News of aid cuts leads to less public support for countries helping others through international development help, a new survey has found.
Across the Western World, countries including the US, UK, France and Germany have slashed their aid budgets over the past year. Programmes across the Global South have suffered devastating impacts as a result, including global health and climate resilience work.
The study, which was produced by nonprofit network GlobalGiving, is based on interviews with 2,000 participants in the UK and Germany.
Questions mentioning government aid cuts were met with respondents being less likely to describe aid as essential, less likely to frame it as a moral duty and less emotionally engaged overall.
Some 95 per cent of respondents felt that the government should provide help to those who need it abroad – but that figure dropped to 92 per cent when people were exposed to information about aid cuts.
Some 91 per cent of respondents said they believed that aid was essential to avoid suffering – but that number dropped to 85 per cent when they were exposed to information about aid cuts.
“Social responsibility and social purpose have to be a shared mission. Real, lasting change only happens when we act together,” said Hanna Zagefka from the Royal Holloway, who produced the research alongside GlobalGiving.
The study, she continued, shows how important it is to “create space for people to step forward in solidarity with some of the world’s most vulnerable communities — even amid a challenging political environment”.
Maryam Mohsin, from the NGO network Bond, added: “This data highlights the need to better communicate the value of humanitarian and development assistance, not only for marginalised communities around the world, but also for people here in the UK.
“The reality is that UK aid helps prevent future pandemics by strengthening health systems, promotes stability in fragile and conflict-affected states, and contributes to building a safer, healthier and more prosperous world that benefits us all.”
According to the researchers, the results could reflect a “system justification effect”, where individuals subtly align their views with perceived government decisions.
The research also finds that individuals believe governments are most responsible for giving aid, rather than private individuals.
Some 84 per cent and 80 per cent of respondents respectively think that governments and philanthropies are responsible for aid, versus just 31 per cent of individuals.
The research also finds that German respondents are donating more than British respondents, despite German people generally reporting a lower willingness to give than British people.
Irrespective of the findings of the report, the NGO Oxfam told The Independent that individual donations had been vital in the wake of government aid cuts.
“Where the government has scaled back, the public has stepped up, and we are hugely grateful to our hundreds of thousands of individual supporters. Every donation – no matter its size – has greater impact than people may imagine,” said Lorna Fallon, interim chief supporter officer at Oxfam GB.
“People’s kind donations mean we can provide a clean water tap in a remote community surviving on arid land, a dignified latrine in a displacement camp, or a hygiene kit for a girl experiencing puberty with no access to basic supplies.
“These are not abstract outcomes. They are real, tangible changes in people’s daily lives.”
This article has been produced as part of The Independent’s Rethinking Global Aid project
