Net Trust in Australian charities is on the rise over the last few years after hitting a low in mid-2021
A special webinar with Roy Morgan CEO Michele Levine focused on Trust and Distrust in the Australian Charity sector has found Net Trust has been consistently rising over the last few years.
When we look at the longer-term levels of Net Trust in the Charities sector, we see there’s a lot more green than red on the chart below. That’s evidence that Charities overall are much more trusted than distrusted.
However, trust and distrust have fluctuated over recent years. While Charities remain among the most trusted sectors in Australia (third overall behind Consumer Products and Retail in the latest results), the Net Trust Score (the black dotted line) is still lower than the mid-2020 peak.
The Net Trust Score of the Charities sector reached a record high just after the onset of the pandemic, then declined steadily to mid-2021, before recovering from early 2022. The net trust score as of March 2024 has increased by over 50% is nearly back to its peak reached in June 2020 in the early days of the pandemic.
View the Roy Morgan Trust & Distrust in Charities Webinar with Roy Morgan CEO Michele Levine here.
The Net Trust Score of the Charities sector (2019-2024)
Red Cross, Salvation Army and the RSPCA are Australia’s most trusted charities
It’s interesting to note that due to an increase in trust, the Red Cross has moved up two positions over the last 12 months to become the most trusted charity brand in Australia.
In a time of wars and conflict globally, more Australians view the Red Cross positively because of its focus on doing good for all communities world-wide.
The Salvation Army and RSPCA have both dropped one ranking to come in at second and third place respectively. Perhaps unremarkably, there are no Charities on our list with more distrust than trust.
Australian Charities with the highest Net Trust Scores – March 2024
Base: Australians 14+, Latest 12 month average n=24,663. Arrows and numbers represent ranking moves since March 2023
Why do Australians TRUST the top-ranking brand: Red Cross
Analysing what makes the Red Cross the top-ranking charity, respondents say it is “upfront, transparent, ethical and honest”, and “it does what it says it does, saving lives with no PROFIT motivation.”
“They keep our blood banks free and disease free, they help at times of national and international disasters.”
“Charity that seems to do what it says it does. Built to save lives with no profit motivation.”
“I support their intentions and actions, which they are transparent about.”
“It is a charitable organisation that has been around helping people for many years.”
“I believe the Red Cross acts ethically with donations, despite the discourse that surrounds Red Cross appeals. I am also a regular blood donor so spend a lot of time in the blood donation centres. I believe the Red Cross as an organisation advocate for and provides for people in need.”
Roy Morgan CEO Michele Levine says trust in Australia’s charities has been on the rise in recent years after hitting a low in mid-2021 with the Red Cross leaping into first place as the country’s most trusted charity ahead of the Salvation Army and RSPCA:
“The Charities sector is one of Australia’s most trusted – third only to the top ranked Consumer Products and the Retail sector in the latest March 2024 Industry Net Trust Score quarterly results.
“The most recent results show the Charities sector overtaking the previously high-flying Supermarkets & Convenience Store sector as the soaring distrust of Coles and Woolies has caused the sector to drop out of the top two.
“The Net Trust Score of the Charities sector reached a record high just after the onset of the pandemic, then declined steadily to mid-2021, before recovering from early 2022. The Net Trust Score as of March 2024 has increased substantially over the last two years and is nearly back to its peak reached in June 2020 in the early days of the pandemic.
“Australians have the highest regard for the internationally focused Red Cross which has been helping people world-wide which was founded over 160 years ago in Switzerland and founded in Australia over a century ago in Melbourne.
“The Red Cross has increased it’s Net Trust Score over the last year to overtake the Salvation Army and the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA) to become the most trusted charity in Australia.
“Australians cited the Red Cross as being upfront, transparent, ethical and honest as well as an organisation that has helped people around the globe for many years. In a time of international unrest and conflicts underway around the world the ethical reputation of the Red Cross has carried this Melbourne-headquartered charity to the top of the rankings.
“Unusually, but perhaps not surprisingly, the Charity sector is an outlier with seven charities with positive Net Trust Scores (Red Cross, Salvation Army, RSPCA, Cancer Council, St. Vincent’s de Paul, World Vision & Greenpeace) and no charities registering a Net Distrust Score.”
View the Roy Morgan Trust & Distrust in Charities Webinar with Roy Morgan CEO Michele Levine here.
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Margin of Error
The margin of error to be allowed for in any estimate depends mainly on the number of interviews on which it is based. Margin of error gives indications of the likely range within which estimates would be 95% likely to fall, expressed as the number of percentage points above or below the actual estimate. Allowance for design effects (such as stratification and weighting) should be made as appropriate.
| Sample Size | Percentage Estimate |
| 40% – 60% | 25% or 75% | 10% or 90% | 5% or 95% | |
| 1,000 | ±3.0 | ±2.7 | ±1.9 | ±1.3 |
| 5,000 | ±1.4 | ±1.2 | ±0.8 | ±0.6 |
| 7,500 | ±1.1 | ±1.0 | ±0.7 | ±0.5 |
| 10,000 | ±1.0 | ±0.9 | ±0.6 | ±0.4 |
| 20,000 | ±0.7 | ±0.6 | ±0.4 | ±0.3 |
| 50,000 | ±0.4 | ±0.4 | ±0.3 | ±0.2 |
