Small Acts of Kindness/Ipsos partnership shows stark impact of winter on older people

On behalf of Hertfordshire-based charity Small Acts of Kindness, Ipsos carried out a survey among 342 participants  across Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire through feedback forms distributed to those receiving a Warm in Winter gift bag. 

Small Acts of Kindness is a charity dedicated to making a positive difference by helping to reduce loneliness and isolation for vulnerable and older people, particularly those who are cold in their homes, helping to reduce the associated negative impact on physical and mental wellbeing that being cold brings.

From October 2023, the ‘Warm in Winter’ bags and ‘Bags of Kindness’ were distributed to nominated older and vulnerable residents across Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire. Each bag contained a variety of items designed to provide comfort and support during the winter, including warm clothing, blankets, hot drinks, and a ‘Purple Pages Information Pack’ signposting recipients to essential information, advice and support. Bag recipients are nominated by those in their community, and the contents are provided through sponsorship and funding to Small Acts of Kindness. Bags are gifted free of charge to recipients.

Each bag distributed between October 2023 and March 2024 contained a paper questionnaire and recipients were asked to complete and return the questionnaire to Ipsos. Recipients expressed positive feelings about receiving the bags. 

Key findings from the feedback forms include:

• When asked how receiving the gift made them feel, many  respondents stated they felt happy, pleased, delighted, or it cheered them up 
• 85% of respondents indicated the information in the ‘Purple Pages Information Pack’ included in the bag was very or somewhat useful. 
• 89% of respondents indicated they thought it was very or fairly  important for organisations and charities to produce printed information for their customers or people they deal with, highlighting the importance of the work Small Acts of Kindness do.
• 22% of respondents reported turning on their heat in their home during a typical day in winter for 4 or fewer hours per day, with 2% reporting they do not turn their heat on at all. 
• 63% of respondents reported feeling isolated at least some of the time, with 4% reporting they felt isolated all the time. 
• While 22% of respondents report that they leave their home 6 or 7 days per week during a typical week, 8% report leaving their house only 1 day per week, with a further 4% reporting they never leave the house.

Lynne Misner, CEO of Small Acts of Kindness stated:

Partnerships are at the heart of the work of Small Acts of Kindness. This valuable partnership with Ipsos has created a stark insight into the day-to-day lives of vulnerable and older people in Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire. It is sobering to see the impact of balancing costs of heating and eating and at the same time uplifting to see the joy that a small act of kindness can bring. Our thanks go to everyone who made this project possible and to those who support our work one small act of kindness at a time.

Ipsos funded this research to support Small Acts to Kindness through their Responding Responsibly CSR days, providing the design and setup of the survey, questionnaire design, and analysis, for their ‘Warm in Winter’ and ‘Bags of Kindness’ campaigns in Winter 2023/2024. These initiatives primarily support elderly and vulnerable residents in Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire. 

• For more information, contact Kendra Jones, Head of Client Success at Ipsos Channel Performance or Lynne Misner, CEO & Founder at Small Acts of Kindness.

Technical note

On behalf of Small Acts of Kindness, Ipsos carried out a survey among 342 participants who had received a “Warm in Winter” or a “Bag of Kindness” bag between October 2023 and March 2024.  Recipients of these bags had either nominated themselves or nominated someone else over 55 years of age, who lived in Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire and who are considered to be cold in their home. Each bag contained a paper questionnaire which participants were asked to complete and return to Ipsos in the pre-paid envelope provided. This survey was funded by Ipsos as part of their “Responding responsibly” initiative and Ipsos was responsible for the set-up of the survey, questionnaire design and the analysis and reporting of the survey results.