The Welsh are more likely to respond to large charity appeals in the run up to Christmas than the UK as a whole, according to new research into charitable giving in Wales.

The Charities Aid Foundation (CAF) has released its inaugural Wales Giving report for 2019, offering insights into how people across Wales support charities.

The report, which adds to CAF’s annual World Giving, UK Giving and Scotland Giving reports, found that people in Wales were also more likely than the UK as a whole to have participated in a charitable or social activity in the last four weeks (67% versus 64% for the UK as a whole).

However, the number of people claiming the Gift Aid tax credit for charity in Wales – which can add an additional 25% to the value of their donation – is lower than the UK average (47% vs 51%) and the average amount of money donated in Wales was lower than the UK as a whole, likely a reflection of lower average wages in Wales.

Other key findings include:

Three fifths of people in Wales donated money to charity within the last year, with November being a peak month due to a number of major national charity events.

An estimated £454 million was donated to charity by those living in Wales in 2018 – accounting for 4.5% of the UK total of £10.1 billion.

The top three causes that people chose to support in 2018 were medical research, animal welfare and children or young people.

One in six people in Wales have volunteered in the last year, with the level of volunteering being higher amongst students.

The UK remains one of the most generous countries in the world, consistently ranked in the top 10 in the Charities Aid Foundation’s annual World Giving Index.

Susan Pinkney, CAF’s head of research, said:

“This first dedicated Wales Giving report gives us some terrific insights into the generosity of people in Wales and helps us better understand how and when they give.

“This research tells us that the Welsh give big in response to the big charity appeals in November and December, but I’d say charities have to work to raise awareness of the incredible benefits of claiming Gift Aid on all of that generosity to make that money go even further.”