How do people respond to news about refugees? Current events make this a highly relevant question. Johannes von Engelhardt researches characteristics that define responses to stories about the victims of humanitarian disasters.
The number of refugees in the Netherlands and other countries is increasing due to refugees trying to cross the Mediterranean Sea. ERMeCC member Johannes von Engelhardt researches characteristics that define responses to stories about the victims of humanitarian disasters. Oneworld published an article on this subject on their website.
Empathy
According to Von Engelhardt, people with greater empathy tend to have stronger reactions to reports on refugees. These people are compassionate towards refugees and are more inclined to take action, for example giving donations.
While previous research has already pointed out that women are more empathic than men, Von Engelhardt found many differences between men and women.
Young and old
Von Engelhardt explains that he also found significant differences between younger and older people. He suspects that this difference occurs because older generations are able to imagine circumstances of war due to stories about World War II more than youngsters.
Read the complete article on the OneWorld website. Please note that the article was written in Dutch.