The number of young Londoners who are donating blood has decreased steadily in recent years, despite the number of total donors increasing.
People aged 17-25 made up just 9% of total London donors in 2024, compared to 16.5% in 2019, according to data from NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT).
Nearly 20,000 people aged 17-25 donated blood in the capital in 2024, down from 23,236 in 2019, with a peak of 26,577 young donors in 2021.
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Marsha Crossland, senior marketing manager at NHSBT, said that while there are many reasons why people of all ages might not donate, young people are more likely to have unstructured lifestyles which can make donation harder to organise.
She said: “Student-age can be a lot more sporadic, they are not necessarily initially going to become a regular donor straight away.
“They might have unstable schedules if they are studying or if they are moving for work, or other life changes which mean they move around a lot more and are much harder to stay in contact with.”
Crossland also highlighted that young people may be less likely to pass all eligibility criteria, such as no tattoos or piercings in the last four months as well as eating and drinking enough water prior to donation.
Regarding marketing strategy, partnerships with relatable influencers and media campaigns such as the Deadpool & Wolverine partnership in August last year are key for NHSBT to target young people who give the longest donation potential.
However, it is not just media campaigns and advertising which push people to donate, but also personal experiences.
Crossland said: “We have really focused on Instagram, Youtube and Tiktok to match the media habits of the younger and more diverse Londoner.
“It is really important if people have seen it happen in their households, if their parents have donated or if they have seen people donate.
“Young people do not necessarily think it is relevant to them unless they have that personal experience of family donating.”
Isabelle Tucker, a 24-year-old marketing assistant from Clapham has never given blood, despite having close family ties with the donation process.
She said: “My Mum had to have a blood transfusion when I was born and without that blood transfusion she would not have made it.
“My Dad has always given blood because of that reason.”
Tucker was originally banned from donating after she was diagnosed with malaria in 2018, a disease after which you cannot give blood for three years.
Since then, her dislike for needles and busy schedule has gotten in the way of her registering to donate.
Discussing what would make her more likely to donate, she said: “If I had a visual prompt when I got home, like a flyer through the door. I do not know anyone who really talks about it.”
In London, women do make up the majority of young donors, and have done for the past six years, although the gap between genders is decreasing.
For Lydia Doye, a 24-year-old journalist from Woodford, it is the administrative side of things which has stopped her from donating.
She said: “Going once is the big step to working out how it works and getting yourself signed up.”
In order to combat the registration process becoming a barrier for young people, NHSBT has been to 18 universities and colleges around London over the past year, registering 667 new donors.
Investment analyst Max Wilkinson, 23, from Camden Town, highlighted his busy work schedule as the reason he had never previously given blood.
He said: “I have always had a very busy life, a demanding career that has had long hours working in the office until two or three in the morning five days a week which puts a barrier in terms of time because you need to fit it in around a hectic work schedule.”
Crossland added: “We are continually getting more flexible and more convenient, and we are exploring many more ways that we can offer more convenient appointment times, particularly for young people.”
In order to try to increase the convenience of donating, NHSBT is trying to ensure donation centres are easily accessible by all across London.
There are now seven donation centres across the capital, and the most recent in Brixton has seen a higher-than-average attendance by people under the age of 25.
New figures show that since the Brixton centre opened in mid-December last year, 890 of the 5740 donors have been aged under 25.
This is promising for the future of young people donating as it bucks the city average and has young people making up 15.5% of donors.
Anyone wanting to donate blood can register online at https://www.blood.co.uk/, or via the Give Blood app, or by calling 0300 123 23 23.
Feature Image Credit: NHS Blood and Transplant
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