Research of 2,000 adults found 43 per cent want to be remembered for being a good person, while a quarter (25 per cent) want to be thought of as funny.
Loyal, helpful and a good listener are also attributes Brits want associated with them as part of their legacy.
While others want to be thought of as loving, happy and a good husband or wife, and 21 per cent want to be remembered as being charitable.
Rob Cope, speaking ahead of Remember A Charity Week from 6th-12th September, said: “Our research shows that people value being a good person and doing the right thing far more greatly than their social standing or wealth.
“What you do in life could leave a lasting legacy for the next generation.”
The study also revealed 10 per cent more Brits regret not giving enough time to charitable causes close to their heart – compared to pre-Covid times.
When it comes to life’s biggest regrets, 34 per cent rue not having travelled enough so far – a 15 per cent rise from pre-Covid levels.
Other regrets which have become more prominent since the pandemic include spending too much time at work (12 per cent increase) and spending too little time with family (10 per cent increase).
It also emerged that almost two-thirds (65 per cent) believe it’s important to leave behind a positive legacy.
And 46 per cent are happy to give a small percentage of their will to charity – six per cent more than before the pandemic began.
Compared to 2019, two thirds of those polled now recognise that charities depend on gifts in wills – an eight per cent increase in awareness of their importance.
Will donations fund six in 10 lifeboat launches and a third of Cancer Research UK’s lifesaving research work – as well as supporting an increasing number of smaller and community-based charities financially.
This year, one million legacies will have been left by generous Brits over the past decade, with gifts in wills said to raise more than £3 billion for good causes annually.
Rob Cope, director of Remember A Charity, which has teamed up with former Strictly judge Len Goodman for the fourth year running, added: “With 60 per cent of Brits hoping to be an inspiration to others once they’ve passed, leaving a gift to charity in your will – once friends and family have been looked after – is a great way to do this.
“As our research shows, more people are also aware of the critical importance of gifts in wills, and that you don’t need to be donate large sums of money. Whatever amount you’re able to give, it will make a big difference.”
To find out more or to take part visit www.rememberacharity.org.uk
TOP 20 WAYS BRITS WOULD LIKE TO BE REMEMBERED
1. Good person
2. Kind
3. Caring
4. Loyal
5. Helpful
6. Good listener
7. Loving
8. Happy
9. A good husband / wife
10. Being my own person / true to myself
11. Good parent
12. Easy going
13. Hardworking
14. Fun / funny
15. Family orientated
16. Generous
17. Witty
18. Good son / daughter
19. Patient
20. Good at my job
