A survey of the UK general public’s donations to overseas disaster appeals - Summary of trends (2010)
This research surveys giving trends on Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) appeals for four major natural disasters – the Asian tsunami in 2004, the Burmese cyclone in 2008, the Asia-Pacific cluster of disasters in 2009 (the Samoan tsunami, Indonesian earthquake and flooding due to the cyclone in the Philippines and Vietnam), and the Haiti earthquake.
It found that as a means of donation, new media methods have risen from 7% in 2004 to 17% in 2009 and 2010, with online giving at 15% and only a small percentage giving by text. More recent DEC figures show that the total given by SMS, £5 at a time, was £182,750.
The more traditional donation methods – cash or credit/debit card on phone, cheque or card by post – continue to be most popular. The CAF Disaster Monitor reports that these methods are also growing, but at a slower rate – from 56% and 60% in 2008 and 2009, to 65% this year. A question on direct debit and standing order payments to a disaster appeal was asked for the first time in 2010, and 3% said that they had used this method.