While the public's confidence in the ability of nonprofits to "strengthen society" rose slightly in 2021, trust that nonprofits and philanthropy will "do what is right" fell from 2020 levels, a report from Independent Sector finds.

Based on two online surveys conducted in partnership with Edelman Data & Intelligence, one with five thousand American respondents about nonprofits and one with three thousand American respondents about philanthropy, the report, Trust in Civil Society: Understanding the factors driving trust in nonprofits and philanthropy (28 pages, PDF), found that while 84 percent of respondents expressed confidence in the ability of nonprofits to strengthen society, up from 81 percent in 2020, only 57 percent had "high trust" in nonprofits to "do what is right," down from 59 percent, and 12 percent had "low trust" in nonprofits, unchanged from a year ago. As for philanthropy, 65 percent of respondents were confident it could strengthen society, down from 68 percent in 2020, while the share with high trust that it would do what is right fell to 30 percent from 36 percent, and the share with low trust rose to 26 percent from 21 percent. Trust was a factor for 63 percent of respondents when deciding whether to financially support or volunteer with a nonprofit, while 83 percent said a nonprofit must earn their trust to receive support.

According to the survey, respondents who donate to or volunteer with a nonprofit and those who are registered to vote were more likely to express high levels of trust in the sector; those with a college degree, those who live in urban and suburban areas, those who are familiar with nonprofits and philanthropy, Democrats, and the Greatest Generation were more likely than other demographics to express high trust in the nonprofit sector. The share of Gen Z respondents who expressed high levels of trust fell significantly in 2021, from 64 percent to 46 percent, and respondents with household incomes of less than $35,000 were less likely to trust nonprofits than those with higher incomes. The survey also found that 67 percent of respondents were more likely to trust nonprofits that have a presence in their local community and that 57 percent reported receiving at least one type of service from a nonprofit, including attending religious services (36 percent), participating in youth (27 percent) or arts (24 percent) programming, or receiving health care or advice (24 percent) or goods or monetary assistance (24 percent) before the COVID-19 pandemic began.

"Understanding these findings is critical because public trust continues to be the currency of the nonprofit sector to support healthier and more equitable communities. We know increased engagement leads to more trust," said Independent Sector president and CEO Daniel J. Cardinali. "We need to use this data about trust and confidence so we can emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic stronger than before and to address racial injustice, environmental sustainability, and economic challenges. All communities, including communities of color, need to thrive in the United States."