Empathy for Victims of Massive Human Rights Violations and Support for Government Intervention: A Comparative Study of American and Australian Attitudes

Abstract

This study explores the extent of public concern in two Western societies for massive human rights violations elsewhere in the world, and public willingness to support international action on behalf of the victims. The survey samples consisted of 210 undergraduates at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois, and 121 undergraduates at La Trobe University in Melbourne, Australia. The technique used was to determine the extent to which emotional arousal, prompted by depictions of atrocities, translated into empathy for victims and support for remedial political action. The results demonstrate that almost all American and Australian students clearly recognize certain governmental actions as human rights violations, and most of them accept the validity of government intervention on behalf of human rights. The study also shows that most respondents expressed willingness to make personal sacrifices in defense of other people's rights.