The Determinants of Private Donations to Humanitarian Disasters

Sammanfattning: The aim of this study is to investigate the determinants of private donations to humanitarian disasters. We design a model on donor behaviour consisting of the determinants social distance, need for relief and awareness. To test for the impact of social distance, we use the proxy variables geographic distance, share of Christians and a culture index which is based on Geert Hofsted’s cultural dimensions. For the determinant need for relief we use the variables killed in the disaster and GDP per capita of the disaster stricken country. In order to test for awareness we chose the variable media coverage. Data on private donations to humanitarian disasters was collected from the Swedish fund-raising organization Radiohjälpen. Based on the results from our regression analyses, we conclude that awareness of a disaster through media coverage has a significant impact on private donations to humanitarian disaster whereas social distance and need for relief receive mixed support.