Make Poverty History raised a political generation

A recent Oxfam survey claims that the 2005 'Make Poverty History' (MPH) campaign has mobilised a generation of politically active young people.

Of the 1,400 young people who took part in the questionnaire, 84% of 16-25 year olds said that the MPH campaign and Live8 concerts had the biggest impact on them last year, ahead of the general election and the Olympic bid victory.

Two-thirds of participants had worn an MPH white band and intended to support charities this year by signing petitions or joining e-mail campaigns. Nearly half said they would visit events and rallies in 2006 and 45% were willing to donate money to charity.

However, 54% of those surveyed claimed that they were unsure about what should happen next, indicating that the charities needed to work hard to maintain this enthusiasm.

The celebrity endorsements were seen by 78% to have been successful in 'getting the message to people who might not otherwise care.' Sixty-three percent believed that actors and music stars could raise awareness of key campaigns, while only 6% thought their involvement trivialised the issues.

Oxfam have launched an initiative entitled "I'm in" which aims to involve a million young people in its work this year. Their Generation Why website was set up in 2004 to help young people engage directly in its campaigns and visits to their site have increased five-fold since January last year.

The charity's youth co-ordinator, Liz Leaver is pleased with the results of the survey: 'Make Poverty History put important issues in front of many young people perhaps for the first time, and showed them how they could be a part of it. More young people than ever want to take action and are now looking for the best way to get involved. It is now up to charities like us to help translate that desire into positive action. Oxfam is committed to keeping young people engaged.'