Paper short abstract:

This paper presents results from two experiments that examine how the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic shapes attitudes toward development aid.

Paper long abstract:

Global pandemics are a serious concern for developing countries when the same pandemic affects donors of development aid. During crises at home, donors often cut aid, which would leave developing countries with even poorer public health capacity during a time of increased demand for health care. Whether donors actually cut aid would depend intimately on how donor citizens respond to crises like pandemics. We conduct two experiments with 887 U.S residents to examine how the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic influences attitudes toward aid. We demonstrate that citizens' concern about the impact of COVID-19 on their country's financial situation reduces their support for aid. If they think that aid can help lessening the future burden of the disease at home by first alleviating its impact in developing countries, they become substantially more supportive of giving aid. In contrast, merely stressing how COVID-19 might ravage developing countries barely change aid attitudes. Our findings have implications for what to expect from donors during a global pandemic as well as how advocates may prevent aid from being cut.