The benefits of development aid as seen by French people
Published on 23/07/2018.
The economic benefits of Official Development Assistance
39% of French people believe that international aid paid by the rich countries makes it possible to develop the economy of developing countries.
When it comes to the economic efficiency of the development of poor countries, the French have a rather favorable opinion of development aid.
Only 19% of French people do not believe in the economic benefits of development aid.
Official Development Assistance: a way of supporting French trade?
From an economic point of view and one which benefits France, international aid is rather well received by the French.
For 37% of French people, international aid provided by France to developing countries brings benefits for France in terms of trade transactions.
Only 23% of French people disagree.
International aid strengthens the autonomy of developing countries
The French are very divided on the effectiveness of international aid when it comes to benefits to developing countries in terms of autonomy.
However, when we question the French on what would be an “effective help”, generally autonomy appears as the first expected benefit: give, so as to not have to give.
This question echoes the opinion of French people when they judge rather severely the effectiveness of Official Development Assistance.
The diplomatic benefits of Official Development Assistance
39% of French people think that ODA favors international relations between countries.
According to these figures, international solidarity is seen as a virtuous practice for promoting peaceful country-to-country relations.
A minority of French people (19%) do not see any connection between providing aid to poor countries and the opportunity to maintain good relations with these countries.
This data comes from our survey conducted by the YouGov Institute and piloted by the research team at University College London and Birmingham University as part of the project Aid Attitudes Tracker which measures the evolution of opinions and behaviors on issues of international solidarity in four countries.
