One in two French people declares having given in 2022 according to the 4th generosity barometer by Ipsos for the Apprentis d’Auteuil that franceinfo reveals on Thursday.
The generosity of the French has been on the rise in 2022, but the prospects for 2023 are worrying the associations. This is what emerges from the 4th barometer of generosity carried out by Ipsos for the Apprentis d’Auteuil that franceinfo reveals Thursday, April 13. One in two French people (50%) say they have given in 2022 after two consecutive years of decline. In 2021, only 48% of respondents said they had made a donation. This year is almost back to the level of 2019 (51%). It is the victims of the war in Ukraine who have benefited in particular from the outpouring of generosity of the French.
According to the barometer, each donor gave an average of 333 euros, an increase of 21.5% compared to 2021 when the average donation was 274 euros. But this amount remains lower than that of the start of the health crisis in 2020 when each French person gave 395 euros on average.
39% of donors plan to give less in 2023
Among young people, the proportion of donors is stabilizing at a high level after having increased sharply in 2022, underlines the survey. 55% of French people aged 18-34 gave in 2022. This is almost as much as those aged 65 and over (56%). It should be noted that the proportion of donors among French people with incomes of less than 15,000 euros net per year is increasing. It reaches 42%, a high share given their budgetary constraints.
>> The health crisis, the war in Ukraine and the decline in purchasing power impact the generosity of the French in terms of donations
But for 2023, inflation, which has reached a level not seen in 40 years, risks weighing on the generosity of the French. According to the barometer, nearly two out of five donors (39%) plan to give a lower amount in 2023 than in 2022. This is 14 points more in one year. Nearly six out of ten French people (57%) explain that it is the decline in their purchasing power that pushes them to reduce their contributions. The fear of not being able to cope with the increase in prices also justifies this drop for 41% of those questioned. Almost all French people (97%) say that the inflation observed in recent months has reduced their purchasing power.
High earners, less numerous among donors
If the French plan to lower the level of their donations, they will continue to mobilize for emergency situations, such as the earthquake which struck Turkey and Syria at the start of the year, says the survey. One in ten French people say they have already made a donation for this drama. But more than half of those who have donated or plan to donate to support earthquake victims (51%) plan to give less than usual to other causes in 2023. The French expected to support an average of 2.4 causes in 2022. In 2021, it was 2.7. In 2023, donors only plan to donate to an average of 2.1 causes.
The generosity barometer also notes that high earners are less numerous among donors in 2022. 84% of them indicated that they wanted to give at the start of last year. But in the end, 78% of high earners say they have made at least one donation in 2022. Their average donation, on the other hand, has increased over one year. It was 2,372 euros in 2022, an increase of 8.3% compared to 2021. In 2023, the average level of donations from high earners will drop, according to the survey. 80% of them declare that they have given or will give in 2023. They were 84% to foresee it at the beginning of 2022.
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The 4th generosity barometer produced by Ipsos for the Apprentis d’Auteuil was carried out from February 23 to March 14, 2023, via the internet among 1,000 people constituting a representative sample of the French population, as well as 500 people whose annual income household net worth is more than 120,000 euros.
