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Similar views, but different actions on tackling global poverty in France, Germany, the UK and the US

Published 26 August 2019 in Surveys

Results from the four countries (France, Germany, the UK and the US) covered by the AAT and DEL surveys show both similarities and differences in the way that people from these countries understand and react to development issues.

There is a difference, for example, in the levels of individual commitment or involvement to tackle poverty by citizens in these four countries. And yet there is little dramatic variation in overall views across the different countries on tackling poverty in developing countries.

Here are some of the interesting national trends and differences which do emerge from our findings:

78% of German people find information about development questions through the internet or other means, compared to an average of 69% in France, the UK and the US.
Only 27% of British people say they have shared information about development issues through the internet or other means, compared to an average of 35% France, Germany and the US .
Citizens across all four countries seem to do the same amount of petition-signing: an average of 32% said they had already put their name to a petition related to tackling global poverty.
32% of French and American people use online tools to share information on global poverty, compared to 22% for German people, and 25% for British people.
In terms of making a donation, British people are a bit more generous: 43% say they have given money to tackle poverty in poor countries, compared to 34% of French people, 36% of Americans and 39% of Germans.
Though rates in all four countries were low (under 20%), volunteering to help tackle global poverty was a more common practice in France (18%) and the US (16%) rather than in Germany (14%) or in the UK (11%). There is however a question over what the respondents considered as volunteering.
Boycotting products, or selective consumerism, was more frequent for French people (38%) and German people (39%), than for British people (32%) or Americans (29%).
13% of British people say that development or global poverty has influenced their political vote. This is a more believable statistic than for France, Germany or the US.
On average, 14% of British and French people say they have contacted their elected representative on line or on social media about global poverty. This is compared to a much higher average of 22% in Germany and the US.