

5

7

16

20

% Strongly agree % Tend to agree % Tend to disagree % Strongly disagree

Conundrum of focusing on direct impact v importance

of familiarity…

Base: 1,142 adults aged 18+ in England and Wales, 4th – 21st May 2012. Source: Ipsos MOR/Charity Commission

82

Agree

%

59

37

29

I trust charities more if I have heard of them

I trust charities more if they are providing services within my

local community

I trust big charities more than smaller ones

I feel confident donating to a charity even if I haven’t heard of

them, if it’s going to a good cause

© Ipsos MORI

Which, if any, of the following, are roles that you think charities should perform in society? And

which of the below do you think that charities spend most of their time doing?

There are gaps between what charities should be doing vs. what

they are doing…

Source: Ipsos MORI/NPC

56

51

47

44

32

11

35

55

37

29

24

16

Helping communities

Raising money for good causes

Raising awareness of important issues in society

Encouraging people to volunteer

Lobbying government to change law or policy

Running a service that is currently run by the state

Should perform in society Spend most of their time doing

Base: All GB Adults (1035)

© Ipsos MORI

So, overall…

• Not much change in aggregate views – no sign of a crisis

• People show little sign of any lobbying concerns: will be no

awareness of “government lobbying government” arguments

• CEO pay important issue – linked to general unease with high

salaries for bosses – but also a reflection of concern on use of

resources, which is vital for charities

• No scope for complacency: constant, trickier problems of convincing

that money getting to end cause, showing impact, relevance, getting

attention without annoying, familiarity for minimum spend, local

while powerful…

• “Charities” huge variety: noone can be all things, need sector voice

• Good luck!

mind the gap - a new crisis of trust?

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