Danes favour health & youth causes with international aid least popular

Half of adults (49%) in Denmark expect to support a charity financially in the future, a new survey published by EFA member ISOBRO shows.

Only 10% of respondents said they were ‘not likely at all’ to give to a charity, according to the survey, based on online interviews with 1,505 respondents.

The survey data, published in September, also asks how important people think various different cause areas are.

The most popular is charities combatting disease, with 75% of respondents calling these ‘very important’ or ‘important’. Charities supporting children and young people are second (66%), followed by mental health (64%).

The least valued are international development (46%), equality and anti-discrimination (51%) and animals (54%) – although in each case, the number calling them ‘not important at all’ is just 6%.

A separate report published by ISOBRO earlier in September showed that total giving in Denmark rose 8% to 7.6bn DKK (€1bn) in 2024. This follows an 8% drop between 2022 and 2023.

Looking at particular cause areas, the figures align with the more recent public research – disease fighting and disability organisations registered a 20% increase in public donations between 2023 and 2024, while donations to international aid charities rose by a more modest 3%.

The report, published with support from Deloitte, showed overall annual growth of 8% in donations received by the 212 organisations participating in ISOBRO’s research. The organisation believes that these nonprofits account for around 90% of total charitable giving in Denmark.

That growth included a 54% increase in income from legacies between 2023 and 2024. Outside of public fundraising, there has also been a sustained rise in corporate giving – such donations grew by 90% between 2020 and 2024, and 10% in the last year.

Kenneth Kamp Butzbach, secretary general of ISOBRO, says:

“The figures show that the Danes continue to stand firmly in their support for charity and civil society. This testifies to the fact that Danes support the cases that matter to them – even at a time of rising food prices, inflation and uncertainties in the world around us.”

Picture by a tray of vials by Testalize.me on Unsplash