Public Relations

What do ‘they’ know about ‘us’?

The Rotary International Public Image Group has conducted a survey across six countries – Argentina, Australia, Germany, Japan, South Africa, United States, to ascertain what the general public knows and thinks about Rotary.

Overall

• 58% of all respondents answered ‘Yes’ when asked “Have you heard of an organization or group called Rotary?”
• 87% of Australian respondents answered ‘Yes’ with Germany registering the lowest at 38%.

In Australia

• 95% of respondents who had heard of Rotary agreed that it is “a group of charitable people trying to help the community.”
• 52% of Australian respondents who knew a Rotarian said they were likely to contribute time or money to help a local club.
• This fell to 32% for respondents who did not know a Rotarian.
• 16 per cent of Australian respondents agreed with the statement that Rotary is an organisation of self-serving people, while a further
• 9 per cent indicated that they were ‘neutral’, or ‘didn’t know’. This was the lowest of all six countries.

The survey results showed that respondents from all six countries who personally knew a Rotarian were more likely to perceive the organisation positively and to contribute time or money to help a local Rotary club.