Data collected by YouGov, the international data and polling company, shows that Australians are inclined to think that sending aid to developing nations is good for their country. 60% of Australians believe that giving aid to developing nations is ‘good for Australia’, compared with 21% who believe that it ‘makes no difference’, and just 12% that hold the opposite opinion that such aid is ‘bad for Australia’. In turn, only half the British feel this way, and a quarter thinks it makes no difference.

Responses in Australia vary along gender and generational lines. Women are more likely than men to see aid as a good thing for Australia (63% compared to 58%), whereas men are more likely than women to think that sending aid overseas makes no difference for the country (25% compared to 18%).

Seven-in-ten of Generation Z (71%) think giving aid is beneficial for Australia, whereas just over half of Baby Boomers (55%) hold the same opinion. In contrast, ambivalence towards the effect of aid for Australia is prevalent amongst the older demographic, with Baby Boomers (30%) and the Silent generation (26%) thinking that giving aid does makes any difference for the nation. This reflects a generational divide in how the role and impact of aid is being perceived in Australia.

The data cited in this article was collected between 10-14 June 2021 by YouGov – the international data and polling company. These polls were based on a nationally representative sample of 1,029 Australian citizens aged 18 years and over.