The Aurora Humanitarian Index is a special survey that examines public perceptions of major humanitarian issues. It explores the international public’s attitudes toward both responsibility and effectiveness of humanitarian intervention, as well as the motivations that urge people to intervene on behalf of others. The annual survey is conducted across multiple countries and its findings are presented each year during the Aurora Dialogues, an international platform for discussions among leading experts in the humanitarian community.

The findings of the 2017 Aurora Humanitarian Index were presented during the 2017 Aurora Dialogues in Armenia. The study revealed support for humanitarian action was on a steep decline and there was an overwhelming lack of confidence in world leaders to address the refugee crisis. Results from the Index, which surveyed nearly 6,500 people in 12 countries, were compounded by the fact that only nine percent of individuals believe their actions can make a difference in solving the global refugee crisis. You can learn more about the second annual Aurora Humanitarian Index here.

The results of the 2016 Aurora Humanitarian Index were unveiled on April 22, 2016 at the Aurora Dialogues conference in Yerevan, Armenia. The 4,600 respondents in the U.S., U.K., France, Germany, Lebanon and Iran all cited terrorism as the number one most pressing humanitarian challenge now and for the next five years, followed by forced migration. The research also revealed a gulf between perception and reality on a number of fronts with American, British and French publics underestimating the number of Syrian refugees by staggering amounts (4.7 million, 4.5 million and 4.5 million respectively). You can learn more about the first annual Aurora Humanitarian Index here.