What’s going on with giving in the UK?

When it comes to generosity, it’s easy to feel disheartened by some of the headlines that have surfaced in the last few days.

The UK Giving Report 2025 from CAF (Charities Aid Foundation) paints a rather bleak picture: giving is in decline, especially among young people. According to their data, only 36% of 16–24-year-olds gave to charity in 2024 - the lowest proportion of any age group. [1]

But when we compare this with the findings from our own Generosity Report 2025, a different, more hopeful story emerges.

In our research, 88% of 18–24-year-olds who call themselves Christians gave in the past year. That’s a striking contrast to CAF’s 36%. Why such a difference?

The answer is clear: faith makes a difference.

Faith and finance in action

CAF’s report reveals that only 50% of the UK population gave in the past year—the lowest level they’ve recorded. In comparison, 70% of Christians surveyed by Stewardship said they had given. And when it comes to how much people are giving, UK Christians are bucking the trend in a big way. On average, Christians are giving £124 a month (5.3% of their income) which is £52 more than the UK average donation of £72 reported by CAF. Remarkably, this figure has risen by £47 since last year’s report, pointing to a growing culture of generosity among Christians even while national giving trends decline.

But it doesn’t stop there. For those with deeper Christian practice - those who attend church and read the Bible at least weekly, what we call Committed Christians - giving jumps to an average of £314 per month (11.2% of their income). That’s over four times the national average!

And the picture among young Christians is even more inspiring. While CAF reports that only 36% of 16–24-year-olds gave last year, Stewardship’s research shows that those aged 18–24 who call themselves Christians are giving an average of £262 per month (10.6% of their income) - over three times the proportion given by those over 65. What’s more, 80% of 18–24-year-old Christians give regularly to their local church, with an average monthly gift of £98.26 - the highest value among all age groups. Far from disengaged, young Christians are leading the way in regular, generous giving.

It’s also worth noting that while our report focuses on Christian giving, one of the key findings is that a charity’s faith affiliation is not the deciding factor for most Christian donors. For every £1 given, around 21p goes to non-religious causes. Christians aren’t just giving to their churches - they’re giving to the same causes as their neighbours, from health and education to poverty relief and mental health, showing that their generosity overflows beyond the church walls.

Fewer givers, but more giving?

One of the things that stood out in CAF’s report is that while fewer people are giving, those who do give are giving more. The average donation amount increased to £72, and the total estimated giving across the UK grew by £1.3 billion to £15.4 billion.

This may sound encouraging, but it’s a sign of a narrowing pool of givers, with many people opting out of charitable giving altogether.

In contrast, the Stewardship data shows that in the Christian community, giving is more widespread and more consistent. It’s not just large gifts from a few individuals - it’s regular, faithful generosity from many. Christians in our research gave an average of £124 per month, almost double what the average UK citizen gives, and that rises to £314 per month among Committed Christians.

Where CAF sees giving becoming concentrated in fewer hands, we see a community where generosity is practiced broadly and rooted in relationship, faith and joy.

What causes do people care about?

Another interesting comparison lies in the causes people choose to support. CAF’s top three causes were:

• Health charities (14%)
• Children and young people (13%)
• Religion (8%)

In the Stewardship report, Christians' top causes were:

• Local church (33%)
• Other Christian causes (31%)
• Children and youth (23%)
• Mental and physical health (22%)

What’s interesting here is that, outside of Christian causes, Christian donors give to many of the same causes as the general public. Christians aren’t isolated in their generosity; they are responding to the needs around them - health, young people, mental wellbeing—just as their non-Christian neighbours are. But they’re also investing significantly in the local church and Gospel causes, which could be why their giving appears in higher amounts.

Why do people give?

When it comes to motivation, CAF’s research asked donors why they gave. For young people, 18% said they gave because their religion encourages it. Stewardship’s data goes even further: for Committed Christians, giving is motivated by gratitude to God - for his blessings and for what Jesus did at the cross.

This isn’t giving out of duty or guilt. It’s giving as a joyful response to grace.

Our research also shows that the more Christians hear teaching on generosity, the more they give - and the more joy they experience as a result. Generosity isn’t a transaction. It’s an act of worship.

Beyond financial giving

One area CAF’s report highlighted was a drop in volunteering, with 1.5 million fewer people volunteering in 2024 than the year before. Stewardship’s research doesn’t report on volunteering statistics, but we know from experience that churches and Christian communities are sustained by unseen, unrecorded acts of service week in, week out.

It’s a reminder that generosity is never just about money; it’s about how we live, serve, and give ourselves for others. This is currently being evidenced by the response to the 40acts campaign where we’ve seen firsthand countless acts of service, words of encouragement and simple demonstrations of kindness that have accompanied extraordinary responses of financial help.

The Giving Gap

Both reports highlight a "giving gap" - though they frame it differently. CAF is concerned about a shrinking number of donors in society. In our report, we talk about the gap between what Christians currently give and the potential if every Christian tithed.

The difference is, we see that gap not as a cause for despair but as an invitation - an opportunity to unlock greater joy and impact as Christians lean deeper into their faith and calling to be generous.

So, what’s the story?

If we look only at CAF’s data, the story is worrying: fewer people giving, fewer young people engaged, and a shrinking culture of generosity in the UK.

But the picture is brighter when we look at the church. The Generosity Report shows a community of faith still marked by consistent, joyful generosity. Christians aren’t just giving more they’re giving differently. Their giving is rooted in faith, relationship, gratitude and love.

And perhaps most importantly, it shows that the culture of giving isn’t dead. It’s alive and well in the church.

A Call to Encouragement

These findings should encourage us. They tell us that when we live out the biblical call to give, we stand out - not just in how much we give, but why we give. They remind us that generosity isn’t an economic issue - it’s a spiritual one.

And they invite us to keep building a culture of generosity in the UK, rooted in relationship, integrity, joy and grace.

Because the ultimate story of giving isn’t written in reports - it’s written in the everyday decisions of people who believe that everything they have is a gift from God, and it’s a joy to give it away.

Download the report