Research by Populus conducted on behalf of the communications company Kin&Co into the charity sector found that 37% of respondents said the recent well-publicised scandals had deterred them from seeking charity jobs. The survey – which took information from 1,000 people – additionally discovered that only 29% of respondents said the culture in charities appealed to them. The drop in trust in the charity sector is not reflected in a collapse in ethical motivation however. According to Populus, 53% of respondents “believe they could make a positive impact on the world at a business compared with just 35% for a charity.

The importance of Corporate Social Responsibility cannot be understated. 85% of FTSE 100 businesses explicitly refer to sustainability, corporate responsibility or similar issues on the front page of their corporate websites, suggesting that all businesses, and not just those set up with an explicitly ethical purpose, recognise the benefits of a visible commitment to sustainability and ethics.”

Photo: The TabletAlberto Pezzali/NurPhoto/Sipa USA