The French are always generous, but inflation is not far behind. Donations to charities increased by 1% in 2022, but this is the lowest annual change in the last ten years, with the exception of 2018*, which was weighed down by the application of various fiscal measures, underlines the latest barometer of France Generosités.
For its study, the professional union relied on data from some fifty associations and foundations that represent almost a third of the national annual collection.
And if inflation is taken into account, the collection even falls into the red. In constant euros, that is, taking into account the variation in prices, donations from individuals will decrease by 3.9% in 2022 compared to the previous year.
Faced with the increase in their current spending, energy and food in the foreground, the French put less hand in the wallet.
Deliver small donations
In addition, it is above all the most modest donations that plummet: donations of less than 150 euros fell by 6.9% in 2022. Although these small donations still represented 73% of the collection in 2004, it does not exceed 41, 7% in 2022. A fall offset, in part, by donations made by wealthier people: donations of more than 1,500 euros increased by 5.5% in 2022. Another negative sign: the number of new donors per organization, the group of benefactors for the next few years, fell by 11.2%, the largest decline in ten years.
However, the study excludes calls for donations for emergency situations, such as wars or natural disasters. If we count the donations for Ukraine, the generosity of the French increases by 4.7% in 2022. This generosity towards Ukrainians was concentrated at 92% in the first half of the year, “showing the strong emotional and compassionate impulse of the French before the start of the conflict”, emphasizes France Générosités.
*Donations to charitable organizations fell by 4.6% in 2018, but this sharp drop is explained by the implementation of various tax measures (replacement of ISF by IFI, increase in CSG, move to withholding tax), specifies France Générosités.
Source: BFM TV
