Abstract:

Until recently, little systematic academic work had been undertaken looking at the views of Australians on aid and international development. This report presents the findings of two surveys on various aspects of the Australian aid program and of broader development beliefs – one survey of the Australian public, and one of members of the Australian aid and development community. The findings show that when it comes to beliefs about aid and development, the Australian aid community and the Australian public hold similar perspectives on some issues (such as the average effectiveness of aid), but differ markedly on other issues (such as aid volume).