Key findings:
- More than half (54%) of Australian adults who donated money to charity in the past 12 months say caring about the cause motivated them to give.
- Among those who have not donated, 37% cite affordability as the main reason, rising to 43% among 45–54-year-olds.
- Two in five Australian adults (40%) say clear evidence of how donations are used would encourage future giving.
- Half (50%) say feeling pressured or guilted into donating would make them less likely to give, while 48% cite requests to sign up for recurring monthly donations.
As charities compete for public support amid ongoing cost-of-living pressures, understanding what drives people to give – and what holds them back – is increasingly important.
The first part of our Australian charity research series explored how adults support charitable causes, alongside their intentions to give in the future.
In this second instalment, YouGov Surveys research examines what motivates charitable donations, why some Australians choose not to give and the factors that could influence future contributions.
Why do Australians donate to charity?
Caring about the cause is the most commonly cited motivation among Australians who donated money to charity in the past 12 months (54%).
Trust also plays an important role. Two in five donors (40%) say they gave because they trusted the charity or it clearly explained how donations would be used, while a third (33%) cite having donated to the organisation before.
Supporting the local community motivates 23% of donors, while 19% each mention fundraising by friends or family and personal connections to a cause. Nearly one in five (18%) say a quick and easy donation process influenced their decision, while 17% cite evidence of the charity's impact.
Motivations vary across age groups. Among donors aged 55 and over, 68% cite caring about the cause, compared with 39% of those aged 35–44. Previous donations also play a greater role among older donors (48%) than among 18–24-year-olds (16%).
Younger donors, meanwhile, are more likely to cite evidence of a charity's impact (29% of 18–24-year-olds) and an easy donation process (27%), compared with 14% and 16%, respectively, among those aged 55 and over.
What has deterred Australians from donating to charity?
Affordability is the biggest barrier among Australians who have not donated money to charity in the past 12 months. Nearly two in five (37%) say they cannot afford to give, making it the most cited reason.
Financial pressures appear particularly pronounced among non-donors aged 45–54 (43%) and those aged 55 and over (42%), compared with 21% of 35–44-year-olds.
Other reasons are less common. Around one in ten non-donors (11%) say they prioritise spending on other things, while 9% have concerns about how charities spend donations. A further 6% prefer to support causes in other ways, such as volunteering, and 5% say they do not trust charities generally.
However, not everyone identifies a specific barrier. Around one in seven (14%) say there is no particular reason they have not donated or that they simply have not thought about it, rising to 23% among 35–44-year-olds.
What would encourage Australians to donate to charity in future?
Transparency emerges as the leading factor that could encourage future donations. Two in five Australian adults (40%) say clear evidence of how donations are used would make them more likely to give.
Supporting a cause that affects them personally or someone they know (35%) and having the option to make a small one-off donation (35%) are also common incentives.
Nearly a third cite a charity's strong reputation (31%), evidence of the impact of previous donations (30%) or the opportunity to support a local cause or community (30%).
There are some generational differences. Among 18–24-year-olds, 42% say the option to make a small one-off donation would encourage them to give, while 41% cite evidence of previous donations' impact. The latter is less influential among those aged 55 and over (24%).
Older adults are more likely to be encouraged by a personal connection to a cause, with 41% of those aged 55 and over selecting this factor, compared with 24% of 45–54-year-olds.
What would discourage Australians from donating to charity in future?
Half of Australian adults (50%) say feeling pressured or guilted into donating would make them less likely to give. Almost as many cite being asked to sign up for recurring monthly donations (48%), receiving too many requests or follow-up messages (47%) and unwanted fundraising approaches, such as street, telephone or door-to-door appeals (46%).
Trust remains another consideration. Nearly half (45%) say not trusting a charity would discourage them, while 42% cite concerns about how much money goes towards administration or fundraising. A further 39% say not knowing how their donation will be used would make them less likely to contribute.
Marketing approaches can also influence willingness to give. Nearly two in five Australians (39%) say AI-generated content in charity marketing would discourage them from donating, rising to 53% among 18–24-year-olds, compared with 25% of those aged 35–44. Celebrity endorsements (23%) and distressing or graphic fundraising campaigns (21%) are less commonly cited deterrents.
Older Australians are particularly wary of certain fundraising practices. Among those aged 55 and over, 58% cite pressure to donate, recurring monthly donation requests and excessive follow-up messages as deterrents. More than half (56%) also express concerns about administration and fundraising costs, compared with 30% of 18–24-year-olds.
Methodology: YouGov Surveys: Serviced provides quick survey results from nationally representative or targeted audiences in multiple markets. This study was conducted online between 24 August and 2 September 2026, with a nationally representative sample of 1,144 adults (aged 18+ years) in Australia, using a questionnaire designed by YouGov. Data figures have been weighted by age, gender, and region to be representative of all adults in Australia (18 years or older) and reflect the latest Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) population estimates.
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