Opinion poll about development cooperation: Health and population issues considered the most important
Press release 214/2005
6 July, 2005
More than three out of four Finns would direct development cooperation particularly to health care and population growth issues. Also education and water supply were considered important in an opinion poll carried out in June 2005. The poll, commissioned by the Ministry for Foreign Affairs, surveyed how the Finnish people feel about development cooperation.
The Finns still want to direct most of the development cooperation to Africa, which is considered the primary target by a third of the respondents. Slightly under a fifth of the Finns would like to assist the areas suffering from prolonged crises, such as Congo and Sudan. Every tenth considers it most important to help the areas that suffered from the tsunami and other natural catastrophes. The desire to assist the neighbouring areas has grown from the previous poll, conducted in the autumn of 2003.
More clearly than before, the prevention of HIV and AIDS arose as the most important single goal for development cooperation, mentioned by 51 percent of the respondents. Two out of five Finns consider development cooperation as an important means of reducing poverty, and almost as many see it as a way to promote equality, democracy, and human rights as well as a means of controlling population growth.
According to the opinion poll, the majority of Finns feel that the appropriate level of development assistance would be at least 0.5 percent of gross national income. The UN-recommended level of 0.7 percent is considered good by every fifth Finn. Slightly under 50 percent of the respondents were aware of the current level of Finnish development assistance, which is 0.35 percent of gross national income.
When asked only the question, whether Finland should increase its development cooperation appropriations, the opinions were pretty evenly divided for and against: 36 percent said yes, and 37 percent said no. Compared to the previous polls, the yes-party had diminished. This time the poll also asked where the additional funding should be taken from.
In their freely formulated answers, most of the people referred in one way or another to taxation. In addition, the often mentioned means for finding additional funding included different national collections as well as saving money from the appropriations allocated for the political machinery and public administration.
In the opinion of the Finnish people, paying taxes is the most efficient way for a private individual to assist the development countries. Participation in collections is considered almost as efficient.
Three out of four Finns are at least quite satisfied with the speed Finland has responded to humanitarian crises of the world. The poll surveyed separately how satisfied the Finns had been with the Finnish contribution in the areas that suffered from the natural catastrophe in Asia. In their free comments the respondents considered the quantity of tsunami assistance very sufficient – or even generous and commendable.
The opinion poll was commissioned from TNS Gallup Oy and it was carried out in June 2005. The survey was conducted electronically through the Gallup Kanava household panel, and the participants included 1,340 Finns between the ages of 15 and 70.
Additional information: Deputy Director General Christian Sundgren, tel.+358 9 1605 6350, and Information Officer Marja-Leena Kultanen, e-mail [email protected], tel. 358 40 705 7688
Summary and questions asked in the opinion poll (in Finnish)(Link to another website.)