Immediate release: 29 October
CHARITIES NOW PLAY BIGGER ROLE THAN THE CHURCH
IN SHAPING SOCIETY’S VALUES, ACCORDING TO SURVEY
Two thirds of Irish people claim that charities now play a bigger role than the Church in shaping their personal values, according to a survey of 1000 Irish households.
The study, which was conducted by nfpSynergy on behalf of 10 major community and voluntary organisations, found that charities are second only to the family when it comes to their importance in shaping values in society.
When asked to what extent institutions contributed to shaping their personal values, 68% of respondents said that charities influence their values. Local communities and School also scored relatively high, with 55% and 54%. Although appearing relatively far down in the ranking, the Church still influences the values of 38%.
“These findings underline the central role community and voluntary activity plays in Irish society,” said Ivan Cooper, Director of Advocacy at The Wheel, the national support and representative organisation for charities.
He added that while trust appears to be at low levels in important institutions, such as the Government and the Church, charities are increasingly seen as a source of moral authority in society. Of all the institutions in the survey Government scored lowest, with only 8% of the population saying that Government shapes their personal values.
The survey also revealed that 43% of us believe that the traditional Irish values of “community”, “friendliness” and “tolerance” are still strong, but 35% are not sure about this. This uncertainty is, on average, reflected consistently among both men and women, across all social and age groups. However, churchgoers are more likely to believe that these values are thriving.
Women are more likely than men to indicate that the family, charities and the local community have contributed to shape their personal values. Mr Cooper said that this is consistent with the fact that, potentially, women still have greater exposure to these institutions when compared to men, women are more likely to be attending to the family, to be charity donors and to participate in the local community.
NOTE TO EDITORS:
Ivan Cooper, Director of Advocacy at The Wheel The Wheel is available for interview. Contact Gert Ackermann on mobile: 086 176 9287, or email: gert@wheel.ie.
Fieldwork dates: Fieldwork took place between 28th July and 7th September 2009
Sample: A nationally representative sample of 1,000 adults aged 16+ in the Republic of Ireland
Methodology: Telephone interview; average length of the interviews was approximately 10 minutes
Fieldwork carried out for nfpSynergy by Facts International
ABOUT THE WHEEL:
The Wheel is the national support and representative body for community, voluntary and charitable organisations. We provide a wide range of information and support services, advice and training to individuals and organisations involved in community and voluntary activity. We are also a representative organisation promoting both our members’ and the wider sector’s interests: www.wheel.ie
//end
