Rachel Wenstone said the Charity Commission survey findings on hostility show that one in four charities have been affected by polarisation and division in society. The research also records threats, vandalism and service changes, putting numbers on problems charities have been reporting for 18 months.
Rachel Wenstone and the survey
The Charity Commission said BMG carried out the research in February 2026 on behalf of the regulator, using almost 3,000 trustees from a representative sample of charities. Wenstone, the Charity Commission's assistant director of policy, said: "This research gives us clear evidence of the scale of what charities have been telling us over the past 18 months."
She added: "We have heard deeply concerning accounts of staff being threatened, intimidated, and left afraid simply for doing their jobs." The survey found that 2% of trustees said their staff had been threatened in person, while 4% reported vandalism or damage to property.
Charity Commission impact figures
Across all charities in the survey, 11% reported a decrease in support and 5% said they had to change or stop services. Nine percent reported an increase in support, showing that the same pressures are not affecting every charity in the same way.
Charities promoting human rights, religious harmony and racial harmony were most likely to say they had been impacted. The Charity Commission said those findings match the accounts it heard in 2025 at a roundtable with refugee charities facing hostility.
Public trust in charities
Wenstone said: "Charities are not above criticism or scrutiny." She added: "The public is entitled to question, challenge and choose which causes to support." But she said disagreement should not cross into abuse, intimidation or threats of violence, and registered charities should be able to pursue their lawful purposes.
The Charity Commission said it will continue to monitor the trends closely and encourage charities to report serious incidents. For charities that have already seen support fall or services altered, the immediate next step is to record the incident and bring it to the Commission's attention so the pattern can be tracked.
