Abstract

Public support in high-income countries for development cooperation and humanitarian assistance influences the provision of Official Development Assistance (ODA) to fight global poverty and improve conditions in low-income countries. This research examined public attitudes in Iceland toward ODA, with the aid provided by the Icelandic government in September 2014 to fight the Ebola epidemic in West Africa as a case in point. Specifically, it examines which characteristics relate to having negative attitudes towards the assistance, and what reasons the public believe influenced the decision to provide aid. A questionnaire about attitudes towards the Ebola epidemic was administered to a random sample of 1.500 adults from an internet panel established by the Social Science Research Institute of the University of Iceland, and 920 people answered (61 per cent response rate). A quarter of the respondents expressed negative attitudes towards the humanitarian assistance provided in response to the Ebola epidemic, and development cooperation in general. Those who held negative attitudes were more likely to lean to the right in political orientation and be less educated. The majority of the public believed ethical reasons influenced the decision to provide humanitarian assistance. Respondents with negative attitudes towards the aid were more likely to believe that self-interest influenced the decision to provide aid; yet, a survey with an experimental design is needed to elucidate this issue further. Governments should ensure that development cooperation and humanitarian assistance are based on ethical considerations, in addition to educating the public about development processes, to increase positive attitudes towards foreign aid.

摘要

高收入国家对发展合作和人道主义援助的公共支持影响了官方发展援助（ODA）的提供，以与全球贫困作斗争并改善低收入国家的条件。这项研究以冰岛政府2014年9月提供的援助为例，研究了冰岛公众对ODA的态度，以抗击西非埃博拉疫情。具体而言，它研究了哪些特征与对援助持消极态度有关，以及公众认为什么原因影响了提供援助的决定。从冰岛大学社会科学研究所建立的一个互联网小组中，随机抽取了1.500名成年人对埃博拉疫情的态度进行了问卷调查，920人回答了（61％答复率）。四分之一的受访者对为应对埃博拉疫情提供的人道主义援助以及总体上的发展合作持消极态度。持消极态度的人更有可能在政治取向上倾向于右倾，而受过的教育则较少。大多数公众认为，出于道德原因影响了提供人道主义援助的决定。对援助持消极态度的受访者更有可能认为，出于个人利益，他们决定提供援助。但是，需要进行一项具有实验性设计的调查，以进一步阐明该问题。各国政府应确保发展合作和人道主义援助基于道德考虑，