White Saviour Perceptions Reduce Charitable Donations

The White Saviour charge accuses Western foreign aid of being tokenistic and self-serving, motivated by superiority, guilt and sentimentality and of perpetuating prejudice and negative stereotypes. How do White Saviour perceptions arise from charitable appeals and what is their effect on donations? We use three studies with representative Australian samples to identify the visual characteristics of typical appeal photos that activate five dimensions of the White Saviour perception and assess their effects on intentions to donate. The dimensions reduce to two factors, ineffectiveness and entitlement, that constitute the White Saviour and negatively affect intentions to donate. Our findings can inform the design of successful appeals that do not perpetuate counterproductive racial stereotypes