Attitudes Toward Nongovernmental Organizations in Central America

Abstract

This article analyses, from a sample of 860 undergraduates in Nicaragua and El Salvador, how willing they would be to donate money to nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) if they lived in an industrialized country as well as their perceptions of the work undertaken by these organizations, the trust they generate, their perception of the effect their work has and how sustainable they think the projects they undertake are, and how they perceive wrongdoing by their members. Are also analyzed how differences in sociodemographic variables, the university at which they study, their political ideology, economic situation, or links to an NGO affect these perceptions. The results show a high degree of willingness to donate money to NGOs if they lived in an industrialized country. With increased willingness being shown by women, the more politicized, those that consider themselves to be poor, and those that work or collaborate with NGOs. Moreover, different degrees of agreement with aspects related to NGOs were found according to the economic situation, the university at which they studied, and the gender of those interviewed.