Building a fuller picture of Christian generosity
In our first Generosity Report, our goal was to try and understand how big the gap was between what people were already giving and the potential for increased generosity.
This year, we have focused on adding greater granularity to the research process, digging deeper into what is both driving and hindering generosity in the UK with a particular focus on the direct effect of Christian practice on generosity.
Designed to support Stewardship's partners - churches, charities and Christian workers - in inviting generosity and growing support, the report includes:
- Quantitative and qualitative data
- Case studies
- Recommendations for partners and donors
- Helpful resources
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Key findings
- Committed Christians give away almost five times the UK monthly giving average
- Committed Christians experience the most joy from their generosity
- Over 60% of Committed Christians give regularly to Christian causes
- Over 90% of regular church-goers give regularly to their church
- The youngest age category (18-24) gives the highest proportion of their income at 11%
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Stewardship’s Generosity Report 2025 builds on the inaugural data from last year to present an even more robust and authoritative analysis of the Christian giving landscape. Our prayer is that the findings, together with our recommendations and resources, will both support our donors as they grow in their generosity and help our church, charity and individual partners to invite support with more confidence. We look forward to continuing to establish our annual research as a key tool for enabling a thriving Kingdom economy where God’s people discover the joy of faithful and generous stewardship of all their resources.
Janie Oliver
CEO, Stewardship
Who we surveyed
Stewardship commissioned specialist research firm Whitestone Insight again to conduct the research for the Generosity Report. The report provides quantitative and qualitative data, including case studies, which are designed to support our donors, partners - churches, charities and Christian workers - in inviting generosity and growing support.
This year we scaled up the research, with just over 6,000 Christians completing the survey, around 2,000 more than last year, and 35 more qualitative interviews (50 in total), which were conducted virtually using AI technology.
This research highlights how Christian teaching seeks to transform the heart’s posture, fostering a lifestyle of generosity rooted in freedom rather than guilt, ultimately leading to joy.
Rev Dr Girma Bishaw
Director of the Gratitude Initiative and Co-director at The London Project
This is hugely valuable research for those who rely on charitable giving to enable their ministry and fulfil their vision. I would recommend getting to grips with these findings and case studies. It will bring encouragement but also challenge where it’s needed.
Abby Guinness
Head of Spring Harvest
Previous Generosity Report
Frequently Asked Questions
The report does not specifically address the types of causes people give to, but it does include data on the geographical areas their giving supports.
The data shows that giving to Christian causes is heavily focused on local churches (63%), while secular giving is more evenly spread across national and global areas. Local church giving dominates Christian contributions, whereas secular giving sees its highest percentage nationally (46%).
Internationally, giving to both Christian and secular causes remains relatively low, with Africa being the most supported region for Christian giving (19%) and secular giving (14%). Global causes attract a similar level of support from both groups, with 16% for Christian and 18% for secular causes.
Our research explored the activities people consider part of their financial giving (figure 7, page 23 of the digital report).
Among Committed Christians, 26% included "money sent to family or friends abroad (excluding those involved in Christian work)" as part of their giving, while 21% of Practising Christians did the same. Notably, 40% of individuals from non-White backgrounds included this type of giving.
Figure 3 on page 14 of the digital report breaks down the key reasons individuals were encouraged to give more or more frequently across various causes, with the full data available on page 57. The frequency of being asked to give was consistent with the 2024 report. The main barriers to increased giving were affordability (47%) and satisfaction with current giving levels (37%).
This year, we also explored what initially prompted people to give. For 45%, it was parental or grandparental teaching, and 34% cited a personal relationship with an individual or cause. Among Committed Christians, the top motivator was understanding God’s generosity (50%), followed closely by family teaching (48%). For Practising Christians, family teaching (45%) and church exposure to specific causes (35%) were the key drivers.
While the report highlighted personal stories of financial blessing, the responses were not consistent enough to draw firm conclusions. However, many participants did link their giving to a deeper experience of God’s provision, often beyond financial rewards. Exploring how generosity relates to spiritual growth and a sense of blessing is being considered for future reports, as it could provide valuable insights into what drives long-term, joyful giving.
It is worth noting that 5 out of 22 Committed Christian interviewees mentioned experiencing rewards or blessings from their giving, though it was often unclear whether they referred to financial rewards or broader spiritual blessings.
Finding 7 of the report highlights denominational differences in giving, largely influenced by the percentage of individuals within each denomination who fall into deeper faith categories and how often giving is discussed. The demographics section (page 36 of the digital report) also notes that ethnic diversity within denominations is linked to higher generosity levels.
We did not include “humility” as an option among the listed emotions. However, as shown in Figure 4 of the report, we did include several negative emotions, which were selected infrequently across all categories. Obligation was reported by 16% of participants. Notably, among regular churchgoers, “responsibility” was the most selected emotion, followed by “joy.” This suggests that the sense of responsibility was not seen as burdensome but rather as an integral part of Christian discipleship and generosity.
Recent research by other organisations has tended to focus on attitudes toward the Church of England in particular and surveys the general UK population, not just Christians. In contrast, the Stewardship Generosity Report 2025 asked participants to rate trust in their own church, which likely influenced the results. Church leaders can take encouragement from the high trust within their congregations, even as trust in the wider institution declines. Maintaining this trust will require continued transparency and good governance.