The average size of a donation to a place of worship has more than doubled in the UK since the first national lockdown. 

New research by GoodBox, who provide contactless giving options, has revealed that the typical offering has increased from £5.71 pre-lockdown to £13.75 after places of worship reopened.  

The data has been primarily taken from contactless donations.  

Speaking to Premier, Francesca Hodgson co-founder and managing director of Good Box said contactless technology has made it easier to donate. 

"[People] don't have to worry about the fact that they may not be carrying any cash on them at that moment in time. That, combined with the fact that you're not solely relying on the amount of change in your pockets, also helps increase the average value of that donation."

During the first national lockdown, churches saw a staggering 98 per cent drop in income via contactless giving across the UK. However, this tendency changed when the restrictions were eased. 

"When we saw these places reopen post the first lockdown, we saw a really positive trend in increased amounts of people supporting their local organisations [and] local communities," Ms Hodgson said. 

"I think there is a society out there which is very philanthropic," she said. "People are empathetic, people do want to help, but often they just lack the mechanism to engage freely and easily in a way that is transparent between donor and cause," she continued. 

Donations remained significantly above pre-lockdown figures for the remainder of the year, dipping only slightly during the second lockdown.