Leaving a Gift to Charity in Wills: Research Insights 2024
My Legacy initiative aims to increase charitable gifts in wills in Ireland, where only 14% have done so, unlike the UK's 44%. Key findings reveal reasons and barriers to leaving such gifts, highlighting the importance of supporting causes and communities.
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Leaving a gift to charity in a will Findings from an online research with a nationally representative sample of the population in ROI aged 18+ August 2024 August 2024 REF: 740524
Background and context to the research My Legacy was established in 2006 by a small group of notable Irish charities who knew the great impact gifts in wills can have on the future resources and capacity of a charity. They also realised that, unlike other countries, many Irish people do not make a will despite how vital a life document it is and how difficult it can be for families where there is no will in place. Research is required to understand the overall incidence of people making wills in Ireland and the public s attitude to leaving gifts in a will, along with the potential triggers and barriers to this My Legacy has grown to an umbrella group of 90 Irish charities working together to make gifts in wills the norm in Ireland. It asks people to consider leaving a gift in their will to a favourite charity, once family and friends have been taken care of and all other important personal decisions have been made. Gifts in wills are vital for a sustainable, shock-proof future for Irish charities.
RED Line Omnibus Methodology Gender Age Online research was conducted with n=1,001 ROI adults aged 18+ living in the Republic of Ireland. Respondents were recruited using RED C Live, RED C s own online panel of over 40,000 members. 51% 18-24 11% 25-34 16% 35-44 20% 49% Quota controls were used to ensure a nationally representative sample of ROI adults aged 18+, with interlocking quotas to provide extra confidence in sample profile. 45-54 18% 55-64 15% 65+ 20% Data was weighted across gender, age, region and social class so as to ensure a nationally representative sample based on latest CSO projections. Region Social Class Fieldwork for this research took place between 6th and 11th of August 2024. Respondents were asked the following: frequency of support of various charities; if they had a Will; if those with a Will had included a gift to charity; some general attitudinal statements on Wills and leaving a gift to charity; and reasons for leaving a gift to charity in a Will. Conn/ Ulster Conn/ Ulster 17% 17% Dublin Dublin 29% 29% Rest of Leinster Rest of Leinster 27% 27% Munster Munster 27% 27% 46% 48% 6% F ABC1 C2DE 3
Key findings from the research 27% of people living 27% of people living in ROI aged 18+ in ROI aged 18+ have a will have a will Just 14% that have a Just 14% that have a will have left a gift will have left a gift to charity in it to charity in it Supporting a cause Supporting a cause key reason for leaving key reason for leaving gift to charity in will gift to charity in will This is well below the UK, where 44% have a will according to research conducted by the National Will Register in 2023. For those that have a will and haven t left a gift for charity or those in the process / planning to make a will, well over half said the thought to leave a gift to charity just never occurred to them. Other factors at play include continuing to support a charity they regularly donated to in their lifetime and giving back to their local community 4
Support greatest for health-related charities in Ireland This includes organisations such as the Irish Cancer Society, the Irish Heart Foundation and the Alzheimer Society of Ireland. This is then followed by children related charities (Barnardos, Make-a-Wish, Childline, Laura-Lynn) and homelessness charities (Focus Ireland, Simon Community, Threshold) Frequency of supporting charitable organisations Frequency of supporting charitable organisations Regularly / occasionally 68% 56% 51% 45% 45% 44% 41% Occasionally 49% 46% 42% 32% 23% 34% 36% 37% 17% 20% 15% Regularly 19% 13% 10% 10% 9% 9% 4% 4% 3% Other Health Children Homeless Animals Humanitarian Elderly Environmental Arts and culture Q.1 How often do you support the following types of charities, if at all? Support can include financial donations, donations of goods (new or second-hand) and giving your own time to help. Base: all respondents aged 18+ living in ROI; n=1,007 5
Two-in-five people say they regularly support a charity, with incidence highest amongst older people 37% Male People that regularly People that regularly support a charity support a charity Can include financial and non-financial donations 42% Female 39% 18-24 33% 25-34 30% 35-44 41% 45-54 47% 55-64 49% 65+ 40% 42% AB 44% C1 38% C2 34% DE 45% F 41% Dublin 39% Rest of Leinster 43% Munster 33% Conn / Ulster Q.1 How often do you support the following types of charities, if at all? Support can include financial donations, donations of goods (new or second-hand) and giving your own time to help. Base: all respondents aged 18+ living in ROI; n=1,007 6
Just over one-in-four people say they already have a will Around one-in-three (32%) that are married or living as married and over two-in- four homeowners (44%) have a will. 32% have a will or are in the process of making one I have a will 27% I am in the process of arranging my will 5% Not surprisingly, more than half (59%) of people aged 55+ have a will compared with just 14% of those aged 35-54 and 6% of those aged 18-34. I am planning to get a will in the next six months 9% I don't have a will, but feel I should make one 34% A sizable proportion of those aged 18-34 (42%) and aged 35-54 (42%) don t have a will but feel they should make one. More than one- in-five (22%) of those aged 55+ don t have a will, but feel they should make one. I don't have a will and don't believe I need one 9% I have never thought about making a Will 16% Q.2 A will is a written document that sets out what you would like to happen to your possessions and other important matters after you die. Which of the following best applies to you? Base: all respondents aged 18+ living in ROI; n=1,007 Base: all respondents aged 18+ living in ROI; n=1,007 Q.2 A will is a written document that sets out what you would like to happen to your possessions and other important matters after you die. Which of the following best applies to you? 7
Close to two-thirds feel unsure about how to make a will More than one-in-four (27%) agree strongly with this. Just under half find the process of making a will complicated and overwhelming, while over one-third said that cost is a key reason they don t have a will. Attitudes to making a will Attitudes to making a will Excludes those that have already made a will or are in the process of making one Higher for those in 18-34 and 45- 54 age cohorts ANY agree 64% 47% 36% Agree slightly Not notably different across social grades 36% 31% 22% 27% Agree strongly 17% 14% I am unsure about the legal requirements and procedures involved in making a valid will I find the process of drafting a will to be complicated and overwhelming Cost is one of the main reasons I don't have a will 8 Q.4 To what extent do you agree or disagree with the following statements? Base: if has not made a will / is not in the process of making one; n=674
14% of those that currently have a will said they have included a gift to charity, while 13% of those in the process of getting one or planning to get one said they intend to include a gift to charity Q.3 You said that you have a Will or are in the process of / planning to get one. Have you included a gift to charity in your will or are you planning on including one? Base: if has a will / in the process of getting one / plans to get one in next 6mths; n=423 9
Supporting a cause key reason for leaving gift to charity in will Continuing to support a charity regularly donated to and giving back to community are also strong motivators for those with a will / in the process of getting one / planning to get one in next 6mths. Reasons why people would include a gift in their will Reasons why people would include a gift in their will If has will / in process of getting one If has will / in process of getting one / plans to get one in next 6mths and / plans to get one in next 6mths and has / plans to leave a gift to charity has / plans to leave a gift to charity n=56 Total population aged 18+ Total population aged 18+ n=1,007 Support a cause that I care deeply about 45% 39% Honor memory of a loved one 22% 27% 27% Give back to the community 36% 38% Continue supporting a charity regularly donated to during lifetime 23% 21% 21% 20% 18% 17% 14% 13% 12% 11% 11% 10% 10% Believe in the mission and work of the charity 25% 26% Support humanitarian efforts / alleviate suffering Make a positive impact on future generations 19% Contribute to scientific or medical research 8% Ensure assets are used for a meaningful purpose 19% 19% 17% 19% Fulfil a sense of moral or religious duty Received help from the charity in the past Set an example for family and friends Reduce the tax burden on estate 11% Leave a legacy and be remembered 16% No immediate family or heirs 7% Assist in environmental conservation efforts 9%
Many people just havent though about leaving a gift in a will There is concern amongst some that leaving a gift to charity will impact on the financial benefit their family / heirs would receive, although this is higher amongst the 25-44 age cohort. Attitudes to leaving a gift to charity in a will Attitudes to leaving a gift to charity in a will Excludes those that have made a will and left a gift charity A bigger issue for people in the 25- 44 age cohort 51% 51% ANY agree 46% 37% 23% 35% Agree slightly 33% 30% 23% 27% 24% 25% 28% Agree strongly 23% 21% 11% 11% 8% The thought of including gift to charity in my will has never crossed my mind I would feel comfortable talking to a solicitor about including a gift to charity in my will I don't want to include a charitable gift in my will as it would reduce the financial benefit my family or heirs would receive I would consider including a gift in my will to charity if my solicitor made me aware that it was an option (when writing my will) I would be open to including a gift to charity in my will if there was some kind of tax benefit associated with it I would consider including a gift to charity when I make or revise my Will Q.4 To what extent do you agree or disagree with the following statements? Base: if has not made a will / made a will but has not left a gift to charity; n=951 11
