Examining the representations of homeless people in charity advertising

My name is Emma Bull, and I am a Social Policy graduate from the University of Birmingham. During my final year, I was fortunate enough to be one of four recipients of Commonweal’s Jane Slowey Memorial Bursary.

Receiving the bursary was highly beneficial to me. The £2,500 grant allowed me to focus on my studies without needing to work part-time throughout the year.

My dissertation explored representations of homeless people in charity advertising campaigns in the United Kingdom. I conducted a literature review, with two areas in particular informing my research question.

Firstly, the literature noted that third sector organisations often bridge the gap where government policy falls short. This has been seen by various cross-party policies and initiatives over the years, such as Thatcher’s concept of Active Citizenship, Blair’s ‘Active Communities’ initiative and Cameron’s Big Society.

There have been concerns within the third sector that this reliance on charities could result in organisations practising self-censorship for fear of losing government funding, and therefore diverging from their core values. Additionally, as seen during the COVID-19 pandemic, relying on the third sector to address societal issues can cause inconsistencies in service provision. In particular, some areas of the UK have a more developed third sector presence and therefore receive more comprehensive support than other areas.

The second theme that emerged from the literature review, which informed my research question, was the concept of ‘poverty porn’. This refers to the use of exploitative images depicting impoverished individuals to generate sympathy for a desired end, such as driving newspaper sales, fundraising efforts, or support for a cause.

In many cases, my research found that this practice can have negative implications on the public’s perception of the groups depicted. However, it has been noted that ‘poverty porn’ can be an effective means of fundraising as these images appear to resonate with the public and encourage donations.

'Poverty porn' and the surrounding discussion about exploitation and stereotyping presented an interesting area that I wanted to explore. To achieve this, I used critical discourse analysis to examine the language and imagery of the charity campaigns I looked at, to see how they could be interpreted.

Notably, I found that 'poverty porn' is pervasive in homelessness charity advertising, with images of rough sleepers being repeatedly used across campaigns. A key reason for this is that these types of images appear to resonate well with the public, encouraging donations.

Emma Bull's presentation slide. Click above to access Emm'a's full presentation deck.

However, some charities have made a conscious effort to stray from the stereotypical 'poverty porn' depictions of homelessness. Instead, they focus on using positive imagery or encourage the public to consider structural rather than individual explanations of homelessness – although it has been found that straying from ‘poverty porn’ can reduce the public’s willingness to donate to such campaigns.

Ultimately, my research found that the use of ‘poverty porn’ in charity advertising reflects an ethical dilemma. However, I predict that it will likely remain a tactic, as charities are often reliant on public donations to continue their operations, and this practice can effectively appeal to the public and elicit support.

Since finishing my studies, I have also had the opportunity to intern with Commonweal in July, supporting the Policy and Communications team with research and policy work. Through this opportunity, I have deepened my understanding of social policy related to Commonweal's thematic areas.

Being a recipient of the Jane Slowey Memorial Bursary has highlighted to me that I am passionate about housing-related social issues. In the future, I would like to pursue a career in third sector fundraising, and I am sure the advice and support offered by Commonweal Housing this past year will prove invaluable as I begin to forge my career.