In recent years, there have been a number
of major natural and man-made disasters which, through global media coverage,
have brought extreme images of suffering into people's homes around the
world.
Just a few months ago, on 12 January
2010, shortly before the fieldwork for this current report was started,
a 7.3 Richter magnitude earthquake struck Haiti, which triggered a large
global aid response. Images of this disaster would still have been fresh
in the minds of citizens when polled between 26 February and 17 March.
This special Eurobarometer looks at
four major issues:
- Awareness of humanitarian aid: this section looks at respondents' awareness of organisations that provide the actual aid at the scene of a disaster, as well as at the bodies who provide the finance to fund these aid activities.
- Knowledge and information on EU humanitarian aid activities: this section examines EU citizens' knowledge of EU involvement in such activities and assesses whether citizens believe they have enough information.
- Importance of EU humanitarian aid activities: EU citizens are asked whether they consider the EU's activities in these areas to be important.
- Common or national approach to humanitarian aid: citizens of the 27 EU Member States were polled as to whether they believed it would be more efficient if aid were provided by Member States on an individual basis or provided by the EU through the European Commission.