NCVO: New research shows generation aware of the social divide in the UK, but unprepared to do anything about it
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Wednesday, 20, Feb 2008 12:00
The National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO) has released new research from its first ever Civil Society Almanac which shows that there are more charities in affluent areas than poor areas. NCVO believes that this may provide further evidence of a social divide in the UK. Polling commissioned by the umbrella body for charities in England also shows that 88% of people think that there is a social divide in the UK, but only 23% would be prepared to get involved in their community in order to help bridge that divide. These findings are being released to coincide with NCVO's Annual Conference, which takes place today.
The Almanac shows that there are 2.6 charities per thousand of the population in prospering suburbs, compared to 1.6 charities per thousand in suburbs that are 'constrained by circumstances'. It also shows that there are 2.2 charities per thousand in multicultural communities, compared to 1 charity per thousand in blue collar communities.
Stuart Etherington, Chief Executive of NCVO said:
'We don't know why there are more charities in affluent areas, but it suggests that people with low incomes do not believe that setting up a charity is the best way to pursue their goals. This may be because people from poorer areas are less likely to get involved in formal community action, because they have less resources, or because they do not have access to the information they need to choose this course of action. However, what this highlights is that the traditional perception of charity, of helping the 'needy', is just one reasons people choose to set up a charity. Whatever the reasons, we believe that the social divide is a huge problem in the UK and something that civil society and government need to work to address.'
NCVO carried out a YouGov poll to see what the British population thought about the social divide, and whether they were prepared to get involved in their communities in order to help the poorest. When asked 'To what extent to you agree or disagree with the following statement?', 'There is a social divide in the UK', 88% of people either agreed or strongly agreed. When asked, 'Do you think there will be a wider, smaller or about the same social divide in 5 years'
time?', 63% thought there would be a wider social divide, compared to 5% of people who thought it would be smaller. Finally, they were asked 'How likely or unlikely would it be for you to get involved in your community in order to help bridge the social divide and help the poorest?', and only 23% of those surveyed were either very likely or fairly likely to do so. 34% were 'sitting on the fence', neither likely nor unlikely to get involved in community action.
Stuart Etherington said:
'It is quite shocking to see that almost 90% of the people surveyed say that they think there is a social divide in the UK, but only just over 20% are prepared to do something about it. However, all is not lost, with 34% sitting on the fence about their likelihood to get involved in their communities, maybe all they need is some support on what to do and how to go about it. At our Annual Conference today, we will also be asking the two men in charge of planning the Labour and Conservative manifestos, Ed Miliband and Oliver Letwin, what they are going to do about the social divide.'
The 2008 Almanac provides figures for the size and scope of civil society, organisations that are independent from government and the private sector, which aim to create a 'good society', such as charities, co-operatives and housing associations in 2005/06, the latest available. It shows that there were 865,000 civil society organisations in the UK in 2005/06, with an income of £109 billion. Charities, overall, have increased their income by almost 10% on
2004/05 to £31 billion. However, it also shows that many charities are struggling financially - nearly one in five of the largest charities, rising to three out of every five of the smallest charities, decreased their expenditure between 2004/05 and 2005/06.
NCVO's Annual Conference, Working with Government: challenges for civil society, takes place at The Brewery, London, today. The Civil Society Almanac can be ordered via NCVO's website www.ncvo-vol.org.uk.
The Almanac, a press briefing and the full polling results are available on request. A press conference will be held on the Almanac findings and the polling results at NCVO's Annual Conference at 11.00 on 20 February. Please contact Siobhan Wakely in NCVO's Media Office on 020 7520 2569 or Siobhan.wakely@ncvo-vol.org.uk for further information.
Notes to editors
· NCVO's Civil Society Almanac is the most comprehensive annual overview of
civil society organisations and their work. For the first time NCVO has extended the size and scope of the Almanac to recognise the diversity of organisations and activities within civil society. It now includes information on a range of organisations outside the traditional definition of charity, such as universities, co-operatives, housing associations etc (a full list is available in the Almanac), which work to promote a good society. It is compiled using information from GuideStar UK www.guidestar.org.uk and a range of other sources
· The National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO) www.ncvo-vol.org.uk
is the umbrella body for the voluntary sector in England, with sister councils in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. NCVO has over 5,500 members, ranging from large national bodies to community groups, volunteer centres, and development agencies working at a local level. With over 280,000 staff and over
13 million volunteers working for our members, we represent and support almost half the voluntary sector workforce.
· All polling figures, unless otherwise stated, are from YouGov Plc. Total
sample size was 1,968 adults. Fieldwork was undertaken between 8th - 11th February 2008. The survey was carried out online. The figures have been weighted and are representative of all GB adults (aged 18+).