Are attitudes to people with learning disabilities negatively influenced by charity advertising?

ABSTRACT

This paper investigated the hypothesis that the images presented by charity posters can have an effect on attitudes towards those that they portray. Ninety-nine school-children were shown one of two MENCAP posters; one from a much-criticised campaign in the 1980s and one a poster from the 1991 campaign. Subjects who saw the older poster were more likely to report that it made them feel pity and guilt, and were less likely to agree that people with a mental handicap are able to care for themselves. However, subjects did not differ significantly on how likely they would be to donate money to the charity on seeing the poster. These results suggest that it is possible to present a positive image whilst still encouraging the possibility of donation. The implications of these findings are discussed.