Social responsibility is a complex, comprehensive and difficult subject, insofar as there are multiple interpretations, criticisms and studies that record about its importance and what is believed to be its performance. Despite the abundance of studies, it is still a challenge to discuss the subject. Its importance is not limited to the personal sphere, as companies tend to incorporate it into their everyday life at the most different levels: practical actions, dissemination, strategic use, etc.

This article aims to describe the historical evolution of social responsibility in the world from the 1950s to the present, in order to ensure the understanding of the reasons underlying its perception or understanding and the origin of its evolution in Portugal. For this purpose, a bibliographic review methodology was used to gather information that would give a global overview of the evolution of social responsibility, and thus comply with a review of the state of the art. The study culminated in the application of a descriptive survey through a questionnaire directed to individuals and companies of the municipality of Valongo (Porto-Portugal) in order to compare realities.

It is concluded that Valongo's resident and surveyed companies and citizens understand, practice and defend that the Portuguese are a socially responsible people, and that the genesis of the evolution of social responsibility lies in social and economic development, in the support of the clergy, in the entry into the European Union, government policies, sustainability and sustainable development, social responsibility entities spread throughout Portugal and the world, laws and regulations on the subject and the technological revolution.

KEYWORDS: Social responsibility, concept, dissemination, evolution.