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U.S. in the World: Talking Global Issues With Americans -- A Practical Guide

America is facing critical choices about who it is and wants to be in an increasingly interconnected world -- choices that will have a profound impact on Americans, on other peoples and countries, and on future generations. This guide pulls together facts and arguments and the most effective ways to put them across for advocates of pragmatic, principled, effective and collaborative U.S.


Summary of Surveys on Development Aid, Global Hunger, and Poverty: PIPA - Americans on Foreign Aid and World Hunger - A Study of U.S. Public Attitudes (2001)

Report Date: February 2, 2001
Data Collected: November 1-6, 2000
Survey Population: 901 adults nationwide; four focus groups
Download a pdf of these report findings.

Key Findings

  • The public’s desire to cut foreign aid decreased over the five years prior to the survey, so that at the time of the survey it was a minority position (40%).
  • The public continues to overestimate the amount of the federal budget devoted to foreign aid by a factor of roughly 14. Despite this, an overwhelming majority continues to support the principle of giving foreign aid. When told the actual current level of foreign assistance, only a small minority thinks it is excessive (13%).
  • Public support is much stronger for efforts to alleviate hunger and poverty (87%) than for foreign aid overall (59%). Giving aid to gain strategic influence is far less popular (34%), and in keeping with this sentiment, a strong majority prefers to give aid through multilateral institutions rather than bilaterally (57%).
  • Overwhelming majorities support multilateral efforts to cut world hunger in half by 2015 (83%) and say that they would be willing to pay the costs of such a program (75%). “However, most do not think the average American would be willing to pay the necessary costs, and a slight majority thinks that the Europeans and Japanese would not be willing to do their part.”
  • “Consistent with the strong concern for hunger and poverty, support for aid to Africa is very high.”
  • Strong majorities favor the idea that the U.S. should go beyond hunger alleviation to address the long-term goal of helping poor countries develop their economies (73%).

Key Advice

  • “Public support for economic development is derived from long-term self-interest as well as moral considerations.”
  • Programs emphasizing education and helping women and girls have the strongest public support.
  • Reservations about foreign aid remain for many Americans, arising from concerns about effectiveness and corruption in the implementation of aid programs. “These perceptions may contribute to the public’s incorrect belief that world hunger is increasing”
  • Strong majorities see private charitable organizations as a more effective channel for aid money.

Methodology
Nationwide poll with 901 randomly selected adult Americans conducted November 1-6 (weighted to be demographically representative). The margin of error ranged from +/- 3.5-4% depending on the portion of the sample that heard the question. Focus groups were conducted in Baltimore, Maryland; San Mateo, California; Richmond, Virginia; and Cleveland, Ohio.

Return to Index of Surveys.