Frequent Churchgoers Donate Nearly Five Times the UK Monthly Giving Average, Study Finds

LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM, February 6, 2025 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Key findings from Stewardship’s Generosity Report 2025

Today, Christian charity Stewardship publishes its Generosity Report 2025, revealing new insights into the state of Christian giving in the UK.

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Key findings:
1. Committed Christians give away almost five times the UK monthly giving average
2. Committed Christians experience the most joy from their generosity.
3. Over 60% of Committed Christians give regularly to Christian causes.
4. Over 90% of regular church-goers give regularly to their church.
5. The youngest age category (18-24) gives the highest proportion of their income at 11%.

About the research:
Stewardship commissioned specialist research firm Whitestone Insight again to conduct the research for their second Generosity Report. It builds on last year’s findings to provide another set of rigorous and objective data on the UK Christian giving landscape. The findings examine the gap between current and potential levels of generosity and the factors influencing giving behaviour.

The report provides quantitative and qualitative data, including case studies, which are designed to support Stewardship's donors, partners - churches, charities and Christian workers - in inviting generosity and growing support.

This year Stewardship has 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, which were conducted virtually using AI technology. The report also presents an additional sample category of ‘Committed Christians’, defined as those who attend church and read the Bible at least once a week, to enable a more detailed examination of the relationship between generosity and the depth of faith practice.

Stewardship’s Generosity Report 2025 shares seven key findings that are grouped under three headings: ‘Active faith’, ‘Giving habits’ and ‘Influences on giving’.The data provides comprehensive insights into the impact of faith on giving and includes recommendations and resources for next steps. The findings demonstrate a clear link between regular Christian practice and increased generosity. Those giving the most also experience the most joy from their generosity. Committed Christians give an average of £314 a month, equating to 11% of their Income. This is £249 or almost five times more than the £65 per month that is given by UK citizens to all charities, according to the Charities Aid Foundation [see note 4].

The average monthly giving for Christians across all levels of practice is £124 a month, or 5% of their income, which is over twice the national average and an increase of £47 compared to last year. While the numbers are encouraging, a giving gap remains: if each Christian in the UK gave 10% after tax - based on the principle of tithing described in the Bible – that amount would almost double to £236 a month or £2,832 year. Continuing to close the gap could therefore make a huge difference to many more lives and communities across the UK.

Over 90% of Christians who attend church at least once a month give regularly to their church and over 60% of Committed Christians are regularly supporting Christian causes. The qualitative interviews revealed the importance of trust in a cause as a key driver for giving. Over 70% of regular church-goers reported they trust their church ‘a lot’, while only 50% of this group said the same of Christian charities. That dropped to 27% for secular causes.

A stand-out demographic insight is that the youngest age category (18-24) is giving the highest proportion of their income at 10.63 %. 80% of this group give regularly to their church, with an average gift of £98.26 representing the highest values among all age groups. This group is also almost twice as likely to be a Committed Christian, which further supports the finding that a more engaged practice leads to greater generosity.

Quotes:

“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

“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

“Giving and receiving are two sides of the same coin. The more we realise that everything we have is a gift from God, the more we are able to give it away. This report shows that the key to living a generous life is to grow in an understanding of God’s incredible generosity to us. The more we hear and read about our generous God, the more God enables us to reflect this generosity in our lives.” Jonathan de Bernhardt Wood, Director of Giving, Church of England

“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

“This second year has been hugely important in refining many of the themes in the first report in 2024 and to broaden out to a wider Christian respondent base. Those enhancements have been particularly important in deepening our understanding of the link between giving and Christian discipleship, and between generosity and joy for the giver. Also significant is the remarkable phenomenon of high levels of Christian commitment and giving among younger, more committed Christians.” Andrew Hawkins, CEO of Whitestone Insight

View and download Stewardship's Generosity Report 2025: https://www.stewardship.org.uk/generosity-report

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Notes for Editors

1. Stewardship Stewardship serves Christian donors, workers, charities and churches in the UK and beyond called to faithfully steward their resources for God’s glory.We have been working with generous Christians and the ministries they support for over a century. Today, we help over 30,000 donors discover the joy of generosity as they give around £110 million every year to over 12,000 church, charity and individual partners. Our professional services also equip, grow and strengthen those partners so they can create more impact for God’s Kingdom.
2. Whitestone Insight is a specialist research firm created to assist clients with public policy, marketing and communications. Our ethos is to be responsive to clients, imaginative in our approach and enthusiastic about working with those that share our desire to promote the common good. whitestoneinsight.com
3. About the research: 6,011 UK Christian adults were surveyed online from 2-10 September 2024.The data was weighted to be representative of religious identification data from the 2021 Censuses in England and Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland. The qualitative data was gathered from 50 in-depth virtual interviews via an online AI platform with Christians of different denominations across the UK, across all key groups.
4. Participants of the survey were asked how much they give to a variety of causes. This figure is the sum of the mean average donation from all Christians to each cause, including those who do not give. For the comparative data from the Charities Aid Foundation, see their UK Giving Report 2024: https://www.cafonline.org/insights/research/uk-giving-report/

Further information

A selection of images is available for download here: https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/hcqmlrlwj548gh5eean5u/AO2brzn4iwQVoqQekqFbt34?rlkey=fbkvqpewca9a9m7md9pw4t0z4&st=mkepnibb&dl=0

For further information or interviews, please contact:

Ruth Jackson
Stewardship - Head of PR and Communications
+44 7885 705592
press@stewardship.org.uk