SMK Annual Campaigner Survey
Each year, the SMK Annual Campaigner Survey asks campaigners what’s going on for them. We look at the challenges they face and the evolving landscape in which they work.
SMK Annual Campaigner Survey
It’s that time of the year again, where we ask campaigners and those working in social change to fill in the SMK Annual Campaigner Survey.
This is your survey. Make sure that your voice is part of the debate.
What has 2024 been like for you? The survey is open until Wednesday 15 January 2025. It should take about 15 minutes to complete.
Why is it important?
Given the rapid changes in the campaigning environment, we need to understand your experiences to help guide our work and help us help you. Campaigners face a host of new challenges, including increased legal and regulatory obstacles, political and media scrutiny, the volatility of social media, and persistent funding difficulties. These pressures affect both organisations and individuals.
The SMK Annual Campaigner Survey helps to:
- Identify new challenges and needs: Whether you are a volunteer activist or paid professional, by understanding the difficulties you face we can provide better support and resources to help campaigning thrive.
- Inform policy and advocacy: The insights gained from the survey enables us to engage more effectively with policymakers, funders, media, and the public. We can highlight the critical role of campaigning in driving social change and advocate for a more supportive environment.
- Support campaigners: Campaigners are the heart of any movement, driven by a passion to make a difference. Recognising the toll that campaigning can take, we aim to provide the support and resources necessary to sustain their vital work and prevent burnout.
Join the Conversation
Your participation in the SMK Annual Campaigner Survey is crucial. Together, we can ensure that campaigners receive the recognition, support, and resources they need to continue driving positive change.
Sign up here to make sure you know when our next campaigner survey goes live.
Annual Campaigner Survey 2024 summary and reports
Summary
A massive 81% of campaigners say that the pressure on them has grown over the past 12 months. Most worrying, three-quarters (75%) say that, in the past year, they have questioned whether they have the energy levels to keep campaigning. This is despite 78% achieving a campaign win or hitting a milestone during the same period.
Three little words
Respondents were asked for three words to describe campaigning. The top ten are: challenging, tiring, rewarding, exciting, frustrating, hard, exhausting, hopeful, depressing, and intense.
Call for the right kind of support
A substantial proportion (65%) feel ‘very’ or ‘somewhat’ supported by their organisation – but a significant minority (19%) say they feel ‘very’ or ‘somewhat’ unsupported.
“I feel like I have the training, but don’t have the time or pastoral support. I recently did some work with Google and was shocked at how much wellbeing support they have.” Survey respondent
When asked what support they need, as well as specific training, campaigners call for chances to meet other campaigners to share experiences and ideas. They also ask for help to cope with pressure and burnout.
The current situation is putting pressure on campaigners and is, in too many cases, seeing organisations and donors adding to rather than relieving it. If these results highlight anything, it is the important role infrastructure bodies can play in supporting campaigners.
Where is the pressure coming from?
The survey of campaigners and activists asked where pressure or resistance is coming from, and the answer seems to be ‘from all sides’: MPs, journalists, regulators, funders, and from within their own organisations.
What we say.
Sue Tibballs, SMK CEO, says:
“These results are a stark warning to organisations and donors. They need to pay attention to how they support campaigners or risk losing them through burnout or career change.
“We can see that campaigners are dedicated, and in many cases deeply connected, to their work. Yet, with pressure coming from so many sides, they are juggling an extraordinarily diverse set of competing stakeholder interests. While training continues to be desirable, campaigners are also asking for more help connecting with their peers to create communities of support and practice.”
Previous surveys
2022
- 94% of respondents felt there are threats to the freedom to organise, contribute to public debate, influence political decisions, or protest (otherwise called ‘civic space’)
- 72% of campaigners felt politicians’ attitudes towards campaigners had become more negative
- High profile attacks on the National Trust and RNLI by the media and politicians seemingly backfired as 27% of campaigners said it led to them being more willing to speak out.
Read full survey results here >
2021
- 96% of respondents felt there are threats, formal or informal, to the freedom to organise, speak out, or protest
- The Police Bill dominated concerns with 46% saying it will affect the way they campaign.
- 62% of campaigners said external attitudes to campaigning over the past three years had reduced the amount of campaigning they do.
Read full survey results here >
2020
- 90% of respondents felt there are threats to the freedom to organise, contribute to public debate, influence political decisions, or protest (otherwise called ‘civic space’)
- 98% of respondents felt there would be a greater need for campaigning in the next 12 months.
- The COVID-19 pandemic led to 54% saying their organisation now put a greater priority on campaigning work.
Read full survey results here >
2019
- 87% of respondents felt there were threats to the legitimacy of campaigning
- 45% of campaigners felt government attitudes had become more negative towards campaigning.
- 57% felt civil society wasn’t as confident and proud about its right to campaign as it should be.
Read full survey results here >
2018
- 66% said negative media coverage of civil society was threatening the legitimacy of campaigning
- 49% felt things had gotten worse for campaigners over the previous year.
- Closing civic space, Brexit, and negative public perceptions were amongst the top reasons cited for things getting harder for campaigners.
Read full survey results here >
2017
- 90% felt there were threats to the legitimacy of campaigning.
- 49% felt things had become worse for campaigning in the previous year, with 19% saying they had not.
- 87% of respondents were concerned that the Lobbying Act would restrict the right to campaign.
Read full survey results here >
2016
- 65% felt that negative media coverage was threatening the legitimacy of campaigning
- 86% of campaigners felt there would be a greater need for campaigning over the next 12 months.
- 52% felt that campaigning has become seen as too risky and or something that charity organisations should not be involved in
Read full survey results here >