Of the 1,624 individuals surveyed, an average of 6.6 out of 10 was scored for trust and confidence in Australian charities. This score increased to 7 when the role of the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission (ACNC) was explained.

Susan Pascoe, ACNC Commissioner says that a charity’s activities and ability to make a positive difference were found to be the strongest drivers of public trust and confidence.

“The public has high levels of trust for charities that are open about their activities, structure and the ways funds are distributed,” says Pascoe.

The study revealed a strong public support for the national regulator of charities with 80 per cent believing a register of charities to be ‘very important.’

“The ACNC Register is the official searchable database of Australian charities, providing a platform for 57,600 registered charities to list information including their beneficiaries and financial information,” says Pascoe.