What Matters More in Shaping Individuals’ Opinions on Foreign Aids: Facts or Attractiveness?

Authors

Daehyeon Kim, Brigham Young University
Darren Hawkins, Brigham Young University

Keywords

bilateral foreign aids, facts or attractiveness, personal biases

College

Family, Home, and Social Sciences

Department

Political Science

Abstract

According to Diven and Constantelos’s research, less than 50 percent of Americans support bilateral foreign aid (2012). This is striking, considering the fact that Europeans from countries which have comparable economic prosperity to the United States—such as Finland, Denmark, France, Netherlands, and Sweden—support bilateral foreign aid at an average of about 80 percent (Diven & Constantelos 2012). As a result, there has been abundant research into foreign aid, demonstrating how it benefits the interests of the United States, its effectiveness in achieving various aims, and the need for foreign aid in recipient countries. Without a doubt, such findings are persuasive and may yet increase support for foreign aid in the United States. But other factors may figure more prominently in persuading people to support foreign aid than the above research findings—for example, personal biases.

Recommended Citation

Kim, Daehyeon and Hawkins, Darren (2016) "What Matters More in Shaping Individuals’ Opinions on Foreign Aids: Facts or Attractiveness?," Journal of Undergraduate Research: Vol. 2016: Iss. 1, Article 52.
Available at: https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/jur/vol2016/iss1/52