NCVO charities survey points to 'social divide' » Communities » 24dash.com

There are more charities in wealthy areas than in poor areas, new research showed today.

A report by the National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO) revealed there were 2.6 charities per thousand people in affluent parts of the country, compared with one charity per thousand in more deprived places.

In a poll carried out by YouGov for the voluntary sector organisation, most people said they thought there was a social divide, but less than a quarter would be willing to get involved in their community to help bridge that divide.

The NCVO commissioned the survey to coincide with the publication of its first ever Civil Society Almanac, which extends previous studies covering charities to include organisations such as housing associations, universities and co-operatives.

The report found that in "prospering suburbs" - typically consisting of two-car households and detached houses - there were 2.6 charities per thousand of the population.

In "multicultural" areas, typified by high population density, unemployment and students, there were 2.2 charities per thousand.

Areas "constrained by circumstances" - characterised by older, divorced residents, single parents, unemployment and public housing - had 1.6 charities per thousand.

At the bottom of the list were "blue-collar communities", typically featuring children, lone parents, construction/manufacturing employment and terraced housing, which have one charity per thousand.

The NCVO said the findings - which were being released as the organisation staged its annual conference - provided evidence of a social divide in the UK.

The almanac reported that the charity ratios per population indicated that people in prosperous areas were more likely to get involved in their communities, perhaps because of increased time and resources, "furthering the already pronounced social divide in the UK".

Stuart Etherington, chief executive of NCVO, said: "We don't know why there are more charities in affluent areas, but it suggests that people with low incomes do not believe that setting up a charity is the best way to pursue their goals.

"This may be because people from poorer areas are less likely to get involved in formal community action because they have less resources, or because they do not have access to the information they need to choose this course of action."

Mr Etherington said the statistics suggested that helping the needy was only one reason people set up charities.

"Whatever the reasons, we believe that the social divide is a huge problem in the UK and something that civil society and government need to work to address," he added.

In NCVO's poll, a total of 88% of respondents agreed that there was a social divide in the UK, with 63% saying they thought it would be even wider in five years' time. Only 5% said they thought the social divide would become smaller.

While 23% questioned said it was likely they would join community efforts to help the poorest, 34% said it was neither likely nor unlikely.

Mr Etherington said: "It is quite shocking to see that almost 90% of the people surveyed say that they think there is a social divide in the UK, but only just over 20% are prepared to do something about it.

"However, all is not lost, with 34% sitting on the fence about their likelihood to get involved in their communities, maybe all they need is some support on what to do and how to go about it."

The 2008 Almanac gives details about "civil society" - organisations that are independent from government and the private sector - which aim to improve society.

The report, which is based on the latest available figures - 2005/06 - showed that there were 865,000 civil society organisations in the UK in 2005/06, with an income of £109 billion.

Overall, charities had increased their income by almost 10% on 2004/05 to £31 billion, the figures showed. But the study also revealed that almost a fifth of the largest charities, rising to three fifths of the smallest charities, reduced their spending between 2004/05 and 2005/06.

Social divisions will be one of the subjects discussed at today's NCVO annual conference in London, with Mr Etherington saying the Labour and Conservative parties will be challenged to explain what action they propose to tackle the problem.

The conference, titled Working With Government: Challenges For Civil Society, will take place at The Brewery in Chiswell Street.

A total of 1,968 adults were surveyed online by YouGov between February 8 and 11 2008.