Chapter 5 > The Global Economy > World Poverty and Hunger

U.S. Report - pdf version Leaders Questionnaire - pdf version Public Questionnaire - pdf version

World Poverty and Hunger

Americans favor addressing the problems of hunger and poverty in the world and giving foreign aid for this purpose, despite the low priority they give to the general idea of foreign aid and to many altruistic goals of U.S. foreign policy. This support appears to proceed largely, but not solely, from humanitarian motives. As discussed in Chapter 2, world hunger stands fairly high on the public agenda, with 61% of Americans saying that combating world hunger should be a very important goal of U.S. foreign policy. On a question about support for various humanitarian types of foreign aid (see Figure 5-10), 84% say they favor food and medical assistance to people in needy countries, with only 12% opposed. Seventy-four percent favor aid that helps needy countries develop their economies.

According to the same series of questions, aid for programs to reduce population growth and to combat AIDS is also very popular. Seventy-one percent favor aid for birth control in poor countries to help reduce population growth. An even higher 80% favor aid for women’s education in poor countries to help reduce population growth. Seventy-nine percent favor assistance with the prevention and treatment of AIDS in poor countries. In none of these instances of humanitarian foreign aid does the level of public opposition rise above 27%.

In other contexts, the priority of poverty receives mixed responses. When associated with a direct strategic threat, there is strong support: 78% favor helping poor countries develop their economies as a measure to combat international terrorism. However, when placed among many other competing goals of foreign policy, including fighting terrorism per se and protecting jobs, only 30% of Americans say that helping to improve the standard of living of less developed nations should be a very important goal of U.S. foreign policy, putting it at the very bottom of the ranking of 20 goals. (Still, 56% say this should be a “somewhat” important goal, and only 12% say it is not important.)

Despite Americans' support for efforts to address the problem of world poverty and their general support for multilateral efforts, the public shows limited enthusiasm for the World Bank. On the feeling thermometer, the World Bank, one of the world’s largest sources of development assistance, receives a lukewarm average rating of 51 degrees. Asked whether the World Bank needs to be strengthened, 49% say it does need to be strengthened and 39% say it does not.