One in four charities directly affected by divisions, according to new research

One in four charities directly affected by divisions, according to new research
Research also shows public trust in charities remains high
A quarter of charities say they’ve been impacted by polarisation and division in society, including vandalism, protests, changes in the level of support or having to stop or change their services, according to new research published by the Charity Commission.
Researchers asked a representative sample of trustees whether and how they or their charity had been affected by the challenging social environment. Two percent of those asked say their staff have been threatened in person.
In 2025, the Commission convened a roundtable to hear of the experiences of refugee charities facing hostility – including threats of violence. The new research offers confirmation that a significant minority of charities is impacted by community tensions. Incidents reported include vandalism or damage to their property (overall 4% of charities); a decrease in support (11% overall), having to change or stop services (5%). While most impacts are adverse, some charities (9%) report an increase in support.
Charities promoting causes such as human rights, or religious and racial harmony are most likely to say they have been impacted.
The research, carried out by BMG on behalf of the Charity Commission, was conducted in February 2026 and involved a survey of almost 3,000 trustees of a representative sample of charities.
Rachel Wenstone, Assistant Director of Policy at Charity Commission said:
This research gives us clear evidence of the scale of what charities have been telling us over the past 18 months. We have heard deeply concerning accounts of staff being threatened, intimidated, and left afraid simply for doing their jobs. These findings show those experiences are not isolated: a significant minority of charities are now operating in an environment marked by hostility and threat. Ultimately, this impacts on the people charities are there to help, with some charities changing or curtailing their services as a result.
Charities are not above criticism or scrutiny. The public is entitled to question, challenge and choose which causes to support. But disagreement should never cross the line into abuse, intimidation or threats of violence, and registered charities should be enabled to pursue their legitimate, legal purposes. We will continue to monitor these trends closely and encourage charities to report serious incidents to us.
Continued financial strain
The new findings suggest that charities continue to face financial strain, though there are signs that the challenges are no longer escalating. Unexpected reliance on financial reserves has decreased compared to 2025 (12% dipped into reserves more than planned this year, compared to 17% in 2025). A small proportion of trustees – 4% – say they expect their charity may close over the next year.
For the first time since Covid the number of people using charity services has fallen, though people are still receiving more financial help from charities than was the case pre-Covid (6%, up from 3% in 2020). The findings do not indicate whether this results from falling demand or decreased supply as a result of charities reducing or ceasing services,) or a combination of these factors.
A third of charities report concerns about services provided by banks, though the picture appears to be gradually improving, with the prevalence of issues down overall since 2024. Among the most common concerns are issues updating signatories or contact details. 13% (down from 18% in 2024) report difficulties opening a bank account for their charity.
Overall public trust remains high – drivers remain consistent.
Separate research exploring public attitudes to charity shows that, overall, trust in charities remains high. Charities are among the most trusted groups in society, second only after doctors.
The drivers of trust have remained consistent, with most of the money raised reaching the end cause remaining the most important factor influencing trust. The main reason people report not giving money to charity over the past year is not being able to afford to (40% of those who did not give offered this reason) – not a lack of trust in charities.
Knowing an organisation is registered as a charity is among the reasons people donate to a charity with 27% giving this as a contributing factor, though the most important factor (53%) is supporting the cause the charity promotes.
Rachel Wenstone said:
It is encouraging that, despite wider social divisions and financial pressure, charities continue to command strong public trust. This research shows that people still recognise the value of registered charity status, and associate it with integrity, purpose and accountability.
But that trust should never be taken for granted. Charities need to keep showing that charity status means something: a clear focus on their charitable purpose, responsible stewardship of funds, and the highest standards of governance.
ENDS
Notes to editors:
- The Charity Commission is the independent, non-ministerial government department that registers and regulates charities in England and Wales. Its ambition is to be an expert regulator that is fair, balanced, and independent so that charity can thrive. The Commission has a wide range of regulatory powers which it can use to support charities and protect charitable assets. Further information about the Charity Commission and its work is available at The Charity Commission - GOV.UK.
- There are over 171,500 charities on the Register of Charities. Extrapolated out to the whole sector, our research suggests that staff in up to 3,000 charities may have been threatened in person, though this is a rough estimate.
- The full research reports are published on GOV.UK.
- The Charity Commission has been collecting data on public trust in charities since 2005. This year, BMG Research was commissioned to undertake this research on the Commission’s behalf, with results for the public trust survey based on answers from a statistically representative sample of 4,681 respondents in January 2026. Results of the trustee survey are based on answers from 2,947 respondents provided in February 2026.
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