British Red Cross Says 'Give Us The Power To Care' But Public Feel We Care Less Than 10 Years Ago

Most people in Britain (52 per cent) say we are a less caring society than ten years ago, according to a MORI survey commissioned by the British Red Cross Society.

But when questioned about personal involvement with a charity in the past two years, a high proportion (70 per cent) said they had given items to charity, shops or had made financial donations to charities (66 per cent). Nearly a quarter (22 per cent) had done voluntary work for a charity.

The poll was carried out between 19-22 March 1999, and reveals that nearly half of those who felt Britain is now less caring (43 per cent) cited people becoming too self centred as the cause, while a third felt that people have less time to care..

Sam Younger, Director General of the British Red Cross Society, said today that the findings contrasted with the enormous public response to the recent Kosovo appeal.

He said: 'the survey was completed before the current Kosovo refugee crisis erupted. So, although the public felt then that we had become less caring as a nation, the truth seems to be that British people do care and are capable of great generosity when their emotions are engaged.'

A significant proportion (30 per cent) think that people care 'about the same' now as ten years ago. Just 15 per cent of people agreed that people now care more. The main reason for this (36 per cent of those holding this view) was that people were more aware of the problems, followed by the influence of television (17 per cent) and attitudes of young people or that young people are more caring now (15 per cent).

Young people (15-24 year olds) themselves often cite young people's attitudes as a cause for being less caring, coming in at third with 23 per cent.

The survey, announced at the start of Red Cross Week (May 2-8), is aimed at highlighting public perceptions of 'caring'. The Society's appeal to the public during the week is to donate funds to the work of the Red Cross in order to 'give it the power to care' in the work it undertakes.

'The British Red Cross Society is part of a global Movement which cares for people in crisis,' said Sam Younger. ' It is as much our role to help individuals in times of personal crisis as well as in major catastrophes, both here and abroad. Red Cross Week will aim to bring that message home to local communities.'

• Red Cross Week runs from 2-8 May inclusive. Local branches of the British Red Cross are undertaking many fund-raising and promotional activities to support the week's theme.
• Still shots of the British Red Cross' first terrestrial television advertisement which will be broadcast on Channel 4 for the week 2-8 May 1999.

Significant regional results:

• Nearly half of those who feel that Britain is now less caring feel this is due to people becoming too self centred, a view particularly prevalent in London and the South East.
• More people in Northern Ireland who feel that people are more caring nowadays cite 'the attitudes of young people' as a reason for this; also more people from that region who feel that we care less nowadays consider the 'attitude of young people' as a main reason.
• More people in the Northern region agree that most people would stop to help a person in the street who had a fall than the nation as a whole.
• A larger proportion of people in the South West feel that people are more caring than 10 years ago.
• A larger proportion of people in Wales and the Midlands feel that people are now less caring.
• Of those who feel that people are now less caring, people in Scotland are less inclined to cite 'people have become too self centred' and 'the breakdown of communities' as reasons for this.

Technical details

MORI interviewed a nationally representative sample of 2,079 UK adults aged 15+ face-to-face between March 19 - 22 1999. Answers were also broken down regionally, based on BRCS regions.