Attributing "Third World poverty" in Australia and Malawi: A case of donorbias?

Causal attributions for poverty in the developing world were examined from the perspectives of "actors" living in a "developing country" (Malawi) and "observers" living in a "developed country" (Australia). Ninety-eight Malaw ian and 100 Australian weekend shoppers responded to the Causes of Third Wo rld Poverty Questionnaire (CTWPQ) and the Just World Scale (JWS), with Aust ralian participants also providing information about their frequency of don ating to foreign-aid charities. Consistent with the actor-observer bias, Au stralians were more Likely than were Malawians to attribute poverty to disp ositional characteristics of the poor, rather than to situational factors. Among the Australians, situational attributions were in turn associated wit h frequency of donation behavior. The finding of a donor bias in this sampl e has important implications for the social marketing of foreign aid to Wes tern donor publics.