AMERICANS SUPPORT MDG GOALS, FOREIGN ASSISTANCE

June 25, 2004 – An April 2004 poll released this month found that Americans are largely in favor of increasing the amount of U.S. federal budget money for non-military international assistance and humanitarian support by an extra 1%, essentially doubling the amount already spent. The poll also found support for the UN’s Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), some of which were more appealing to the public than others, and confusion about the relationship between the United Nations and some of its agencies.

The poll was conducted by Public Opinion Strategies (POS) and Talmey-Drake on behalf of the Better World Campaign. It was a survey of survey of 1,000 registered voters conducted April 13-18, 2004.

The study initially found that only 5% of Americans know the extent of federal budget money spent on non-military overseas assistance, with 43% of these saying that the funding should stay the same – a rise of 2% since a similar poll carried out in 2002. Moreover, the number of Americans believing that funding should be increased has dropped from 19% in 2002 to 17% in 2004, whereas those who believe funding should be decreased has risen from 32% in 2002 to 33% in 2004. It was speculated that the change is related to public perceptions that the recent large appropriations for Iraq are primarily development assistance, when they are in reality mainly for military expenses.

It is apparent from the poll that the reluctance of Americans to favor an increase in U.S. non-military overseas assistance is largely a matter of education and trust. Many of those opposed to increasing assistance had a distinct lack of knowledge of the situations that the money would be used to combat, such as disaster relief and other humanitarian crises. Furthermore, many were skeptical of where the money would go and whether it would be filtered into other programs. The bottom line is that aside from the trust issue, people need to be educated on the numerous global issues that require this funding before they can cast their vote either way.

It is notable that out of a number of reasons for the U.S. to offer non-military assistance overseas, 80% of Americans surveyed acknowledged the proactive belief that investing in people in poor countries to develop the abilities required to provide for themselves will enable them to become more self sufficient in the future. These people, 47% of whom are totally convinced, realize that such an approach is in the U.S. national interest. This reflects the old adage, “Give a man a fish, and he’ll eat for a day. Teach him to fish, and he’ll eat for a lifetime.”

This proactive approach is emphasized further framing exercise carried out within the poll. The research shows that slight language variations have a profound effect on the opinions of people polled and increased the likelihood of them supporting increased U.S. assistance funding. Voters were more convinced of the need for more funding when the issue of foreign assistance was framed as being beneficial to the national interest in order to develop a more stable world, (67% convinced, 31% extremely), rather than a moral obligation to do more (48% convinced, 22% extremely). According to the findings, the subgroups most influenced by the language differential were younger voters (27%), Democrats (23%), moderates (23%), women (22%) and voters with a religious affiliation (22%).

Interestingly, voters are overwhelmingly more likely to support the MDGs if they are implemented by the International Red Cross, The World Health Organization or UNICEF, rather than the United Nations. The International Red Cross is the organization most favored by the voters, with 71% in favor of its overseeing the MDGs, followed by 55% and 50% support for the World Health Organization and UNICEF respectively. This contrasts sharply to the 43% of people surveyed supporting a United Nations overview of the MDGs, with 36% of those questioned on the issue against it. This is ironic, however, because UNICEF and the World Health Organization are part of the United Nations – indicating a need for education about the UN and its related agencies in the U.S.

Last Updated: October 17, 2005

UN Millennium Development Goals Website

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