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Donors could be suffering from 'crisis fatigue' warns development expert3

Fundraising | Vibeka Mair | 20 Oct 2011

Only 32 per cent of the British public have made a donation in relation to the current Horn of Africa famine, compared with 43 per cent who donated to help those affected by the floods in Pakistan and 49 per cent who gave to the Haiti earthquake appeals last year, according to new research.

The analysis from the UK Public Opinion Monitor (UKPOM) and the Institute of Development Studies involved 1,492 people from a broad demographic who complete surveys for UKPOM every six to eight weeks.

It found that charities working on overseas aid and disaster relief were the most popular recipient for regular donations in this group.

However, the research also found that there has been a decline in the number of people donating to disaster relief since 2010, with only 32 per cent donating to help those affected by the Horn of Africa compared with nearly half donating to help those affected by the earthquake in Haiti last year.

The Institute suggests this could be ‘crisis fatigue’ and that concern is greater for more sudden, dramatic crises (such as earthquakes) whereas more complex, multi-dimensional, slow-developing disasters garner less concern and support.

However, while fewer people say they have made donations for the Horn of Africa famine, the average donation was significantly greater (£73, compared to £35 for Pakistan).

Further, when asked about UK government allocating £95m in aid to the Horn of Africa, around 42 per cent of respondents thought that the figure was too big. Only 14 per cent thought it was too small.

The report concludes that the Haitian earthquake, and to an extent, the floods in Pakistan, are deemed as more serious and in need of greater support than the Horn of Africa famine.

Dr Matthew Lockwood, climate change team leader at the Institute of Development Studies, said: “There is a suggestion of some evidence of ‘crisis fatigue.

“However, we should be cautious about reading too much into three examples over two years. The BBC recently reported that the UK public had donated £72m for the crisis in the Horn of Africa – the third highest sum since the Disasters Emergency Committee was established 45 years ago. No sign of aid or crisis fatigue there.

“Also media coverage lacks the dramatic images following the Haiti earthquake and indeed the Pakistan floods.

“Crisis fatigue is a constant fear of NGOs and UN agencies, and although the latest UKPOM data from the Institute of Development Studies does raise the question of whether we are entering such a phase, each is in fact different and responses are shaped by a range of factors unique to each, including media coverage, timing and so on. I think we need to keep an open mind for now and keep looking at the data.”

Directory: Disasters Emergency Committee