National Council for Voluntary Organisations
giving voice and support to civil society
Participation:
trends, facts
and figures
March 2011
An NCVO Almanac
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Participation overview
Participation activity by activity
References
Contents
Foreword
Executive summary
Page ii
Contents
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2 Participation activity by activity
Foreword
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2.1 Membership
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iv
2.2 Giving
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1 Participation overview
2.3 Volunteering
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1.1 What is participation? 1
2.4 Time banking
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1.2 Looking back: The decline of participation?
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2.5 Ethical consumerism
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1.3 Looking back: The last decade
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2.6 Political engagement
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1.4 Participation in a global context
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2.7 Local governance
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1.5 Who participates?
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2.8 Campaigning
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1.6 Where does participation take place?
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2.9 Direct action and protest
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3 References
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Executive summary
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Foreword
Executive summary
Page iii
Foreword
As I write this foreword at the beginning of February 2011, the ‘Big
Society’ debate is raging all around us. Whatever you think of the
Big Society – and I am aware of the full spectrum of possible
responses to this agenda – it is striking how much discussion of the
underpinning issues is taking place. Voluntary action and mutual aid,
philanthropy and engagement with public institutions are centre
stage. Moreover, these are not just being discussed by the usual
suspects: in my experience they are being discussed in the
mainstream media, in many parts of government and at the kitchen
table. However, my observation is that much of this debate is
ill-informed. Setting aside the inevitable disagreements over what
the evidence tells us, it is a concern that so many think the habits,
practices and norms of participation and engagement are gone, or
at best lie dormant, and that the selfish gene is dominant and
growing. I believe such generalisations are wrong.
There are issues and challenges for us to consider and take
forward. As some in the sector have highlighted, it is concerning
that the proportions of people giving time or money are static
– and over a longer timeframe, fewer people giving more has
disguised this. We also need to be clear that the types of
participation wanted by, amongst others, government need skills,
knowledge and commitment that might not be widespread. There
are still significant differences in the participation rates of
different communities, a challenge that applies to different places
as well as different groups of people. Raising participation rates as
a whole is unlikely to be helpful here – a process of ‘levelling up’ –
is more likely to be needed. And it would be foolish to conclude
that new approaches to engagement – such as participatory
budgeting or using social media – are sufficiently mainstream to
replace mechanisms that appear to be in decline, such as voting.
This publication was planned long before the Big Society entered
the public policy lexicon. It forms part of our Almanac series of
publications that aim to inform and shape contemporary public
policy on civil society. Drawing upon evidence from a range of
sources, it highlights that the habits and characteristics of
participation – volunteering, charitable giving and philanthropy,
political participation – are very much part of the social fabric of the
UK. It shows that some forms of participation are thriving, others
are static or declining. It argues that more ‘traditional’ forms of
engagement, from voting to volunteering, are changing, in some
cases driven by the emergence of new technologies, in other cases
supplemented by new approaches that reflect the changes in
lifestyles that people now lead. I think it illustrates that participation
is neither dead nor dormant, but that the forms and places where
people get involved are changing. The publication also highlights an
important issue for NCVO, that of the continuing relevance of what
some commentators have referred to as ‘intermediate institutions’:
groups and networks of individuals with a common allegiance that
act as hubs of engagement, typically voluntary and community
organisations but not exclusively. We neglect the health of such
organisations at our risk.
As debates around the Big Society have shown, this is not a time
for us to sit on our laurels. Participation is an important agenda
that will continue to be a priority for NCVO’s public policy work,
building on our previous work on social capital and active
citizenship. Moreover, I believe voluntary and community
organisations are more relevant than ever to this agenda. We must
lead the way in finding more nuanced, targeted approaches to
building participation and in shaping opportunities for
engagement that fits people’s lifestyles, their needs and
aspirations. I hope this publication helps us inform and shape this
important agenda.
Sir Stuart Etherington
Chief Executive, National Council for Voluntary Organisations
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Executive summary
Page iv
Executive summary
This publication draws together trends,
facts and statistics relating to participation
from a range of different sources. It covers
the following themes:
Looking back: have we
experienced a decline in
participation?
We often hear that people are increasingly
apathetic and disengaged, but this view is
‘Participation’ describes the different ways misleading. Whilst some forms of
engagement have dropped significantly in
people get involved in our society. It is
the last thirty years such as membership of
about more than just giving to charity,
political parties or trade unions and voting,
voting at elections or volunteering.
participation rates in volunteering and
Definitions of participation that focus
giving have remained largely stable.
on political participation or a narrow
Numerous initiatives in the last decade
understanding of volunteering fail to
have aimed to encourage participation in
capture the diversity of people's
local decision-making, volunteering and
engagement. They also fail to capture the
giving. Yet, there have been no step
way individuals are shaping the good
society by embedding pro-social behaviour changes in levels of participation. The only
area that has grown significantly is ethical
in their everyday activities and in the
consumerism, which is based more on
communities of place and interest they
individual actions and is perhaps more
belong to.
integrated in people's everyday lives.
What is participation?
Who participates?
How do people participate?
Clearly not everybody participates in the
same way. Participation varies according to
age, gender, ethnicity, educational
qualification and social class. The key
message here is that participation is still
very unequal. Those who participate the
most – the civic core – are more likely to be
the well-resourced and educated. A risk for
policy makers is that attempts to increase
participation levels might exacerbate these
differences.
The second section of this publication
explores different types of participation in
more depth. It highlights the continuing
importance of membership and
membership organisations as a way of
framing participation, followed by sections
on giving and volunteering that reinforce
the notion of a civic core of people who
support the work of institutions. The UK
has longstanding traditions of philanthropy
and voluntarism that are matched by
mutualism and reciprocity. These traditions
are illustrated by the rise of time banks
and ethical and alternative consumption.
Finally, the publication looks at, political
engagement, local governance
campaigning and protest and direct
action. Whilst trust in politicians and
political parties is relatively low, there is
clearly an interest in economic, political and
social change. Ultimately, the activities and
patterns of engagement reflect wider
societal trends such as individualism and
consumerism: and these trends have
shaped, not ended, participation and
engagement.
Where does participation
take place?
People engage in their local communities
and beyond, but the more deprived an
area, the less likely it is that people will
participate in civic engagement or formal
volunteering. This is a clear test for the
Big Society. Voluntary and community
Participation in a global context organisations are an important catalyst for
people's initial and sustained participation.
On some measures, such as membership,
However, it is important to remember that
the UK fares well compared to other
countries. Participation across the world is other spaces and organisations can also
mobilise people and bring them together,
far from uniform and reflects differences
including virtual spaces that are often less
in cultural norms and political context.
formal. Online approaches are changing
Looking at participation beyond national
borders highlights the need to improve our participation, but these have yet to achieve
scale. Strengthening links between online
understanding of the factors that
encourage or discourage different forms of and offline participation is a key
participation and different behaviours and opportunity.
attitudes.
1.1
What is participation?
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There are a multitude of definitions of
'participation'. At NCVO, we have opted
for a very broad understanding of
'participation' that is inclusive of a wide
range of participatory activities. In this
publication, we will be looking at the three
categories of activities that the Pathways
through Participation project1 has
identified namely: public participation,
social participation and individual
participation2.
Source: What is participation? Pathways through
Participation 2010
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Participation activity by activity
References
1.1 What is participation?
1.2 Looking back: The decline of participation?
1.3 Looking back The last decade
1.4 Participation in a global context
1.5 Who participates?
1.6 Where does participation take place?
Page 1
Public participation
The engagement of individuals with
the various structures and institutions of
democracy. Key to public participation
is the relationship between individuals
and the state. For example: voting
or responding to a government
consultation.
Individual
participation
The individual choices and
actions that people make as
part of their daily life and that are
statements of the kind of society
they want to live in. For example:
donating money to charity or
boycotting a product.
Social participation
The collective activities that
individuals may be involved in.
The associations people form
between and for themselves are
at the heart of social participation.
For example: being a member of
a community group or
volunteering at a hospice.
1.2
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of participation?
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1.1 What is participation?
1.2 Looking back: The decline of participation?
1.3 Looking back: The last decade
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1.4 Participation in a global context
1.5 Who participates?
1.6 Where does participation take place?
Page 2
A fall in voting
Formal ‘politics’ has
become less appealing
Despite recent increases in both local and
general election turnout, the downward
trend in voting over the last decades has
raised growing concerns about political
disengagement and the legitimacy of
political institutions. General election
turnout has dropped significantly since
1992 (78%) reaching its lowest level, since
the 1920s, in 2001 (59%)3. The level of
voting has improved since then (61% in
20054; 65% in 20105) but is still lower than
in the second half of the twentieth century.
Voter turnout for local elections has
traditionally been lower than for general
elections. In 2010, the local and general
elections were held on the same day, so
it was unusually high (62% compared to
39% in 2009)6.
Source: House of Commons Research Paper 04/61, July 2008.
UK Elections Statistics: 1918-2004. House of Commons
Research Paper 05/33, May 2005. General Election 2005.
House of Commons Research Paper 10/36, July 2010.
General Election 2010: Detailed Analysis
The three main parties experienced a
dramatic drop in membership in the 1980s.
Their membership has continued to drop
ever since, with the exception of a small
expansion of Labour’s membership
between 1994 and 1998. One of the
factors behind this decline is the general
public's growing lack of identification with
and allegiance to broad political
movements and formal party politics.
People are now increasingly drawn towards
single issue campaigns and organisations
providing opportunities for involvement
that cut across traditional lines of division
between political parties. This allows
people to engage in a less structured and
less formal way7.
Source: Membership of UK political parties SN/SG/5125
(House of Commons Library, 2009
Conservative
Labour
Liberal Democrat
Main parties
Main political party membership
1970 – 2008 (000s)
Voter turnout at the UK General Elections 1970 – 2010 (%)
1600
85
1400
80
1200
75
1000
70
800
65
600
60
400
55
200
50
0
1970
1974 Feb 1974 Oct 1979
1983
1987
1992
1997
2001
2005
2010
1970
1974
1979
1983
1987
1992
1997
2001
2005
2008
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Trade union
membership has
fallen significantly
Trade union membership peaked in 1979
when unions had a total of 13.2 million
members8. Membership declined
throughout the 1980s and early 1990s,
because of high unemployment and
changes to trade union legislation under
the Conservative government. Membership
numbers have since then stabilised.
However, union density (i.e. union
membership as a proportion of the
workforce) has continued to decline due to
improved employment levels. Between
1979 and 2009, the proportion of the
workforce in a union fell from 55% to 27%9.
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1.2 Looking back: The decline of participation?
1.3 Looking back: The last decade
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1.4 Participation in a global context
1.5 Who participates?
1.6 Where does participation take place?
Page 3
Membership of
charitable of
organisations:
A mixed picture
Membership numbers from a selection of household charity names
indicate that the picture for charities is more mixed than for political
parties and trade unions10. Green or environmental charities have, for
example, significantly expanded. This is particularly true of the
National Trust with 3.6 million members in 2008 – almost 6% of the
UK population. Other long-established charities such as the British
Legion or St John Ambulance have been less successful and seen a
marked drop in numbers. Despite these disparities, support for
charities (beyond membership) continues to be strong as the
remarkable growth of registered charities indicates. Since the 1960s
there has been at least 2,500 new charities registered each year11.
Number of members (in 000s)
Source: Annual reports, reviews, and publications
published by the individual charities
Figure in 1970
11,179,000
¢ 1971
¢ 2009
1,060
-32%
98
Royal Society for the
Protection of Birds
123
100
1
Friends of
the Earth
22
The Ramblers
Association
3,600
912
576
Figure in 2008
7,656,000
278
318
482
226
National
Trust
Scout
Association
Youth Hostels
Association
91
402
43
St John
Ambulance
British Legion
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Page 4
Levels of giving
and volunteering
have remained
largely stable
Unlike membership to political parties and trade unions which both
fell dramatically over the last decades, there has been no marked
drop in levels of volunteering and giving. Nevertheless, participation
rates in volunteering and giving are lower in 2008 than in 1981.
The percentage of individuals volunteering formally through groups
and organisations at least once a year experienced a slight decrease
(44% in 1981 compared to 41% in 2008).
¢ Percentage of people formally
volunteering at least once in the
past 12 months
60
Source: National Survey of Volunteering
and Citizenship Surveys
¢ Percentage of households that have
given to charity in the last month
Source: CGAP/CMPO (2011) The new state of donation:
Three decades of household giving to charity 1978 – 2008
1.4 Participation in a global context
1.5 Who participates?
1.6 Where does participation take place?
Household participation in giving fell slightly more than volunteering
(33% in 1981 compared to 27% in 2008) but average donations per
donor increased significantly in real terms (from £3.29 in 1981 to
£8.66 in 2008)12. However, household giving as a percentage of total
household spending remained the same: in 2008, it represented 0.4%
as it did in 198813.
51
50
44
41
40
39
33
30
29
27
27
2001-02
2008-09
20
10
0
1981
1991
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1.3 Looking back: The last decade
1.4 Participation in a global context
1.5 Who participates?
1.6 Where does participation take place?
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Timeline 1970-2010
Participation: major events
DEC tsunami
appeal raises
£390 million
UK trade union membership
reaches all time high (13.2 million)
MakePovertyHistory
campaign
Brixton riots
‘Stop the War’
march against
the war in Iraq
12-month miners
strike begins
General election
turnout hits historic
low (59.4%)
Live Aid
G20 London
summit and
protests
1978
1979
1980
1981
1982
1983
1984
1985
1986
1987
1988
1989
1990
1991
1992
1993
1994
1995
1996
1997
1998
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
Poll tax riots
Facebook reaches
27.8 million users
in the UK
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1.3 Looking back: The last decade
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1.5 Who participates?
1.6 Where does participation take place?
Page 6
Membership
The most popular type of membership
organisations people belong to (%)
Overall fewer people were a member of an
organisation in 2007 (53%) than in 1997
(58%)14. The five most popular types of
organisations people were a member of in
1997 were sports clubs (18%); trade unions
(15%); religious groups (12%); social groups
(11%) and tenants/residents associations
(9%). One major change in the 2007 ranking
is that membership of tenants/residents
associations is no longer included in the top
five having dropped to 4%. Another notable
change is the drop in membership of social
groups. Otherwise the data by type of
organisation shows relative stability.
Source: British Household Panel Survey 2007
¢ 1997
¢ 2007
11.2
11.8
9.1
8.5
Professional organisation
8.4
10.6
Social group
Religious group
15.2
17.9
13.5
17.4
Trade union
Sports club
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1.5 Who participates?
1.6 Where does participation take place?
Page 7
80
Volunteering
70
People volunteer informally by giving unpaid help to non-family
members or formally through groups and organisations.
More people volunteer informally than formally: for instance, in
2009-10, 54% of people in England had volunteered informally at 60
least once in the last year compared to 40% who had volunteered
formally15. The rates for regular volunteering are lower (i.e. at
least once a month) but interestingly the difference between
regular informal volunteering (29%) and regular formal
50
volunteering (24%) is relatively small.
Levels of formal volunteering in 2001 and in 2009-10 are almost
identical ( -1% for volunteering at least once a year over the period
2001 to 2009-10). This is less the case for informal volunteering which 40
saw a sharp drop in 2009-10 ( -13% for volunteering at least once a
year and -5% for volunteering once a month since 2001).
Source: Citizenship Survey 2009-10
67
54
40
39
34
30
29
27
Informal volunteering at least once a month
in the last year (%)
Informal volunteering at least once in the last year (%)
20
Formal volunteering at least once a month
in the last year (%)
Formal volunteering at least once in the last year (%)
10
25
0
2001
2003
2005
2007-8
2008-9
2009-10
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1.6 Where does participation take place?
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¢ Civic participation at least once in the last 12 months (%)
¢ Civic consultation at least once in the last 12 months (%)
¢ Civic activism at least once in the last 12 months (%)
Public participation
Voter turnout improved at the last two general elections, but
the 2001 figure was one of the lowest ever (59%)16. In 2010,
the development of online campaigning and the introduction
of televised debates between the party leaders may have
encouraged more people to vote.
Beyond voting, people are involved in a number of other civic
activities, from responding to a consultation about local services
to signing a petition or being a councillor. Over the last decade,
the level of involvement in these types of activities has remained
largely unchanged. The only notable change is the recent
decrease in civic participation (from 38% in 2008-09 to 34% in
2009-10) and civic consultation (from 20% in 2008-09 to 18%
in 2009-10)17.
45
40
39
38
38
38
38
35
34
30
25
Source: Citizenship Survey 2009-10
Civic activism: involvement in either direct decision-making
about local services or issues, or in the actual provision of
these services by taking on a role such as a local councillor,
school governor or magistrate.
20
21
20
20
18
15
Civic consultation: active engagement in consultation
about local services or issues through activities such as
attending a consultation group or completing a
questionnaire about these services.
10
10
9
Civic participation: wider forms of engagement in democratic
processes, such as contacting an elected representative, taking
part in a public demonstration or protest, or signing a petition.
10
10
5
2001
2003
2005
2007-8
2008-9
2009-10
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1.4 Participation in a global context
1.5 Who participates?
1.6 Where does participation take place?
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Giving
Ethical consumerism
Charitable giving by individuals remains stable and widespread. The percentage of people
giving has practically not moved since the mid-noughties (57% in 2004-05 compared to
56% in 2009-10). However, the typical amounts given per donor per month have
increased (despite the recession): the median amount given was £12 in 2009/10, a rise of
£2 from 2004/05, and the mean or average £31, an increase of £7 from 2004/05. The
total amount given to charity by adults in 2009/10 is estimated at £10.6 billion compared
to £9.2 billion in 2004/05, after adjusting for inflation18.
People increasingly think about individual consumer actions as a way of affecting change or
expressing their values. Ethical consumerism has attracted an increasing number of people
over the last 10 years. As a result, the UK ethical market has grown spectacularly: from
£13.5 billion in 1999 it was worth £43.2 billion in 200919. Spending on ethical food and drink
has increased more than threefold in the last decade, from £1.9 billion in 1999 to £6.5 billion
in 2009. In 2009, the average spend per household on ethical products and services,
reached £764, a threefold increase from 1999. Recent figures indicate that the market has
continued to grow, albeit more modestly, since the recession.
Source: NCVO/CAF UK Giving 2010
Source: Co-op Ethical Consumerism Report 2010
UK ethical consumer market
1999-2009 (£million)
Proportion of adults
in the UK giving (%)
57
58
56
56
54
56
Ethical food and drink
1999
£££££££££
(1,926)
2009
££££££££££
££££££££££
££££££££££
(6,490)
Mean amount
per donor
£24
£28
£29
£32
£30
£31
Green home
£££££££
(1,401)
Median amount
per donor
£10
£10
£10
£10
£10
£12
Eco-travel and transport
£ (175)
££££££££££
££££££££££
££££££££££
£ £ £ £ £ (7,091)
££££££££
(2,748)
2004/05
2005/06
2006/07
2007/08
2008/09
2009/10
Ethical personal products
£ £ £ (653)
£ £ £ £ £ £ £ ££
(1,792)
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1.3 Looking back: The last decade
Home and contents
Participation overview
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References
1.4 Participation in a global context
1.5 Who participates?
1.6 Where does participation take place?
Page 10
• Serious Organised Crime and
Police Act (SOCPA) contains a
number of restrictions on the
right to protest
• CLG White Paper
Communities in Control:
Real People, Real Power to
promote the idea of
community empowerment
•C
ommission on the Future
of Volunteering set up to
develop a long-term vision
for volunteering in England
• Civil Renewal Unit
established to
promote active
citizenship and
community action
• Charities Act simplifies charity law and refines
definition of charities that requires
demonstrable ‘public benefit’ to register
• Local Government White Paper Strong and
Prosperous Communities aims to give more
power to local people and communities
• Office of the Third Sector, V (young
volunteers service) and Capacitybuilders to
support the sector and voluntary action
• Local Democracy, Economic
Development and Construction
Act extends duties to promote
participation of local authorities
and other local bodies
• Volunteer Rights Inquiry
established to understand the
nature and scope of the problems
experienced by volunteers and
identify solutions
• Russell Commission on young
people's volunteering set up
to develop a new national
framework for youth action
and engagement
• ChangeUp programme
published – a
cross-Government framework
on capacity building and
infrastructure in the voluntary
and community sector
2004
• Citizenship
introduced as a
statutory subject in
English National
Curriculum
• Commission for the Compact established
2007
• Year of the Volunteer launched
to increase opportunities for
volunteering and to encourage
more people to volunteer
• First edition of the
Citizenship Survey
commissioned
• Active Community
Unit created in the
Home Office to
support voluntary
and community
organisations and
promote voluntary
activity
• Local Government and Public Involvement in
Health Act strengthens duty on NHS bodies
to involve and consult patients and the public
in the planning and provision of services
• Sustainable Communities Act passed to
promote sustainability and wellbeing of
communities, including participation in civic
and political activity
• New coalition government sets out their vision of the
Big Society
2010
2008 2005 2000
• Local Government Act gives more
power to Local Authorities to promote
economic, social or environment
wellbeing of an area, and changes how
decisions are made
• Freedom of Information Act gives
everyone the right to request
information held by public sector
organisations
•T
errorism Act identifies criminal
offences relating to terrorist financing
2002/3
2009 2006
2001
Policy timeline 2000-2010
• Plans announced for National Citizen Service pilots in
summer 2011
• Review of the Vetting and Barring Scheme set to create a
slimmed-down version of the scheme
• Decentralisation and Localism Bill devolves greater powers
to councils and neighbourhoods and gives local
communities control over housing and planning decisions
1.4
Participation in
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Page 11
The Democracy Index by the Economist Intelligence Unit20
measures the state of democracy in 167 countries. Countries are
ranked according to 60 indicators under five themes: electoral
process and pluralism; civil liberties; government functioning;
political participation; and political culture. According to the index,
almost half of the world population lived in a democracy of some
sort in 2010, but only 16% of countries are full democracies (score
Voting turnout 2001-2006 (%)
Europe and
Central Asia
Source: Global Civil Society 2009
higher than 7) covering 13% of the world population. All regions
had an average democracy score that was lower in 2010 than in
2008 highlighting the negative impact of the global financial and
economic recession on democracy. The highest scoring country was
Norway (9.80) and the lowest North Korea (1.08). The UK ranked
19th with a score of 8.16 and is situated near the bottom of the 'full
democracy' category which comprises 26 countries in total.
69%
East Asia and Pacific
73%
Democracy
index 2010
Full democracies:
9-10
8-8.9
Flawed
democracies:
7-7.9
6-6.9
Hybrid regimes:
5-5.9
4-4.9
North America
59%
Latin America
and Carribean
72%
Middle East and
North Africa
68%
Authoritarian
regimes:
3-3.9
2-2.9
0-1.9
Source: Economist
Intelligence Unit
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Voting: Nicaragua was the first
country to reduce the minimum
voting age to 16 in 1984.
Blood donation: In Austria
66%
1.12%
37%
of its gross national income.
The UK gave 0.52%.
1.4 Participation in a global context
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Global facts
International aid: In 2009,
Sweden donated
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of the population had donated
blood before compared to
1970
In the UK, it has been 18 since
Source: Demos The New Frontier
Belgium was the first country to adopt
compulsory voting in 1892. Now around
30 countries have adopted some form of
compulsory voting.
Protest: The longest-running protest is Concepcion
Picciotto’s White House protest, which has lasted over
29 years
Brian Haw’s protest outside Westminster has been
running over 9 years.
Sources: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Concepcion_Picciotto and en.
wikipedia.org/wiki/Brian_Haw (14/02/11)
3 million
£6 billion 56% 2 million
Source: OECD Net Official
Development Assistance in 2009
in the UK (2009).
Source: Special Eurobarometer 333b
Charitable donation: The single largest individual
donation was made by Bill Gates in 2010. He pledged
Source: Guardian 04/07/05
Politics: Rwanda currently has the highest
proportion of women in Parliament in the
world, thanks to gender quotas, with
to develop and distribute vaccines.
£466
million
to The Children’s Investment Fund.
Source: Sunday Telegraph 27/11/10
took part in the rally against the Iraq invasion. The same anti-war
march attracted up to
protestors in London.
Source: Sunday Times 29/01/10
In 2008, UK financier Chris Hohn donated
The largest protest took place in 2003 in Rome: up to
22%
In the UK,
Source: BBC news 15/02/03 and 16/02/03
Trade unions: Sweden has the
largest trade union membership
density among employees in
the world with
of MPs are
women (2010).
2.2 million
68%
455,000
27%
Source: IPU Women In National Parliaments
Strike action: In Canada
Participatory budgeting: In 1989,
Porto Alegre (Brazil) became the
first authority to introduce full
participatory budgeting in the world.
In the UK, the first pilot projects began
in July 2007.
days were lost due to strike action
in 2009, the highest amount in the In the UK, it is
world. The same year the UK lost
Source: House of Commons Library Standard
Note SN/PC/04790
Source: The Economist 06/06/09
days.
Source: OECDStatExtracts
(2008)
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A few international comparisonsi: Membership
Individual membership in a number of selected countries (%)
¢ Is a member of at least one organisation
¢ Is an active member of at least one organisation
Source: World Values Survey 2005
96
62
Sweden
91
87
67
65
S Africa
87
85
64
Brazil
USA
80
77
64
63
Australia
Canada
% of active membership by type of organisation
in selected countries
75
45
61
India
Britain
65
59
54
43
37
40
Germany
Japan
France
Country with the highest %
Britain
Average of selected countries
Source: World Values Survey 2005
Church or religious group
South Africa
Sport and recreational organisation
Australia
Art, music or educational organisation
Canada
Charitable/humanitarian organisation
Britain/Canada
Political party
India
Professional association
Canada
Trade union
India
Environmental organisation
India
Consumer organisation
India
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
37
36
18
15
China
Russia
According to the World Values Survey21,
people from a number of selected countries
are more likely to be a member of at least one
organisation than in Britain. However, the
difference between active and inactive
membership in Britain is relatively small
compared to other countries. In Sweden,
for example, nearly everybody is a member
of at least one organisation (96% compared
to 75% in Britain), but active membership is
almost at the same level as in Britain
(62% compared to 61%). Britain is in joint first
position with Canada for active membership
of charitable/humanitarian organisations
(21% compared to an average of 10%).
Scores in Britain are well above average for
active membership of sport and recreational
organisations (29% compared to an average
of 18%), art/music and educational
organisations (22% compared to the average
of 12%) and professional associations
(14% compared to 8%).
i
A word of caution: international comparisons are notoriously
difficult and as such only provide an indicative picture
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A few international comparisons
Volunteering
The World Giving Index22 found that 20%
of the world’s population (i.e. people over
15) had volunteered time to an
organisation in the month prior to
interview. The survey highlights that the
level of formal volunteering is higher in the
UK than the average level in Western and
Southern Europe. The UK is ranked sixth
out of 19 Western and Southern
Average level of formal volunteering in
Western and Southern Europe:
Giving
countries, with 29% of people saying that
they had formally volunteered time in the
last month. At 24% the average level of
formal volunteering in Western and
Southern Europe is lower than in
Australasia (40%), Central Asia (38%)
and North America (37%).
Percentage of people over 15
formally volunteering in the UK:
29%
39%
The international survey conducted by
Charities Aid Foundation (CAF)23 in 2006
indicates that giving in the 12 countries
surveyed represented on average 0.5% of
GDP. The country where individuals
contributed the most was by far the US
(1.67% of GDP) where philanthropy is a
well-embedded tradition, followed by the
Individual giving as % of GDP (2005)
Source: International Comparisons of Charitable Giving, November 2006 (CAF Briefing Paper)
France
0.14%
Turkey
0.23%
Percentage of people over 15
formally volunteering in the US:
Source: CAF World Giving Index 2010
USA
1.67%
Canada
0.72%
Netherlands
0.45%
Country with highest level of formal
volunteering: Turkmenistan
61% 39%
UK24 (0.73%). According to the World Index
Report, 30% of the world’s population had
given money to charity in the month prior to
interview. At 73% the proportion of people
giving in the UKii is the third highest in the
world, after Malta (83%) and the
Netherlands (77%).
Australia
0.69%
Rep of Ireland
0.47%
UK
0.73%
Germany
0.22%
New
Zealand
0.29%
Because of differences in survey methodology, and in question wording, the proportion of
UK people who give within this global survey is higher than the proportion reported in the
CAF/NCVO UK Giving survey.
ii
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Page 15
Social class and
education
>
23%
56%
Twice as many people with a degree or
equivalent volunteer formally at least once year
Participation in volunteering, giving and political activity
increases in line with educational qualifications and social
class. Over half (56%) of those holding a degree or
equivalent have volunteered for an organisation at least once
in the last year, compared to less than a quarter of people
(23%) with no qualification. The difference is less marked
with regular informal volunteering: 37% of those with a
degree or equivalent and 29% of people with no
qualifications volunteer informally at least once a month24.
A fifth of people (20%) with a degree or higher qualification
expressed a political opinion online in the last two to three
years, compared to 2% of those with no formal
qualification25. The majority (59%) of people who belong to
a political party are classified as having either a professional
or managerial occupational status26 and in the 2010 general
election, 76% of people from social class AB voted compared
to 57% from social class DE27.
People in managerial and professional groups are more likely to
give (69%) and give the largest median amount (£19)28.
However, the poorest givers donate more of their income to
charity than the richest. The richest 10% give 1.1% of their total
spending to charity, while for the poorest 10% the figure was
3.6%29.
compared to those with
no qualifications
> 2%
69% > 48%
Source: Citizenship Survey 2008-09:
Volunteering and Charitable Giving Report
20%
of people with a degree or higher qualification
expressed a political opinion online in the last
two to three years, compared to
of those with no formal qualification
Source: Hansard Society Audit
of Political Engagement 7
36% > 6% DEs
of people in managerial and professional
occupation groups give to charity, compared to
AB
in routine and manual occupation groups
Source: CAF/NCVO UK Giving 2010
of people from social class
compared to
of
boycotted certain goods
for political/ethical/
environmental reasons
Source: Hansard Society Audit of Political Engagement 7
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Ethnicity and
religious affiliation
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Page 16
The relationship between ethnicity and religious affiliation and
participation is complex. In terms of volunteering, roughly
equivalent numbers of Black (25%) and White (26%) people take
part in regular formal volunteering compared to lower numbers
of people identifying as Asian (16%) and Chinese/Other (13%)30.
Across different ethnic groups, formal volunteering is higher
amongst those who currently practise a religion, particularly in
the White and Black ethnic groups31. The type of organisation that
people from different ethnic groups volunteer for varies widely,
97%
25%
with religion being the main field of interest for Asian and Black
volunteers32.
In terms of local politics, a quarter of people from ethnic minority
groups (25%) voted in the last local election compared to just over
half (51%) of White people and the vast majority of local councillors
(97%) are White33. As for giving, people from ethic minority groups
are less likely to give than White people (69% compared to 75%)
but they give more (average of £20.30 compared to £17.15)34.
Formal volunteering at least once a year by whether respondent
currently practises a religion within ethnic group (%)
Source: Citizenship Survey 2005:
Active Communities Topic Report
60
58
55
50
51
of local councillors are White
Source: National Census of Local Authority Councillors 2008
45
40
41
35
36
34
34
30
White
(practises a religion)
White
(others)
Asian
(practises a religion)
Asian
(others)
Black
(practises a religion)
Black
(others)
of Black people volunteer formally at least once a
month (compared to 26% White and 16% Asian and
13% Chinese/Other)
Nearly half (49%) of Asian volunteers and two fifth of black volunteers (41%) helped organisations
whose main field of interest is religion, compared with one fifth (20%) of White volunteers.
Source: Citizenship Survey 2009-10
Source: OTS Helping Out Survey 2007
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Gender
Men are more involved in formal political
activity than women, with over two thirds
of local councillors (68%) and two thirds
of political party members being male35.
However, there were no gender
differences in levels of civic participation,
consultation or activism36iii. In terms of
charitable giving, more women (61%)
give to charity than men (52%)37.
Whereas in previous years, men who
donated gave slightly more on average
than women, in 2009-10 women and
men gave similar amounts.
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Age
More women than men volunteer both
formally and informally. This is particularly
true of regular volunteering (i.e. at least
once a month). The type of organisation
women and men support through their
volunteering differs, with women more
likely than men to volunteer in organisations
whose main field of interest is education or
health/disability, and men more likely to
support sport or exercise-based
organisations38.
As people get older, they are more likely to
vote: 27% of 18-24 year olds said they would
be likely to vote in an immediate general
election, compared to 80% of people aged
75 or over39. People aged 18-24 are the least
likely to give (40% compared to 63% for
people aged 45-64)40. The difference in
levels of volunteering is less marked by age,
with 23% of 16-24 year olds formally
volunteering more than once a month
compared to 28% of people aged between
35-64 and 29% of 65-74 year olds41.
Nearly a quarter (23%) of 16-24 year olds
formally volunteer at least once a month
Source: Citizenship Survey 2009-10
13% of 18-24 year olds have joined a
political group and/or followed a politician
or political group on Twitter in the last two
or three years
Source: Hansard Society Audit of Political Engagement 7
2% of trustees are aged under 30
Source: A Breath of Fresh Air, Charity Commission (2010)
70% of local councillors are aged 55 or over
Source: National Council of Local Authority Councillors 2008
Less than 1/3 of local councillors are
female (31%)
Women (61%) are more likely to give
than men (52%)
Certainty to vote according to age (%)
Source: National Census of Local Authority Councillors 2008
Source: CAF/NCVO UK Giving 2010
80
80
70
2/3 of party members are male compared
with only half of the wider population
Source: Where have all the members gone? Whiteley 2009
66
60
More women (38%) than men (31%)
take part in regular informal volunteering
(once a month)
71
50
46
40
30
Source: Citizenship Survey 2008-09
69
20
33
27
10
0
Age
iv
See page 8 for definition
18-24
25-34
35-44
Source: Hansard Society Audit of Political Engagement 7
45-54
55-64
65-74
75+
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Research by the Third Sector Research Centre42 indicates that
a relatively small subset of the population – the civic core – is
responsible for most of the volunteering; charitable giving and
civic participation that takes place. Almost a third of the adult
population (31%) provides nearly 90% of volunteer hours,
just under 80% of charitable giving, and around 70% of civic
participation. The contribution of the primary core to
volunteering is particularly striking with 8% of the adult
population accounting for almost half of all volunteer hours
8%
31%
1.4 Participation in a global context
1.5 Who participates?
1.6 Where does participation take place?
which highlights the significant level of involvement of a
committed few. In terms of demographics, people in the civic
core are more likely to have higher education qualifications, be
middle-aged, owner occupiers, actively practise their religion,
and have lived in the same neighbourhood for at least 10 years.
Source: Mohan, J. What do volunteering statistics tell us about the prospects for the Big Society?
NCVO/TSRC Big Society Evidence Seminar (11 October 2010)
of the adult
population =
22%
40%
49%
Volunteer hours
Charitable giving
Civic participation
of the adult
population =
90%
80%
70%
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The spaces and places of participation
Sector of organisations
helped by volunteers
The most common fields of interest
supported by formal volunteers
Source: OTS Helping Out Survey 2007
Source: OTS Helping Out Survey 2007
Private
sector
11%
Public sector
23%
31%
24%
22%
22%
Sports and
exercise
Health and
disability
Voluntary and
community sector
65%
Education
Religion
Where do people participate?
170,000
volunteers in the NHS
Source: Active Community Unit 2000
Over
300,000
4,500171,000
There
are
school governors
Source: National Governors'
Association (06/11/10)
community centres across
England and Wales and
general charities in the UK
Source: Quirk review 2007 and
UK Civil Society Almanac 2010
A common misconception is that people only volunteer for
voluntary organisations: the 2007 Helping Out survey43
suggests that a third of volunteers are based within the
public or private sectors. An estimated 23% of volunteers
are helping out in locations such as schools, hospitals, police
stations: a figure that includes 300,000 school governors
and 170,000 NHS volunteers. Both education and health/
disability appear amongst the causes most popularly
supported by volunteers, so it is hardly a surprise schools
and hospitals are what one research programme in 1997
referred to as ‘volunteer involving organisations’44. In a
still-relevant comment, the study noted a failure to
recognise “the vast amount of voluntary activity associated with
schools, religious groups…and statutory agencies, while the
contribution of public houses to community life has largely gone
unrecognised.” The pub is indeed but one of many
participation hubs.
90%
of nearly 10,000 village
halls are charities run by
volunteer trustees
Source: ACRE Rural Community
Buildings in England 2009
3.8 million
households belong to a Neighbourhood Watch scheme in
England and Wales Source: British Crime Survey 2006-07
Where?: Blood banks, charities, charity shops, community centres, fetes and festivals, hospices, hospitals, housing associations, libraries, magistrates courts, museums, nursing/retirement
homes, online, parks, places of worship, prisons, schools, sports clubs, supermarkets, theatres, universities, village halls, voluntary organisations, youth clubs, wildlife trusts, workplaces...
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Page 20
Participation at the local level
Number of charities in local authorities
Number of voluntary
organisations per
1,000 people
0.9 - 1.3
1.3 - 1.6
1.7 - 1.8
1.9 - 2.1
2.2 - 2.5
2.6 - 3.0
3.1 - 3.5
3.6 - 4.0
4.1 - 5.0
5.1 - 118.7
Source: NCVO, GuideStar
Data Services
% who have been involved in decisions that
affect the local area in the past 12 months
Source: Place Survey Tables 2008
Highest scoring local authority: City of London 26%
Lowest scoring local authority: Stockton-on-Tees 8%
National average: 14%
% who have given unpaid help at least
once per month over the last 12 months
Source: Place Survey Tables 2008
Highest scoring local authority: Cornwall 32%
Lowest scoring local authority:
Kingston-upon-Hull 14%
National average: 22%
There is a clear variation in participation
according to the levels of deprivation of the
area in which people live. The more deprived
an area is, the less people are likely to
participate in civic engagement and formal
volunteering: 70% of people in the most
prosperous areas participate in civic
engagement and formal volunteering
compared to 50% of people in the most
deprived areas where needs are likely to be
the highest45. People living in rural areas are
also more likely than people in urban areas to
participate in civic engagement and formal
volunteering, with 70% and 60%
respectively46. Interestingly, the number of
registered charities by local authority in
England and Wales shows similar trends: an
urban-rural split and some evidence of a
negative relationship with deprivation47.
Civic engagement and
formal volunteering
Civic engagement
Participation in civic engagement and formal volunteering (%)
Source: Citizenship Survey 2008-09: Empowered Community Topic Report
80
70
70
69
67
60
53
53
50
51
62
63
47
48
40
57
54
44
51
43
38
20
50
40
0
1
least deprived
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
most deprived
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Whether it is donating money after a natural disaster;
campaigning to end child labour or taking a gap year to volunteer
abroad, people are involved in a range of activities that go beyond
local and national boundaries. While what happens at the local
level is important it is not the only driver of participation. Public
engagement with some of the biggest challenges the world faces
NGOs in the UK
88,000
VSO (Volunteer Services Overseas)
supporters in the UK
Source: Annual report 2009-10
156,754
Amnesty International UK members, 270 local groups,
102 student groups and 648 youth groups Source: Annual report 2009-10
300,000 20,000
More than
volunteers are involved in Christian Aid Week
volunteers work in
Oxfam shops in the UK
Source: Annual report 2008-09
Source: Annual report 2009-10
Top DEC appeals since 1990
Source: dec.org.uk (06/11/10)
£37 £53
million for Rwanda
Emergency Appeal
1991
1992
1993
1994
1995
1996
1997
1.4 Participation in a global context
1.5 Who participates?
1.6 Where does participation take place?
million for
Kosovo Crisis
Appeal 1999
1998
such as poverty and climate change is strong. The development
of campaigns around these global issues has shown how
people's engagement in neighbourhood groups can bring the
local and global together. The use of new technologies and
social media means that mobilisation at a global scale is now far
easier and faster.
Overseas causes attracted the second largest
share of total donations
16% of all money donated
24% of donors
£10 median donation
Source: CAF/NCVO UK Giving 2010
International campaigning
In 2005, 8 million people wore the MakePovertyHistory
white band in the UK, 444,000 people emailed the
Prime Minister about poverty and 225,000 took to
the streets of Edinburgh for the Make Poverty History
march and rally.
Source: Makepovertyhistory.org (06/11/10)
£390
million for Tsunami
Appeal 2004
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
£59
million for Asia
Quake Appeal
2005
£101
million for Haiti
Earthquake appeal 2010
£70
2005
2006
2007
2008
million for
Pakistan
Flood Appeal
2010
2009
2010
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Online participation
The rise of web-based participation – online communities, e-campaigns, ‘friendraising’ – is one of the biggest changes
in the way that people are choosing to become involved in what matters to them. Underpinned by the spectacular
growth of social networks such as Facebook and Twitter, the efficacy of online participation is somewhat contested:
supporters point to President Obama’s success in raising $122 million, largely from contributions of less than $200;
detractors point to the rise of ‘slacktivism’, acts of engagement that take little effort and have little effect other than to
make the slacktivist feel better48. Boundaries in this area continue to be pushed: witness the emergence of the open
data movement, where campaigners and (often open source) developers are increasingly using government data to
inform and promote social change. Some of these activities have broken into the mainstream; others have not. The
internet may not change people’s motivation to participate, but it offers the potential to remove some of the barriers
to getting involved.
Virtual volunteering
In 2009 9,427 online volunteers completed more than
14,000 assignments through the UN Online Volunteering scheme.
Source: UNV annual report 2009
“Volunteer your time in bite sized chunks – from your home
and when you want to”
Social media and web-based technology are also helping the
development of micro-volunteering as illustrated by the
Help From Home website.
Source: helpfromyourhome.org (06/11/10)
Online giving
Using the internet to
mobilise and campaign
Methods of giving for DEC appeals 2008/09
Source: dec.org.uk (06/11/10)
Through
member
agencies
8%
There are over 30,000 voluntary
organisations using Facebook. Through the
application ‘Causes’ more than $5 million
has been raised since 2006, benefiting over
150,000 different causes.
Banks
and post
office
7%
Source: Facebook.com/nonprofits (08/02/11)
Internet
32%
Gift aid
9%
In 3 years Avaaz, a global online advocacy
community, has grown to 7.2 million
members.
Source: Avaaz.org (08/02/11)
Phones
11%
Trusts
and other
12%
Mail
21%
In the UK, campaigning website
38 Degrees had over 320,000
members in February 2011 compared
to 140,000 in November 2010.
Source: 38degrees.org.uk (08/02/11)
Politics and the internet
One in 11 people (9%) have ‘expressed their political opinions online’.
Only a small number of people use either Facebook (4%) or Twitter
(2%) to follow a political group or politician.
Source: Hansard Society Audit of Political Engagement 7
New ways of supporting charities
Kiva, an online micro-finance tool to lend to entrepreneurs
across the globe.
Source: Kiva.org (08/02/11)
$191,639,650 total value of all loans made
through Kiva
876,654 number of Kiva users
552,713 number of Kiva users who have funded a loan
210 number of countries represented by Kiva lenders
2.1
Membership
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2.1 Membership
2.2 Giving
2.3 Volunteering
2.4 Time banking
2.5 Ethical consumerism
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Page 23
Membership by gender
Membership by age
Source: British Household Panel Survey 2007
Source: British Household Panel Survey 2007
57% 48%
of men are a member of an organisation
16-24 (36%)
25-44 (53%)
of women are a member of an organisation
£25.05
45-64 (60%)
Membership: a way of financially supporting organisations
the average amount paid for a subscription or membership fee to a
charitable organisation in the last four weeks
65+ (52%)
Membership by level of education
Source: British Household Panel Survey 2007
Higher degree (83%)
Source: OTS Helping Out 2007
First degree ( 75%)
People choose to become a member of an
organisation for a range of different reasons.
Factors could include the tangible benefits
membership gives them such as access or
discounts (e.g. reduced prices for exhibitions);
the desire to support a cause they deeply
care about or to feel part of a community
(‘joining in’). In some cases it could be a
combination of all these motivations. Three
in four adults (75%) in Britain are a member
of at least one organisation, and the average
number of organisational memberships per
person is 2.181.
Not all members are involved in the same
way and to the same degree: while some
will take part in activities such as voting at
AGMs or volunteering, for others
involvement will be more passive and
limited to financial support. Whether
passive or active, members are more likely
to be men, highly educated and aged
between 45 and 64 years old2.
Higher National Diploma/
Certificate (67%)
A level (54%)
O level (51%)
CSE (38%)
None (40%)
2.6 Political engagement
2.7 Local governance
2.8 Campaigning
2.9 Direct action and protest
2.1
Membership
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2.1 Membership
2.2 Giving
2.3 Volunteering
2.4 Time banking
2.5 Ethical consumerism
Page 24
What will membership look like in 5 years' time?
The Future of Membership project aimed to understand the different challenges,
strengths and purposes of membership. It carried out research into what membership
means for people and what motivates them to become members. It also identified a
series of drivers shaping membership in the coming years, many of which relate to the
way members engage or want to engage.
3
Key drivers shaping the future of membership
Driver 1: Changing sources of identity
A more diverse society, globalisation and the growing use of new
technologies mean that individuals’ identities are shaped by a
broader set of influences. As a result, people are now more likely
to support a series of single issues, moving fluidly from one cause
to another.
Driver 2: Changing attitudes to money
and consumerism
The constrained economic environment
requires people to rethink their spending
priorities and choose whether to renew
their membership subscriptions or not.
Driver 3: Increasing availability of free information
Traditional membership benefits, such as relevant
information and invitations to interest-specific events are
often freely available online. Membership organisations may
choose to maintain their distinctiveness by offering premium
services to their members and/or by highlighting the added
social value of membership, beyond tangible benefits such as
information or goods.
Driver 4: The rise of the social web
Online social platforms like Facebook
have taken on some roles that
membership organisations once played.
The social web challenges existing
membership organisations but also
provides an opportunity to involve
members more directly in their work.
Driver 5: Changing expectations of participation
Many members no longer feel comfortable with traditional
governance formats. Consultation, online voting, new meeting
styles and fresh democratic forms of governance are more and
more expected.
Driver 6: The commodification of
membership
Some membership organisations have
increasingly treated membership as a
product, not a value-based contribution.
Their marketing emphasises tangible
benefits over ‘softer’ intangible benefits.
Source: NCVO Third Sector Foresight Future Focus 8 (2009)
2.6 Political engagement
2.7 Local governance
2.8 Campaigning
2.9 Direct action and protest
Does membership really matter or is it
just a fundraising strategy that delivers a
numerical mandate?
Tony Burton, Director of Civic Voices
There is a growing voice suggesting membership has had its day and
people want to get involved in different ways. Yet people still join
organisations that matter to them. It is true that the nature of
“membership” is becoming ever more complicated as people choose
to give time not money, or lend support through social media rather
than arranging a direct debit for a magazine and membership card.
For some this may prove more fickle and less certain as active support
– and the funding support that can comes with it – waxes and wanes.
While others see huge opportunities in engaging more people and
the diversity of ways people can now get involved. In the civic
movement we know that people are inspired to join by what touches
the heart – for us this is the pride and interest they have in the place
where they live – but will only take the plunge if it makes sense in their
head. Organisations need to be able to show their impact and
demonstrate their benefit if they are to inspire loyalty from those that
join them. Across our network of hundreds of local, volunteer run
and community based civic societies we also find it is those that
combine fun with serious charitable endeavour that flourish. The
coffee mornings and coach trips are as essential as the hard graft of
monitoring planning applications or finding new uses for old buildings
in growing membership and achieving success. The lesson is clear –
members do matter but organisations will need to work harder to
find and keep them and also to look at other ways for getting people
involved.
2.2
Giving
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In a typical month
28.4 million
people give
to charity,
repesenting
56%
of the UK adult
population
People are able to show the concerns, values and beliefs that matter to them by giving
money and/or time. The nature of the relationship between giving time and giving money
remains largely unexplored, but research shows that almost 60% of people give both time
and money and that this is more the case for women than men. The amount of time given
by people is positively correlated with the amount of money they give4: regular volunteers
donate larger sums of money than those who do not volunteer or who volunteer
occasionally. Some causes such as religion (38%), education (35%) and sports (25%) are
more likely to be supported by people who both volunteer and donate. While others,
including social welfare (87%), overseas aid and disaster relief (85%) and elderly people
(82%) predominantly attract help in the form of donations only. People supporting sports
organisations are far more likely to have volunteered only (39%)5.
People who do not volunteer: People who volunteer occasionally
(ie less than once a month): People who volunteer regularly
(ie at least once a month): Source: OTS Helping Out 2007
£15
£25
£36
2.6 Political engagement
2.7 Local governance
2.8 Campaigning
2.9 Direct action and protest
Page 25
Giving time and money
Mean amount given in the last four weeks
2.1 Membership
2.2 Giving
2.3 Volunteering
2.4 Time banking
2.5 Ethical consumerism
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References
Levels of helping and
donating, by gender (%)
Helped only
Donated only
Helped and donated
Neither helped nor donated
100
5
90
52
Those most likely to give
Women aged 45 – 64 (68%)
People in managerial and professional occupations (69%)
2
3
63
58
80
70
60
50
40
42
38
30
34
20
10
0
was
given to charity in 2009/10
2
1
1
Male
Female
All
£10.6bn
was given to charity in 2009-10
Despite concerns, charitable giving remains
a majority activity. Giving varies with age,
gender and occupation6. In 2009-10, just
over three in every five women donated
money to charity (61%), compared with just
over half of men (52%). Women are more
likely to give than men whatever age group
they belong to. Whereas women aged 45
– 64 were the most likely group to give
(68%), young men aged 16 – 24 were the
least likely (31%). In the past, men have
tended, on average, to give slightly larger
amounts than women but this wasn't the
case in 2009-10. People in managerial and
professional occupation groups were the
most likely to give (69%) compared to
people in routine and manual occupations
(48%). Age and occupation also impact on
methods of giving: both older people and
those in managerial and professional groups
are more likely to make regular donations by
direct debit or payroll.
The most popular causes
The causes that attracted the most donors: medical research
(32% of donors); children and young people (25%); overseas
and aid disaster relief (24%) and hospitals and hospices (24%).
The causes that attracted the largest share of donations: medical
research (17% of total given); overseas aid and disaster relief
(16%); religious organisations (13%) and hospital and hospices (11%).
Source: NCVO/CAF UK Giving 2010
2.2
Giving
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2.2 Giving
2.3 Volunteering
2.4 Time banking
2.5 Ethical consumerism
Page 26
Highest level donors and philanthropists
In 2008-09 almost one in ten individuals donated
more than £100 per month. These high-level donors
account for nearly half of the total amount donated.
However, this figure does not include donations from
individual philanthropists who give very large sums of
money. In 2008-09 , individual philanthropists7 made
100 gifts of £1 million or more.
Half of the total value of these gifts was ‘banked’ in
charitable trusts or foundations, to be used over time.
The remaining amount was ‘spent’ directly on
charitable activity. Higher education (26%) was by
far the most popular cause supported by individual
philanthropists, followed by the arts and culture (12%).
£100
92%
8%
per month, representing
almost half of total
giving (47%)
of donors give
more than
£1bn
Gifts of £1m+ were worth
of donors give
£100
or less per month, representing
just over half of total giving (53%)
for the year 2008-09
2008-09
2007-08
2006-07
102 96 100
The number of gifts of £1m+
2.6 Political engagement
2.7 Local governance
2.8 Campaigning
2.9 Direct action and protest
The changing landscape of
large-scale giving and philanthropy
Dr Salvatore LaSapda, Chief Executive of the Institute of Philanthropy
Over the last ten years, we have seen two great changes in the nature
of large-scale giving. The first is that major donors are becoming
more engaged in their philanthropy, treating their grants to charities
not as money to be given and forgotten about (the 'transactional'
approach) but as sums upon which they expect to see some kind of
return, in the form of social benefit (the 'investment model). This
greater degree of engagement that we are seeing owes much to the
fact that the overwhelming majority of the world’s wealthiest people
have generated their own wealth, as opposed to inheritance. The
second, related change is that the field of philanthropy itself is
operating with a greater degree of professionalism: there has been a
growing sense that in order to give money away effectively, there
must be a robust infrastructure in place, in the form of extensive
research and skilled advisors.
As far as the future of philanthropy is concerned, we can identify
two potential developments. The first is the 'globalisation' of
philanthropy, as heralded by the visit of Bill Gates and Warren
Buffett to China pursuant to their Giving Pledge; that donors from
different countries will increasingly form networks so that they can
share best practice and collaborate. The second is 'social business':
the confluence of business and philanthropy, two traditionally
separate worlds, where the tools of capitalism are used to achieve
social progress (for example, mission-related investing, where
money is invested in companies with a desirable social aim).
Sources: CAF/NCVO UK Giving
2010 and Coutts Million pound
donors report 2010
2.3
Volunteering
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What do volunteers do?
Regular formal volunteers8 support
different types of organisations in a range
of fields. The most popular are sports and
exercise (52%); hobbies, recreation, arts
and social clubs (40%); children's
education/schools (34%); religion (33%)
and youth/children's activities outside
schools (33%). By far the most common
activities undertaken by regular formal
volunteers are 'organising or helping to run
an activity or event’ (59%) and ‘raising or
handling money/taking part in sponsored
events’ (52%). Gender differences exist
and are particularly marked for the
following activities: 'leading a group' (42%
for men compared with 31% for women),
'representing people' (24% for men
compared with 12% for women) and
'providing other practical help' (27% for
men compared with 45% for women).
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2.1 Membership
2.2 Giving
2.3 Volunteering
2.4 Time banking
2.5 Ethical consumerism
2.6 Political engagement
2.7 Local governance
2.8 Campaigning
2.9 Direct action and protest
Page 27
How many hours of their
time do people give?
Formal volunteering activities undertaken at least once a month (%)
37
59
Organising or helping to
run an activity or event
26
Providing transport/
driving
21
36
52
Raising or handling
money/taking part in
sponsored event
25
Giving information/
advice/counselling
17
Other practical help
23
Visiting people
11
Leading the group/
member of committee
21
Befriending or
mentoring people
10
Source: Citizenship Survey 2008-09:
Volunteering and Charitable Giving Topic Report
People who regularly participated in formal
volunteering spent an average of 12.6 hours
volunteering in the four weeks before being
surveyed. As people age they spend more
time formally volunteering: regular formal
volunteers aged 16-25 spent an average of
7.4 hours compare to 16.8 hours for those
aged 65 to 74.
People who regularly participated in
informal volunteering spent an average
of 7.7 hours volunteering. Women spent
more time on regular informal
volunteering than men, with an average
of 8.2 hours compared to 7.0 hours, but
less on formal volunteering (12.2 hours
compared to 13.2 hours)
Number of trustees in the UK
650,000
Source: Citizenship Survey 2008-09:
Volunteering and Charitable Giving Topic
Secretatrial, clerical
or admin work
Representing
Any other activities
Campaigning
Ratio of volunteers
to trustees
20.4 million
31:1
Source: UK Civil Society Almanac 2010
Source: UK Civil Society Almanac 2010
of UK adults formally
volunteered at least once
a year in 2008-09 and
13.5 million at least once
a month
2.3
Volunteering
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2.3 Volunteering
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2.5 Ethical consumerism
Page 28
A broader approach to volunteering
Why do people volunteer?
I wanted to improve things/help people
The cause was really important to me
I had spare time to do it
I wanted to meet people/make friends
I thought it would give me a chance to use my existing skills
I felt there was a need in my community
It was connected with the needs of my family/friends
It’s part of my philosophy of life to help people
I thought it would give me a chance to learn new skills
My friends/family did it
It's part of my religious belief to help people
I felt there was no one else to do it
It helps me get on in my career
I had received voluntary help
It gave me the chance to get recognised in a qualification
Lynne Berry, Chief Executive of WRVS
62%
40%
33%
33%
32%
28%
25%
25%
19%
17%
12%
9%
4%
3%
58%
31%
29%
18%
14%
14%
10%
9%
8%
8%
3%
2%
5%
People's motivations for formally volunteering are
diverse and complex. The two most popular reasons
for volunteering clearly show that people get involved
because they want to make a difference and feel
strongly towards the cause they choose to support.
Having enough spare time is the third most common
reason people volunteer. Time is one of the main
This should be the best of times for volunteering: the Big Society is
encouraging everyone to be more active in their communities,
looking to each other rather than the state. However, the golden age
hasn't quite arrived. The Coalition Government is committed to
volunteering but it sometimes feels as though the new is celebrated,
whilst the old is taken for granted.
Sometimes we’ve taken volunteering for granted ourselves. At
WRVS, although we’ve been powered by volunteers for over 70 years,
we’ve had to recognise we haven’t always got it right. We’re changing,
setting up new Volunteer Partners who will influence our work,
integrating services for older people locally. Before it was too late, we
rebuilt volunteer engagement and it’s paying off. We know more
people of all ages want to volunteer to support older people. And
because we’re doing things in ways that are relevant to them, they are
signing up in increasing numbers.
20%
What prevents people from volunteering?
I have work commitments
I have to look after children/the home
I do other things with my spare time
I haven't heard about opportunities to help
I have to study
I don't know any groups that need help
I've never thought about it
I'm new to the area
I have to look after someone elderly or ill
I have an illness or disability that prevents me
I'm too old
I'm too young
Other
2.6 Political engagement
2.7 Local governance
2.8 Campaigning
2.9 Direct action and protest
Source: Citizenship Survey 2008-09:
Volunteering and Charitable Giving Topic
barriers preventing people from volunteering or
from volunteering more. People are often time-poor
and have a range of other commitments, most
commonly linked to work and family, competing for
their time. Barriers that relate to people's lack of
awareness of existing opportunities to volunteer
should, in theory at least, be easier to address.
I’m hoping the Coalition will also broaden its approach to
volunteering. It’s exciting to celebrate the new forms of social
enterprise, the creation of opportunities for people to step forward
and make a difference. However, volunteering will continue to require
investment so that voluntary organisations like ours can recruit and
support volunteers. The great contribution of volunteers from all
parts of society, including traditional groups like newly retired people
and students, needs continued recognition. After all, volunteering
isn’t just a current policy priority; it’s long been a fundamental part of
society that needs nurturing and celebrating.
2.4
Time banking
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40
Average membership of a time bank: 165 people
Men: 31% Women: 69%
7
43
What is time banking?
Time banking is a form of exchange based
on time11. Each hour of voluntary help a
person contributes within their local
community, equals to one time-credit.
Everyone’s time is valued equally, so one
hour always earns one time-credit,
whatever the skills involved.
under 20 years old
aged between 20-50 years old
aged between 50-80 years old
aged between 80-100+ years old
2.6 Political engagement
2.7 Local governance
2.8 Campaigning
2.9 Direct action and protest
Page 29
Age range of time banking schemes (%)
10
2.1 Membership
2.2 Giving
2.3 Volunteering
2.4 Time banking
2.5 Ethical consumerism
150100
time banks set up in the UK
time banks in development
Time-credits are deposited in a time bank
and can be withdrawn at will and spent on a
range of skills and opportunities offered by
other members of the time bank. In the
UK, time banks mostly operate on a
person-to-person model involving a 'time
broker' who facilitates and records
exchanges between individual members.
Source: Timebanking: A Prospectus
(figures as at December 2009)
2.4
Time banking
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Evidence12 shows that time banks are
successful at attracting people from
socially excluded groups including people
on benefits, from low income households,
older people, those with a disability or a
long-term illness, women and ethnic
minority groups. They are also successful at
attracting people who would not normally
volunteer. For instance, nearly double the
number of time bank members are not in
formal employment (72%) compared to
traditional volunteers (40%).
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2.2 Giving
2.3 Volunteering
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2.5 Ethical consumerism
Page 30
Time to give and take
Rushey Green time bank
Founded in 2000 in Lewisham (London) and located in a
general practice health centre, Rushey Green time bank is
one of the first time banks to be set up in the UK.
In 2009, it had 200 members: 76% were women, 44%
were from black and minority ethnic communities and
33% had some form of disability, including mental health.
Over 32,000 hours have been exchanged since it was created.
Source: Rushey Green time bank annual review 2008-09
Demographic characteristics of UK time bank participants
and traditional volunteers
80
70
of time bank
%
participants
% of traditional
volunteers
72
60
58
50
40
42
40
30
19
20
20
10
16
0
3
Retired
Disabled/
long term illness
2.6 Political engagement
2.7 Local governance
2.8 Campaigning
2.9 Direct action and protest
Not in formal
employment
Low household
income*
*<£192/week or
£10,000/year
Source: The Time of Our
Lives: Using time banking
for neighbourhood
renewal and community
capacity building
Martin Simon, Executive Director of
Time Banks UK
Time banks have proven to be very effective platforms for the
cultivation of social capital and are emerging as centres for community
organising. They build trust and reciprocity in local communities and
grow the social networks that make it possible for people to reflect
together on issues of common concern and take collective action to
improve life for each other and for the wider community. The time bank
acts as a collective memory and an information system for local people
to exchange favours, share skills, solve social issues and find local
resources. All time banks are broad based and connect people who
would not normally meet of all ages, abilities and backgrounds. Once in
circulation the time based currency (one hour of social action equals
one ‘time credit’ whatever skills are being used) takes on a meaning of
its own and is just as useful as conventional money. The difference is
that time credits reward acts of care and co-operation and do not
reward competition and individualism.
Time banking UK’s online software is now used by time banks across
the country involving 15,000+ people. They can all exchange time
credits and arrange assignments wherever they live. We also now
connect people via mobile phones so that when the ‘time broker’
receives a request about a service (via whatever media) – he/she can
then spread the word quickly via SMS to find a match. Pilots are also
underway using digital TV.
Time banking UK is now at the forefront of electronic community
currency work and providing collaborative solutions to social problems.
We have a vision of incorporating time banks with initiatives like ‘talk
about local’ to provide local hubs everywhere that are plugged into our
national network – A Big Society.
2.5
Ethical consumerism
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2.8 Campaigning
2.9 Direct action and protest
Page 31
How are people consuming ethically?
Source: Co-op Ethical
Consumerism Report 2010
% of people undertaking the following at least once during the year
Ethical drivers of food choice
% consumers citing ethical driver (2009)
30
Bought to support local shops/suppliers (78%)
27
Talked to friends/family about a company's
behaviour (57%)
25
23
20
Chose a product or service on a company's
behaviour (55% )
18
Avoided a product or service on a company's
behaviour (50%)
19
20
10
Bought primarily for ethical reasons (46%)
Felt guilty about an unethical purchase (34%)
Actively sought information on a company's
behaviour/policies (31%)
0
Foods with
high animal
welfare
standards
Actively campaigned about an
environmental/social issue (20%)
The ethical consumer
Committed ethical consumers who shop for ethical
products on a weekly basis: 6% of the UK adult
population, with an estimated annual spend of £1,600
per household on ethical food and drink
Regular ethical consumers who shop for ethical
products on a monthly basis: 11% of the UK adult
population, with an estimated annual spend of £360
per household on ethical food and drink
% of organic sales by social
grouping (2009)
Passive ethical consumers who shop for ethical
products on a less frequent basis: 31% of the UK adult
population, with an estimated annual spend of £180
per household on ethical food and drink
Source: Co-op Ethical Consumerism Report 2007
Class A/B
36
Class C2
14
Class C1
31
Source: Soil Association
Organic Market Report 2010
Distance
food travels
in relation to
production
Country
of origin
Food
Foods that
produced
support
locally in the
Fairtrade
area I live
Source: DEFRA Food Statistics Pocketbook 2009
Class E
10
Class D
9
Organic
food
People are increasingly expressing their values and concerns
through their purchasing decisions. Changing consumer attitudes
and behaviour are reflected in the remarkable growth of the ethical
market (£43.2 billion in 200913 compared to £13.5 billion in 199914).
During the recession, the market continued to expand, particularly
the sale of fairtrade products (+64% between 2007 and 2009) and
ethical banking (+23% in the same period).
However, the committed ethical consumer15 represents a small
minority (6% of the adult population in the UK in 2007). The high
pricing of some ethical products is still for many a deterrent:
although organic products attract consumers from across the social
spectrum, people with higher incomes (i.e. those from the A, B and
C1 socio-economic groups) account for 67% of total sales16.
2.5
Ethical consumerism
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Consuming differently
Ethical consumerism is not all about
shopping. It can also lead to campaigning
(as exemplified by the Fairtrade Towns
campaign) and to other forms of collective
action. In recent years there has been a
multitude of initiatives by people who want
to consume differently. Initiatives focusing
on food have proven particularly popular:
Abundance groups make better use of
neglected local fruit trees by organising
volunteers to harvest the fruit.
Community Supported Agriculture
(CSA) – a partnership between farmers
and the local community – can include box
schemes or allotment sites on farms.
Transition towns build local strategies
to deal with the challenges of peak oil
and climate change, resulting in the
development of local food networks,
local energy supplies, and local transport.
Source: Federation of City Farms and Community
Gardens (08/02/11)
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2.1 Membership
2.2 Giving
2.3 Volunteering
2.4 Time banking
2.5 Ethical consumerism
2.6 Political engagement
2.7 Local governance
2.8 Campaigning
2.9 Direct action and protest
Page 32
Working towards greater equity
in international trade
Source: Fairtrade
Foundation
Changing the way we shop
Harriet Lamb, Executive Director, Fairtrade Foundation
Over
Ethical consumerism’s power lies in ordinary people creating change
just by changing the way they shop. By going to a farmers' market, or
ordering a box scheme, buying organic or Fairtrade, people are also
sending a wider message about the kind of economy they want to see.
479
Over
It is very empowering because so many people are ready to go the
extra mile. Everyone can also persuade their workplace to stock
Fairtrade coffee and tea – or their cornershop, their school, or local
Council. And they can see the impact of their actions: Fairtrade was
once laughed at as a niche, but today it has become part of the
mainstream with nine out of ten people buying a Fairtrade product
last year.
schools working
towards goals on
Fairtrade and 114
universities
Backing this rise in ethical consumerism have been unions, campaign
groups and voluntary organisations with mass memberships. They
have pioneered alternative business models, which draw on mutual
and co-operative traditions. Companies such as Divine – a Fairtrade
social enterprise, 45% owned by a Ghanaian cocoa co-operative, that
has become a leading UK chocolate brand – have shown the way.
£799 million
spent on Fairtrade goods in 2009 in the UK
Over
6,000
Over
Fairtrade towns
in the UK
4,000
registered Fairtrade faith groups
Alternative consumption online
Producing and selling locally
There is also an increase in interest in collaborative consumption.
The use of social media is bringing people together to share,
exchange or access resources outside the traditional supply chain.
Box scheme and mail-order sales of organic
products amounted to £154.2 million in
2009. The value of organic sales through
the 500 existing farmers markets was
estimated at £18.96 million in 2009.
www.landshare.net
Connecting growers with people with land to share
55,000 members (08/02/11)
www.uk.freecycle.org
Giving away unwanted goods
494 groups
1,722,575 members across the UK (08/02/11)
Source: Soil Association Organic Market Report 2010
3% of vegetables for household supplies in
2009 came from gardens and allotments.
Source: ONS Family Food 2009
People are hungry to participate in shaping such economic change
– and not just through their purchases. For example, people write
to companies lobbying them for ethical products, while today, there
are 100,000 people waiting to get an allotment in Britain.
Ethical consumerism will have to cope with the challenges of
economic slowdown, food security and climate change. But the
ability to disseminate information to ethical consumers through
social media will reinforce the ethical agenda. Technology will lead
to increasing traceability of products and the ability to communicate
more directly with producer communities will make ethical
consumerism even more vivid,
compelling and necessary so
growing participation.
2.6
Political engagement
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2.3 Volunteering
2.4 Time banking
2.5 Ethical consumerism
Page 33
Core indicators of political engagement
How much do people trust politicians generally?
Source: Hansard Audit of Political Engagement 7
Source: Hansard Audit of Political Engagement 7
Efficacy Knowledge and interest
53% 51% 41% 37%
believe that
getting involved
in politics works
say they are
either ‘very’ or
‘fairly’ interested
in politics
think that the
present system
of governing
works well
of the public claim
to know ‘a fair
amount’ or ‘a great
deal’ about politics
have ‘discussed
politics or political
news with someone
else’ in the last two
or three years
Action
and participation
76% 54%
8%
5%
5%
of people believe it
is their ‘duty’ to vote
2.6 Political engagement
2.7 Local governance
2.8 Campaigning
2.9 Direct action and protest
say they are ‘absolutely certain’ they will
vote in an immediate general election
attended a political meeting in the
last two or three years
have donated money or paid a membership fee
to a political party in the last two or three years
have taken an active part in a political campaign
in the last two or three years
65%
of UK adults voted
at the last general
election in 2010
Source: House of Commons
Research Paper 10/36, July
2010. General Election 2010:
Detailed Analysis
28%
A majority of people17 disagree or
strongly disagree (66%) with the
statement ‘politics is a waste of time’, and
believe that voting gives people a say in
the way the country is run (58%).
However, other indicators of the public’s
belief in the efficacy of politics are low
and indicate a relatively high level of
skepticism towards political structures
and processes, partly explaining why only
a small minority of people are engaged in
political activities – for instance, taking
part in a political campaign (5%) or
attending a political meeting (8%).
Unsurprisingly, the politically active are
more inclined to believe that getting
involved can be effective (47%).
A great deal
1%
A fair amount
25%
Not at all
25%
Not very much
48%
Don’t
know
1%
Three in four people trust politicians ‘not very much’ or ‘not
at all’18. The level of trust in politicians has remained largely
unchanged (25% of people trusted politicians ‘a fair amount’
or ‘a great deal’ in 2004 compared to 26% in 2010), however
the percentage of people who have ‘no trust at all’ has
increased (19% in 2004 compared to 25% in 2010). People
who are politically active are more trusting of politicians, but
only slightly (38%).
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2.6 Political engagement
2.7 Local governance
2.8 Campaigning
2.9 Direct action and protest
Page 34
Political participation online: Who’s in?
Profiles of political
engagement
Beccy Allen, Researcher and Project Manager, Hansard Society
Thirty million Britons use the internet everyday20. They watch TV,
shop and they network. What they don’t do is get involved in politics
but is that a surprise?
Source: Hansard Audit of
Political Engagement 7
10%
10%
14%
24%
14%
8%
6%
olitically committed
P
Active campaigners
Interested bystanders
Detached cynics
Politically contented
Bored/apathetic
Disengaged/mistrustful
Aliented/hostile
People aged 18-34 are more likely than any other age
group to be ‘disengaged/mistrustful’ (52% compared
to 16% for people aged 55 and over) or ‘hostile’ (49%
compared to 17% for people aged 55 and over). They
are also more likely than any other age group to be
17%
‘bored/apathetic’, but the difference between age
groups is less marked (39% for 18-34; 33% for 35-54
and 28% for 55+). The ‘politically committed’ (44%)
and ‘active campaigners’ (41%) are more likely to be
aged between 35 and 54 years old19.
Although the internet has transformed our lives, its ability to break
down existing barriers to political participation remains questionable.
Online or offline, political participation is patchy, with involvement of
the youngest and the poorest particularly low. 18-24s have high levels
of internet access but are least likely to participate in political activities,
and when they do, it’s usually happening offline 21.Almost 90% are
unaware that they could contact their MP online 22.
This suggests that the problem is not the method of participation but
something more fundamental. Despite the internet helping us to be
better informed than ever before, knowledge about politics is still low.
Only one third of 18-24s claim to know much about politics – it’s 51%
for the population as a whole23. With this lack of knowledge, is it
surprising that young people don’t take part in political activities?
Without the basic knowledge it’s difficult to generate interest let
alone participation, however easy you make it.
Young people vote less too. The most common reasons for not
participating in the 2010 general election were circumstantial not
ideological. Rather than, ‘they’re all the same’ or ‘my vote won’t make
a difference’, the reasons most cited were a ‘lack of time’ or ‘being too
busy’24. So, whilst the internet gives us easier access to democracy
than ever before, without building knowledge and fostering interest
it’s unlikely to make a dramatic difference.
2.7
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Campaigning
Local
governance
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10%
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Page 35
What activities have people been involved in?
of people in England had
taken part in decision-making
about local services or in the
provision of these services…
are a member of a
group making
decisions set-up to
tackle local crime
are a member of a
group making
decisions on local
education services
Whether people feel able to
influence…
Of those:
24%
21%
19% 16% 14% 14% 27%
are a member of
tenants’ committee
are a member of a
group making
decisions on local
health services
are a member of a group
making decisions on local
services for young people
Source: Citizenship Survey 2008-09:
Empowered Communities topic report
are a member of group
set-up to regenerate the
local area
39% 22%
are a member of
another group
making decisions
on local services
11% had been a
school governor
4% a councillor
1% a magistrate
and 1% a special
constable
11%11%14%
had contacted a public official
working for the local council…
2.6 Political engagement
2.7 Local governance
2.8 Campaigning
2.9 Direct action and protest
had contacted a local councillor…
Source: Citizenship 2008-09: Empowered Communities Topic Report
Local governance has been high on the policy agenda for a
number of years. In response to the decline in voting turnout and
party membership, more emphasis has been put on participative
democracy and citizen engagement at the local level. But local
democracy with its numerous structures and partnerships is
had completed a questionnaire about
local services or problems…
…at least once in the last 12 months
complex and despite the range of opportunities that exist for
people to be involved, the number of people taking part in local
decision making remains relatively low. There are still significant
barriers that prevent individuals engaging in local decision making
including time, knowledge, skills and confidence.
… decisions affecting … decisions
their local area:
affecting Britain:
The Place Survey 200825 indicates that
the national average for participation in
local decision making is 14%. In the
regions, the highest level of involvement is
in London (17%) and the lowest in the
North-East of England (11%). People in
London (47%) were more likely to feel
able to influence local decisions than
those in any other region. The region
where people felt the least likely to
influence local decision making was the
North-East (34%). Generally people who
said that they belonged to their local area
were more likely to feel able to influence
local decisions than those who felt they
didn't belong (42% compared with 33%).
2.7
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A changing relationship between local
government and citizens
Simon Burall, Director, Involve
Source: People and participation, Involve
consensus
conference
future
search
participatory
strategic
planning
citizens’
panels
deliberative
mapping
interactive
electronic
processes
(e.g. online forums)
planning
for real
Greater involvement of the general public in
local governance has led to the development
of a rich array of participatory methods.
These will be used differently according to
purpose, process and context.
2.6 Political engagement
2.7 Local governance
2.8 Campaigning
2.9 Direct action and protest
Page 36
Participatory methods used to involve
communities in local decision making
appreciative
inquiry
2.1 Membership
2.2 Giving
2.3 Volunteering
2.4 Time banking
2.5 Ethical consumerism
citizens’
juries
consensus
building/
dialogue
deliberative
polling
deliberative
meetings of
citizens (democs)
open space
events
user panels
participatory
appraisal
youth
empowerment
initiatives
Being participative is far from straightforward.
Evidence26 suggests that when participatory
practice is poor it can have a very negative
impact on communities, discouraging people
from further participation.
Local government has undergone
significant changes over the last ten years.
These have impacted significantly on the
channels that are available to citizens to
participate in key decisions. Change in local
government looks set to continue under
the coalition government with the rise of
the Big Society, the Decentralisation and
Localism Bill, the government’s desire to
remove the Duty to Involve, the abolition
of regional structures and of course, the
impact of the Spending Review.
On one level, the cuts are likely to force
local government to engage more with
affected individuals and communities. The
best will use this opportunity to build a real
level of shared ownership over the difficult
decisions that are made; the worst will ask
citizens to participate in order to legitimise
decisions already taken, thus further
eroding citizens' trust in government.
On another level these changes prompt
questions about how increased
engagement can be used to strengthen
rather than undermine local democracy.
What is the role of elected councillors
within these changing structures? How can
they become community leaders, helping
citizens engage meaningfully with
decisions about cuts and fundamental
changes to services?
The Big Society has an emphasis on
government stepping back
and leaving citizens to identify and solve
their own problems. The implication of
this, should the idea take root, raises
important questions about the
relationship between citizens, civil society
and government.
Almost the only thing that can be said
with any certainty is that the relationship
between local government, citizen and
community, and elected representative
has changed radically in recent years.
Whether or not this has resulted in citizens
gaining more power over the decisions
that shape their lives is as much down to
the culture of individual institutions as it is
to the reforms themselves. A key question
therefore is how to change cultures in
order to promote more meaningful
citizen participation.
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• 'Promotes the active participation of
people within communities
• Supports the rights of communities to
organise, access support and take action
• Respects the rights of others when
planning collective action
• Empowers communities to recognise
and acknowledge their existing skills,
knowledge and expertise
• Uses the power of the collective voice
and of collective action'28.
2.6 Political engagement
2.7 Local governance
2.8 Campaigning
2.9 Direct action and protest
Page 37
From individual action to collective action
Many of the activities so far mentioned
in this section have been about individual
action (e.g. signing a petition or writing
to a local councillor). However, collective
action is also important for local
governance. Both community
development and community organising,
which in the current policy context are
increasingly used interchangeably, focus
on community action. Community
development practice involves 'working
with and supporting groups of people, to
increase their knowledge, skills and
confidence so they can develop an
analysis and identify issues which can be
addressed through collective action'27.
It is carried out in a way that:
2.1 Membership
2.2 Giving
2.3 Volunteering
2.4 Time banking
2.5 Ethical consumerism
The aims and activities of community
organising overlap to a large extent with
those of community development, but
community organising places more
emphasis on understanding power and
targeting power holders. It is traditionally
more radical and explicitly aligns itself
with the poor and the marginalised29.
In the UK, the broad-based community
organising movement which has
developed since the 1990s, brings
together members of existing groups
such as congregations, trade union
branches, schools and community groups
to campaign on issues which they have
identified as being important to them.
Most campaigns are local but some are
national (e.g. Living Wage lead by Citizens
UK). A new government initiative to train
5,000 community organisers will begin
later this year.
Building local power through community organising
Erin Van der Maas, Research analyst, Carnegie Trust UK
At first glance London Citizens is a broad
alliance of 160 member institutions
representing faith institutions, universities
and schools, trade unions and community
groups. The key characteristic of these
groups is that they themselves organise
people – lots of people and this is the key
resource upon which community organising
builds its power.
Based on the model developed by Saul
Alinsky in Chicago and later across the USA,
community organising seeks to identify
‘community leaders’ from within
congregations, schools and trade union
branches – individuals with the ability to
connect to others in their organisation.
Community organising engages people
from a wide variety of backgrounds who
meet periodically in town halls, churches,
mosques and community centres. They
come together within their own
organisation, in local causes and in annual
assemblies to identify issues, agree actions
and to reflect on their common endeavours.
The question asked after every action and
every initiative is have we built power in
doing this?
Why do they participate? The simple answer
to this is to build their power to effect
change. It attracts groups and individuals
because it seeks to challenge the powerful
and deliver change – but here too
relationships are important. Citizen
Community organising encourages these
organising seeks relationships with the
leaders to develop ‘public relationships’ with
powerful institutions of market and state.
other people in their organisation and with
It seeks an on-going involvement and
people from other affiliates – it is these
engagement with them – an on-going seat
relationships that provide the organisational
at the table to influence change. Power is the
glue. In a nutshell community organising
essential ingredient to shift the world as it is
engenders relationships of trust and
to the world as it should be.
commitment. Common issues of course
provide the focus for action – the living
wage, strangers into citizens and city safe
– to name but a few, but not the glue for
the organisation. It is not based on single
issues, here today gone tomorrow, but an
organisation building for the long-term.
2.8
Campaigning
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Campaigning is…
the mobilising of forces by organisations
or individuals to influence others in
order to affect an identified and desired
social, economic, environmental or
political change.
Other words commonly used to refer
to campaigning are influencing;
lobbying; voice and advocacy.
Organised activities used to campaign
include activities as varied as organising
a public meeting; signing a petition;
writing to the press; contacting a local
councillor and boycotting a product.
In most cases a campaign will use a
combination of the above activities.
Source: The Good Guide to Campaigning and
Influencing, 2010
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2.9 Direct action and protest
Page 38
19%
40%
In the last 2 or 3 years:
have signed
a petition
have boycotted certain products for political,
ethical or environmental reasons
6%
17% 15% 5%
have contacted or presented their
views to a local councillor or MP
have urged someone to get in
touch with a local councillor or MP
have written a letter
to an editor
have taken an active
part in a political
campaign
Source: Hansard Audit of Political Engagement 7
What type of activities are
people involved in?
While some campaigns directly put pressure on decision makers,
for example government or companies, others achieve influence
indirectly, by raising awareness and changing public opinion or
media coverage. In many cases, the conduit for campaigning will
be civil society organisations, although with the emergence of
social media it is now far easier for people to organise themselves
and take action on an issue by issue basis. In the last decade a
number of large scale campaigns such as Make Poverty History
and Take Up Action have succeeded in mobilising crowds across
the globe. Numerous examples such as the recent Save Our
Libraries Day also show that local campaigning is very much alive.
10%
In 2008-09,
of people who formally volunteered
once a month were involved in
campaigning activities
Source: Citizenship Survey 2008-09 Volunteering and
Charitable Giving Report
The percentage of people who have signed a petition
online doubled from 7% to
15%
between
2007 and
2009
Source: The internet in Britain 2009 (Oxford Internet Surveys)
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Source: NCVO Campaigning Effectiveness 2011
People are increasingly part
of several campaigns for
short periods, often online.
With new technologies it is
easier for campaigners to
organise actions quickly, yet
there are risks in relinquishing
control of campaign
messaging and strategy.
A key challenge is turning
‘clicktivists’ into ‘activists’.
2.6 Political engagement
2.7 Local governance
2.8 Campaigning
2.9 Direct action and protest
Page 39
Key drivers currently shaping campaigning
Fluid, user-led
campaigning and
new technologies
2.1 Membership
2.2 Giving
2.3 Volunteering
2.4 Time banking
2.5 Ethical consumerism
Campaigning with
less resources
An increasingly difficult
funding environment will
threaten campaigning as an
organised institutional
phenomenon. Campaigners
will still be expected to
demonstrate ‘professional
standards’, alongside greater
impact and value for money.
There will be significant
challenges in maintaining a
balance between
organisational survival and
campaigning for change.
Importance of local
campaigning
Increase in public
campaigning
As more powers are devolved
to local authorities and
communities, local
campaigning is likely to be
both more in demand and
supported more by voluntary
and community organisations.
Opposition to funding cuts
to the voluntary and public
sectors pursued by the
government will see the
emergence of local and
national groups mobilising
people for meetings,
demonstrations and direct
action around specific issues.
Restricted resources will lead
groups to work more in
coalition in order to maximise
reach and impact.
Recent e-campaigning
examples
Blog Action Day
An annual event where bloggers
worldwide agree to write posts on the
same topic on the same day. On 15
October 2010 5,720 bloggers from 143
countries wrote posts about water
related issues reaching over
41 million readers.
Source: www.blogactiontoday.change.org
(13/02/11)
Freedom in your hands
Amnesty International UK placed a video
on their website asking supporters to take
part in a visual petition demanding the
release of Burma's 2,200 political
prisoners. Over 8,500 photographs
were uploaded on flickr, an image sharing
website, and the petition was presented
to world leaders at the Association of
South-East Nations summit last October.
Source: www.flickr.com/groups/solidaritywithburma
(13/02/11)
No child born to die
22,206 people on Facebook are
supporting Save the Children's new
campaign launched on 24 January 2011.
Source: www.facebook.com/savethechildren
(13/02/11)
Mobilising through e-campaigning
Duane Raymond, Founder of FairSay
Campaigners have now embraced e-campaigning as a powerful
channel through which to help achieve their campaigning objectives.
While there are many different e-campaigning models, the most
common is to use digital channels to mobilise existing supporters and
attract new supporters while educating a wider non-engaging
audience of the issue.
Within this context and my experience working with a wide range of
organisations within the themes of development, human right, health,
environmental and animal welfare movements, participation via
digital channels has consistently been slightly skewed to female
supporters (vs the internet user norm), supporters with a university
education and aged under-40. While this can't claim to represent all
campaigns, it is aligned with the supporter profile from organisations
dealing with many of these themes. What differs is that most
supporters have an ageing supporter base and digital campaigning
attracts a disproportionate level of younger campaign supporters.
People primarily participate via digital channels because it is fast, easy
and at their convenience. While some wish to be deeper involved, it is
well suited to broadening the appeal of campaigns by involving people
who never would have been involved before. It thus helps to broaden
the campaign exposure even if much of this exposure is minimal.
While it can be used for deepening engagement, most organisations
aren't yet putting the effort into achieving this.
For most supporters, e-campaigning makes supporting what they
believe easier and more convenient. It is essential that campaign
planning and implementation is integrated so people participate in
the way they can. This ultimately gets more participation in the
campaign. What it doesn't do is guarantee an impact: this still relies
on good research, strategy and implementation.
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Direct action is...
Protest is…
Right to protest
generally an activity undertaken by individuals, groups, or
governments to achieve political, economic, or social goals
outside of normal social/political channels. Direct action
can include non-violent and violent activities which target
persons, groups, or property. It can be a one-off action or
part of a wider campaign. Examples of non-violent direct
action include strikes, workplace occupations, marches,
stunts and blockades. The examples on this page show
how diverse it can be.
public, often
organized, dissent
or manifestation of
such dissent
The right to protest is closely linked to key
features of a democratic society –
freedom of expression and freedom of
assembly. In the UK these two rights are
enshrined in articles 10 and 11 of the
Human Rights Act, which came into force
in October 2000. Both articles are
qualified, which means that the rights can
be restricted when prescribed by the law.
There are several pieces of legislation,
Source: Collins English
Dictionary
Source: The Good Guide to Campaigning and Influencing 2010
600
A climate camp of
people gathered outside Drax coal-fired
power station in Yorkshire for 10 days of
learning and sustainable living in 2006.
Source: ClimateCampforAction.org.uk (14/02/11)
UKUncut have since November 2010
caused the temporary closure of high
street stores across the country to protest
against tax avoidance.
Source: ukuncut.org.uk (14/02/11)
Activists use subvertising to manipulate
existing advertisements and convey their
own message. In March last year, for
example, Plane Stupid asked their
supporters to make their own stickers/
slogans and stick them over existing
advertisements for the aviation industry.
Source: planestupid.org.uk (14/02/11)
In 2000, hauliers, self-employed lorry drivers
and farmers organised the blockade of
petrol and diesel depots across the country
to protest against a proposed fuel increase.
Source: BBC news 14/09/00
Actions against vehicles, for example,
stopping construction vehicles on
building sites.
98
Source: Direct Action Handbook 2010
In 2009, there were
4%
such as the Terrorism Act 2000 and the
Serious Organised Crime and Police Act
2005, that directly restrict people’s right
to protest as well as having a broader
‘chilling effect’. For example, S.44 of the
Terrorism Act 2000 – which allows for
individuals to be stopped and searched by
a police officer without reasonable
suspicion – is used against peaceful
protestors on a regular basis.
Shareholder actions where at a company's
AGM, share-owning activists, for example,
disrupt presentations by senior staff, or
hand out 'alternative' annual reports.
of people have taken part in a demonstration, Source: Direct Action Handbook 2010
march, picket or strike in the last 2 or 3 years. On 9 November 2010, an estimated
Source: Hansard Audit of Political Engagement 7
The charity Everyman organised a stunt
on 12 June 2007 to launch their new
campaign “Prostrate for prostate” by having
groups of 24 men (representing the number
of deaths caused by the disease in the UK in
a day) lie on the floor in the street.
Source: everyman-campaign.org (14/02/11)
52,000
people took part in a demonstration in
central London to protest against
government plans to increase tuition fees.
Source: Guardian (10/11/10)
On 6 February 2011, protesters staged an
all-night sit-in at a library in South-East
London against planned closures.
In September 2004, a protester breached
Buckingham Palace security and dropped a
banner which read ‘Super dads of Fathers
4 Justice’ from one of its balconies.
Source: BBC News (06/02/11)
Source: BBC News (13/09/04)
Positive alternatives action such as
activists handing out free veggie burgers
stoppages of work because of labour
disputes in 2009 (compared to 144 in 2008). outside McDonalds or creating their
own road crossings outside schools.
Source: ONS Economic & Labour Market Review Vol 4,
No 6, June 2010
2.6 Political engagement
2.7 Local governance
2.8 Campaigning
2.9 Direct action and protest
Source: Direct Action Handbook 2010
Counter-recruitment actions such as
organising a spoof event in the same
building in which a military recruitment
fair is taking place.
Source: Direct Action Handbook 2010
2.9
Direct action
and protest
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Participation overview
Participation activity by activity
References
2.1 Membership
2.2 Giving
2.3 Volunteering
2.4 Time banking
2.5 Ethical consumerism
Page 41
A rising tide of direct action?
Who protests?
There is still much to learn about who engages in
protest30. Who takes part in protest events depends
largely on context and varies according to the issue
and the organisers. Media attention tends to focus
on those protesters who are disaffected with the
political system and often portrays them as
anti-system radicals. Evidence suggests that
participation in protest is not necessarily
underpinned by a general anti-system sentiment.
It also suggests that protest is similar to other forms
of participation in that the well-resourced and the
well-connected are often over-represented.
Anti-war protesters
On 19 February 2003, millions of protesters marched in cities around the world against the
invasion of Iraq, using slogans like “Stop the War” and “Not in My Name”.
75%
Over
of British anti-war protesters in 2003
were active members of political parties,
NGOs and community, charitable or
religious organisations
half were first time demonstrators
two-thirds had university-level
qualifications
7%
54%
were
women
were over 50
Source: B.Doherty in The Oxford Handbook of British Politics
2.6 Political engagement
2.7 Local governance
2.8 Campaigning
2.9 Direct action and protest
Dr Clare Saunders, Lecturer (RCUK Academic Fellow),
Centre for Citizenship, Globalisation and Governance,
University of Southampton
The ‘tenties’ will be a fascinating decade for social movement scholars,
and a challenging time for the government. The recent Spending
Review (HM Treasury 2010) and cuts to public sector spending have
already led to a raft of demonstrations. In the autumn of 2010, alone,
protesters occupied many Vodafone stores to protest against its £6
billion tax break; the Fire Brigades Union called a strike; the National
Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers’ (RMT) staged a
3,000 strong anti-cuts demonstration; the South East Regional Trades
Union Congress held an impressive rally at the TUC headquarters;
52,000 students marched, whilst a minority caused property damage
and occupied the Conservative Party campaign headquarters at
Millbank; and students have staged sit-ins at their universities. Media
commentators are predicting that this is merely the beginning of a
broad-scale movement of resistance that could culminate in a ‘winter
of discontent’.
This new wave of protest looks to be innovatively drawing on a broad
protest repertoire – from traditional marches and strikes, through to
office occupations and violence against property. It is set against the
backdrop of a reinvigoration of direct action in the environmental
movement, especially against climate change. Conventional wisdom
tells us that protesters turn to direct action when they consider
traditional mechanisms for influencing policy to be ineffective. Thus it
is not surprising that climate change activists, seeking to overcome a
policy-deadlock, have turned towards direct action. Given unpopular
policies and rising disengagement with traditional politics, especially
with a government that nobody voted for, a rising trend towards use
of direct action looks set to continue.
3.0
References
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Participation activity by activity
References
Page 42
Section 1
Pathways through Participation is a project led by
NCVO in partnership with IVR (Institute for Volunteering
Research) and Involve looking at people’s participation
over the course of their lives
(www.pathwaysthroughparticipation.org.uk)
2
Pathways through Participation (2010) What is
participation?
3
House of Commons Research Paper 04/61, July 2008.
UK Elections Statistics: 1918-2004
4
House of Commons Research Paper 05/33, May 2005.
General Election 2005
5
House of Commons Research Paper 10/36, July 2010.
General Election 2010: Detailed Analysis
6
Electoral Commission (2010) Turnout factsheet
October 2010
7
Power Inquiry (2006) Power to the People
8
BIS (2010) Trade Union Membership 2009
9
Campbell, A. et al. (1999) 'British Trade Unions and
Industrial Politics' and BIS (2010) Trade Union
Membership 2009
10 NCVO (2010) Future Focus 8: what will membership
be like in 5 years time? (www.3s4.org.uk)
11 NCVO (2010) The UK Civil Society Almanac
12 CGAP/CMPO (2011) The new state of donation: Three
decades of household giving to charity 1978 – 2008
13 CGAP/CMPO (2011) The new state of donation: Three
decades of household giving to charity 1978 – 2008
14 British Household Panel Survey 2007
15 CLG (2010) Citizenship Survey: March 2009-April 2010
16 House of Commons Research Paper 04/61, July 2008.
UK Elections Statistics: 1918-2004
17 CLG (2010) Citizenship Survey: April 2009-April 2010
18 CAF/NCVO(2010) UK Giving 2010
19 Co-operative Group (2010) The Ethical Consumerism
Report 2010
20 Economist Intelligence Unit (2010) The Democracy Index
2010: Democracy in retreat
21 World Values Survey 2005
22 CAF (2010) World Giving Index 2010
23 CAF (2006) International Comparisons of Charitable
Giving, Briefing Paper November 2006
24 CLG (2009) Citizenship Survey 2008-09: Volunteering
and Charitable Giving Topic Report
1
Section 2
Hansard Society (2010) Audit of Political Engagement 7
Whiteley, P. (2009) Where have all the members gone?
The Dynamics of Party Membership in Britain.
Parliamentary Affairs 62(2): 242-257
27 Ipsos MORI: How Britain Voted in 2010, http://www.
ipsos-mori.com/researchpublications/researcharchive/
poll.aspx?oItemId=2613&view=wide
28 CAF/NCVO(2010) UK Giving 2010
29 GAP/CMPO (2011) The new state of donation: Three
decades of household giving to charity 1978 – 2008
30 CLG (2010) Citizenship Survey: March 2009– April 2010
31 Home Office (2005) Citizenship Survey 2005: Active
Communities Topic Report
32 OTS (2007) Helping Out: A national study of volunteering
and charitable giving
33 Hansard Society (2010) Audit of Political Engagement 7
34 CLG (2009)Citizenship Survey 2008-09: Volunteering
and Charitable Giving Topic Report
35 Whiteley, P. (2009) Where have all the members gone?
The Dynamics of Party Membership in Britain
Parliamentary Affairs 62(2): 242-257
36 CLG (2010) Citizenship Survey: March 2009– April 2010
37
CAF/NCVO(2010) UK Giving 2010
38 OTS (2007) Helping Out: A national study of
volunteering and charitable giving
39 Hansard Society (2010) Audit of Political Engagement 7
40 Unpublished data from CAF/NCVO(2010) UK Giving
2010
41 CLG (2010) Citizenship Survey: March 2009– April 2010
42 Mohan, J. (2010) presentation at the NCVO/TSRC Big
Society evidence seminar, 11 October 2010
43 OTS (2007) Helping Out: A national study of
volunteering and charitable giving
44 Marshall, T. (1997) Local Voluntary Activity Surveys
(LOVAS) Research Manual
45 CLG (2009) Citizenship Survey 2008-09: Empowered
Communities Topic Report
46 CLG (2009) Citizenship Survey 2008-09: Empowered
Communities Topic Report
47 NCVO (2010) The UK Civil Society Almanac 2010
48
Baughen, K (2011) I’m a serial slacktivist and proud…
http://bottomlineideas.wordpress.com/2011/02/21/
im-a-serial-slacktivist-and-proud/
World Values Survey 2005
British Household Panel Survey, 2007
3
NCVO (2010) Future Focus 8: what will membership be
like in 5 years time?
4
IVR (2008) Valuing time and money: the real and
perceived value of volunteering and giving
5
IVR (2008) Valuing time and money: the real and
perceived value of volunteering and giving
6
CAF/NCVO(2010) UK Giving 2010
7
University of Kent (2010) Coutts million pound donors
report 2010
8
CLG (2009) Citizenship Survey 2008-09:
Volunteering and Charitable Giving Topic Report
9
CLG (2009) Citizenship Survey 2008-09:
Volunteering and Charitable Giving Topic Report
10 CLG (2009) Citizenship Survey 2008-09:
Volunteering and Charitable Giving Topic Report
11 Rochester, C. (2006) Making Sense of Volunteering:
A literature review
12 OTS (2007) Helping Out: A national study of
volunteering and charitable giving
13 Time banking UK www.timebanking.org
14 NEF (2002)The time of our lives: using timebanking
for neighbourhood renewal and community capacity
building
15 Co-operative Group (2010) The Ethical Consumerism
Report 2010
16 Co-operative Group (2008) Ten years of ethical
consumerism 1999-2008
17 Co-operative Group (2007) The Ethical Consumerism
Report 2007
18 Soil Association (2010) Organic Market Report 2010
19 Hansard Society (2010) Audit of Political Engagement 7
20 Office of National Statistics (2010) Internet Access 2010
21 Hansard Society (2010) Digital Citizens and Democratic
Participation: An analysis of how citizens participate
online and connect with MPs and Parliament
22 Hansard Society (2010) Digital Citizens and Democratic
Participation: An analysis of how citizens participate
online and connect with MPs and Parliament
23 Hansard Society (2010) Audit of Political Engagement 7
24 The Electoral Commission (2010) Report on the
Administration of the 2010 General Election
Hansard Society (2010) Audit of Political Engagement 7
Hansard Society (2010) Audit of Political Engagement 7
27 CLG (2008) Place Survey: England – Headline Results
2008
28 Pathways through Participation (2010) Strengthening
participation: learning from participants
29 National Occupational Standards for Community
Development
30 National Occupational Standards for Community
Development
31 Gilchrist, A. (2004)The well connected community
32 Doherty, B. (2009) in The Oxford Handbook of British
Politics
25
1
25 26 2
26 This publication was written and compiled by Véronique
Jochum, Ellie Brodie, Neena Bhati and Karl Wilding.
With special thanks to Pete Bass and Nathan Denne.
We would also like to thank all the contributors who wrote
the think-pieces in Section 2.
NCVO believes its members and those with a stake in civil
society need the best quality evidence base to help them
inform policy and practice and plan for the future.
To find out more about our research visit
www.ncvo-vol.org.uk/research
or our dedicated futures programme www.3s4.org.uk.
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