PERCEPTIONS OF INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT AND THE CHALLENGE OF ENGAGEMENT

CHINA, FRANCE, GERMANY, U.K., U.S.

New York,23rd October 2012

Dr. Gerry Power, Chief Operating OfficerKlara Debeljak, Associate Director

Methodology

OBJECTIVE

To understand how to optimize engagement with three key target groups:

Interested Citizens Influentials Government Decision-Makers

APPROACH

Focus groups and surveys: 3,984 Interested Citizens in the UK, France, Germany, China, U.S.

In-depth interviews 88 Influentials across the China, France, Germany, U.K., U.S. 40 Government Decision-Makers in the UK, France, Germany, U.S.

Overall approach

Profile

Activities

Barriers & Facilitators

Priorities

Views of government’s engagement

Sources

Champions

INTERESTED CITIZENS INFLUENTIALS

GOVERNMENT DECISION-MAKERS

Research Questions

Interested Citizens

PRIORITY DEVELOPMENT ISSUES

SOURCES OF DEVELOPMENT INFORMATION ENGAGEMENT

BETTER EDUCATED – except in China

DONATING MAIN ACTIVITY

PROFILE

WELL INFORMED ABOUT DISASTERS LITTLE INFO ABOUT LONG-TERM DEVELOPMENT

LITTLE ACTIVE INFORMATION SEEKING• TV DOMINANT SOURCE

NOT USED OFTEN for OBTAINING

DEVELOPMENT INFO

UNFAMILIAR WITH DEVELOPMENT LANGUAGE

POVERTY, CORRUPTION, HEALTH, EDUCATION

MOTIVATORS

Making a difference

16-25

BARRIERS

Personal connectionEvidence of impact

Emotional resonance

% of urban population:

U.S. 31%, France 33%, Germany 41%, China 46%, U.K. 50%

NO STRONG GENDER BIAS

UNDERREPRESENTED

Interested Citizens: Overview

Assigning responsibility for addressing development challenges

53%

26%38%

50%39%

15%

40%34%

19%27%

22%12% 6% 8% 12%

10%22% 22% 23% 22%

0%

25%

50%

75%

100%

China France Germany U.K. U.S.

OtherInternational organisations Governments in DEVELOPED countriesGovernments in DEVELOPING countries

Interested Citizens: Development – Whose Responsibility?

39%

50%

44%

39%

54%

24%

16%

5%

5%

10%

31%

27%

49%

52%

26%

6%

7%

2%

4%

10%

0% 25% 50% 75% 100%

U.S.

U.K.

Germany

France

China

About the right amountToo muchToo littleDK/Refused

How much is your government doing to improve economic and social conditions in developing countries?

Interested Citizens: Government’s Engagement I

29%

18%

12%

10%

51%

55%

60%

59%

59%

37%

13%

17%

25%

25%

11%

3%

5%

4%

5%

2%

0% 25% 50% 75% 100%

U.S.

U.K.

Germany

France

China

Big difference Small difference

No difference DK/Refused

How much difference have your government’s developmentefforts made in the past 10 years?

Interested Citizens: Government’s Engagement II

TV70% 71% 74% 41% 82%

RADIO 36% 33% 22% 16% 9%

NEWSPAPERS 44% 44% 51% 25% 58%

MAGAZINES 8% 14% 16% 8% 7%

SOCIAL MEDIA

NEWS WEBSITES

38% 40% 11% 22% 25%

WORD OF MOUTH

>10% >10% >10% >10% Friends & Family 50%

3% 5% 2% 1% Blogs 8%

Other Social Media 15%

1% 1%

Other Social Media 2%Blogs 1%

Interested Citizens: Sources of Development Information

Donated money 71% 35% 71% 51% 63%

Volunteered 13% 13% 26% 20% 21%

Fundraised 25% 9% 13% 15% 4%

Attended an event (rally/protest/

lecture/seminar)14% 17% 28% 17% 1%

Signed a petition 23% 23% 19% 21% 3%

Wrote to the government or public official

9% 5% 7% 15% 2%

Shared information or content online 27% 23% 23% 44% 14%

Shared a personal story or experience

online12% 10% 15% 20% 7%

Interested Citizens: How They Engage

Influentials

PRIORITY DEVELOPMENT ISSUES

COMMUNICATION CHANNELS FAVOURED ADVOCATES

Wide range of issues

Priorities linked to professional interests

Frequently mentioned: Health, climate change, governance

NO CONSENSUS

Information vetting,

“insider” info, info sharing

Central source: data,

policy info

Alternative perspective, aggregators,

real-time field update

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT - WHOSE RESPONSIBILITY?

Too brief, hard to verify, used to fight info overload

For background,

broader socio-econ.

context

Influentials: Overview

MEDIA(news &

background info)

SPECIALISED

Isolationist - Mainly internalorganizat., government sources

Influentials: Key Sources I

BLOGS Owen Barder (CGD); Duncan Green (Oxfam), The Guardian blogs; Chris Blattman (Yale); Global Dashboard Blogs

William Easterly (NY University), Duncan Green (Oxfam), The Guardian Blogs, New York Times blogs

Duncan Green; (Oxfam); World Bank blogs, Amerika21.de, Glocalist, ONE

Owen Barder; (CGD); The Guardian’s blogs; William Easterly (NY University), New York Times blogs, Oxfam blogs

Yan Chang Hai (social commentator; Wu Zuolai (cultural scholar/writer); Global Voices

Influentials: Key Sources II

Government Decision-Makers

PRIORITY DEVELOPMENT ISSUES

COMMUNICATION CHANNELS & INFLUENCERS FAVOURED ADVOCATES

Individual roles + country context define issue framing

Frequently mentioned: Governance, health, education, unfair trade, climate change

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT - WHOSE RESPONSIBILITY?

EXPERTISE IS KEY

Most trustworthy for policy info

For current events, public

opinion tracking, not

policy info

Highly valued for policy info

Rarely used, not trusted

Mixed views

CELEBRITIES

Government Decision-Makers: Overview

MEDIA(News and

current affairs)

SPECIALISED

French Government

Government Decision-Makers: Key Sources I

BLOGS Lawrence Haddad (Institute for Development Studies), Duncan Green (Oxfam), Chris Blattman (Yale), The Guardian blogs, Owen Barder (CGD)

Center for Global Development blogs, William Easterly (NY University)

N/A Andrew Harding (BBC’s Africa correspondent),Center for Global Development, Partnership to CutHunger and Povertyin Africa blog

TWITTER Info dissemination, constituents’ feedback

N/A N/A

Government Decision-Makers: Key Sources II

Considerations

INTERESTED CITIZENS Define primary, secondary and tertiary TARGET AUDIENCES Use clear, understandable LANGUAGE Use MIXED APPROACH – communication AND long-term engagement

strategies Engage them EARLY Respond to appetite for seeing evidence of IMPACT – personal stories,

not data

GOVERNMENT DECISION-MAKERS & INFLUENTIALS• Facilitate more effective info & DATA GATHERING and sharing strategies • Optimise the UNIQUE VALUE OF DIFFERENT CONTRIBUTORS to the

international development information environment: NGOs, think-tanks, media, multi-laterals

• Consider a formal seat at the table for the PRIVATE SECTOR and increase engagement of SOUTHERN INSTITUTIONS

Considerations

BUILDING SUPPORT PORTALwww.audiencescapes.org/buildsupport

• Full “Building Support for International Development” report

• 5 Country micro reports: • Germany• France• China• U.K.• U.S.

• 4 Topic reports:• Celebrities• Public Opinion• Research Organisations• NGOs

Further Information

Thank you