Britons lie about charity donations
Updated on 24 June 2009
Britons lie about giving to charity and even cross the road to avoid the collection box, according to a survey.
More than two-thirds (66%) of those questioned admitted to crossing the road to avoid a charity collector, a study by online charity facilitator Leap Anywhere found.
Almost half (47%) confessed they had lied about having change to donate, more than a quarter (26%) said they had told a charity worker they had already made a contribution when they had not, and 24% said they had told a Big Issue seller they had already bought a copy when that was untrue.
One in 12 admitted putting their charity contributions on their work expenses and 6% placed a button rather than a coin in a charity collection. In addition, almost a third of those asked (31%) said they were giving less time and money to charity than a year ago, with only 12% saying they were giving more.
However, the poll also discovered that Britons would like to spend more time volunteering for charities but more than half (57%) claimed to be too busy.
When asked how much time they would volunteer if there were no obstacles, respondents claimed they would double the current average time spent helping good causes, raising the figure from 11 hours a year to 23, and a fifth (21%) said they would give upwards of 50 hours.
Malcolm Scovil, founder of Leap Anywhere, a website which connects people with activities, charities and responsible brands in support of good causes, said: "These remarkable findings demonstrate that people across the UK, as elsewhere around the world, are inherently good.
"However, due to busy schedules and the barriers to getting involved in charity for everyday people, the charity sector is missing out on millions of pounds and thousands of man hours of support.
"Leap Anywhere, with the backing of over 100 charity partners, is the world's first platform providing a pain-free way for people to indulge in their leisure activities whilst doing good."
Firm 72 Point Ltd polled more than 2,000 people across the UK between June 15 and 19.
These news feeds are provided by an independent third party and Channel 4 is not responsible or liable to you for the same.
