The Civil Society Conflict Survey
84%
cited internal conflict as a major drain on time and resources
62%
reported their movement was significantly weakened by internal conflict
65%
reported that conflicts mirrored the very issues their organisations sought to address (such as bigotry, colonialism and exclusion)
A survey completed by over 40 civil society leaders and professionals from across the Global North and Global South in June 2025 revealed that a lack of skills and resources to effectively prevent and manage conflict severely undermines the sector’s impact. By comparison with the private sector, civil society is woefully unprepared to manage internal conflict. Preliminary findings of the survey paint a worrying picture, for example:
The Cause and Conflict survey is a live research project, gathering experiences and insights from across the world on an ongoing basis. The summary of findings is periodically updated to incorporate new reflections. If you could spare 12 minutes to share your experience of conflict at the link below we would be enormously grateful.