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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: Alliance to End Hunger Poll 2006

Data Collected: March 27-29, 2006
Survey Population: 1000 likely general election voters

Background:
This survey researches what Americans think about poverty and hunger both at home and abroad, and it asks what we should do to reduce these problems.

Key Facts:

  • From July 2002 to March 2006, the percentage of Americans citing hunger and poverty as the single most important issue more than doubled from 4% to 10%
  • When asked if the hunger problem in the United States was getting better or worse, 48% believe it was getting worse, and only 8% thought it was getting better
  • When asked about hunger around the world, 63% of Americans said the situation is getting worse, and only 7% think it is improving
  • 66% of Americans said they would support a 2008 presidential candidate who made fighting hunger and poverty in the US a priority. 85% of Americans said that a Congressional candidate’s position on reducing poverty would be important
  • 62% of Americans think that the government currently spends too little to reduce hunger in the US; only 9% say it spends too much
  • Voters are more interested in long term solutions to hunger. 69% of Americans prefer raising minimum wage rather than increasing food stamps (22%) as an effective way to combat poverty
  • Despite perceptions that hunger is worsening Americans remain optimistic about our ability to combat the problem: 70% of American voters agree it is possible to significantly reduce poverty in the next decade

Key Advice:

  • The majority of Americans, Republicans and Democrats alike, believe that poverty and hunger are central and important issues in the US and around the world today.
  • While on the whole more Americans are concerned with poverty and hunger within our borders, a majority also favors aid to assist other countries.
  • Americans understand the realities of poverty and hunger in the US and around the world, but believe that we have the power to combat these problems with the proper allocations of aid and investment in long term programs.

Methodology:
This poll of 1000 likely general election voters in the United States was conducted between March 27-29, 2006. All interviews were conducted via telephone by professional interviewers. Interview selection was random within predetermined election units – in this case, the fifty states. These units were structured to correlate with actual voter turnout in a general election.

Return to Index of Surveys.