When it comes to genocide, public opinion is not enough

Scott Nelson/Getty Images The results of global poll released today by The Chicago Council on Global Affairs and WorldPublicOpinion.org show conclusively that publics believe the United Nations has the responsibility to protect people from genocide and other severe human rights abuses—even if this means acting against the will of their own government. Respondents in twelve ...

Scott Nelson/Getty Images

Scott Nelson/Getty Images

The results of global poll released today by The Chicago Council on Global Affairs and WorldPublicOpinion.org show conclusively that publics believe the United Nations has the responsibility to protect people from genocide and other severe human rights abuses—even if this means acting against the will of their own government.

Respondents in twelve countries agreed that the U.N. Security Council has a responsibility to authorize the use of force in such cases, with people in China (76 percent) and the United States (74 percent) demonstrating the highest levels of support for U.N. intervention. When Darfur was identified as a specific case (in ten countries), publics in France and the United States showed the highest levels of support for U.N. intervention, with a total of 84 and 83 percent respectively supporting U.N. action.

So why hasn’t this resounding public support to stop genocide translated into active government policy? One possible factor: In a recent FP web exclusive, Paul Slovic, a professor of psychology specializing in risk and decision-making, shows that statistics of mass murder actually paralyze us into inaction, and essentially de-motivate us from pressuring our governments to intervene. This may just play a crucial role in explaining the discrepancy between these global poll results showing overwhelming support for action, and the grim reality of global inaction.

Prerna Mankad is a researcher at Foreign Policy.

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