Gen Z stop donating to charity... to go travelling instead
Young people are turning their backs on giving to charities in favour of travel and experiences.
Nearly two thirds (65 per cent) of Gen Z – those aged 13 to 28 – are instead prioritising travel, food, arts and live music, according to a survey. The research, carried out by Mastercard, found six in ten (61 per cent) plan to tick off a bucket-list experience this year.
It comes as as data reveals the proportion of people in Britain making charitable donations has fallen to a near-decade low. The Charities Aid Foundation (CAF) reported that just half (50 per cent) of people in the UK made any kind of donation.
In 2024, 36 per cent of 16- to 24-year-olds donated or sponsored a person for charity, a significant decline from 55 per cent in 2017. People aged 65 or older remain the most likely to donate.
The CAF's findings are based on a YouGov policy survey of 13,459 people aged 16 and over.
Neil Heslop, CAF's chief executive, said: 'This research starkly demonstrates that we need to do much more to build our culture of giving. We are relying on an ever smaller group of people to give. For the first time, the number who have donated or sponsored someone for charity in the past year has fallen to just half.
'While this is across all age groups, the decline is especially pronounced among young people. We need to write a new chapter in Britain's giving story. One that sees us encourage giving across all age groups and in every part of the country.'
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