BACKGROUND

• METHODOLOGY & SAMPLE SPECIFICATIONS

• THE SURVEY QUESTIONS

• SUMMARY OF THE FINDINGS

• PRESENTATION OF THE RESULTS

Content of report

BACKGROUNDA. BACKGROUND

Background

• Action for Global Health commissioned a survey in five countries where Action for Global Health is based (Spain, Italy, France, Germany and the UK) to evaluate citizens’ views on providing health aid to developing countries.

• The overall mission of Action for Global Health is to monitor how the actions and policies of European governments affect health in developing countries and to influence decision-makers to improve their practice.

B. METHODOLOGY & SAMPLE SPECIFICATIONS

• Representative samples of 1000 respondents aged 18 and over in each of the 5 countries

• TRENDSbus omnibus survey using Computer-Assisted Telephone interviewing

• Fieldwork in August 2008• 4890 interviews achieved• Data weighted by gender, age and region within a

country and proportionally to the 18+ population in a country for the total results

Methodology

Weighted sample distribution

TOTAL DE ES FR IT UK

Total 4885 933 1001 963 1004 984

Gender

2366 452 503 462 483 471

48% 48% 50% 48% 48% 48%2519 481 498 501 521 513

52% 52% 50% 52% 52% 52%

Age

529 101 126 106 98 102

11% 11% 13% 11% 10% 10%1268 232 324 229 257 245

26% 25% 32% 24% 26% 25%1331 239 294 261 271 281

27% 26% 29% 27% 27% 29%1756 361 257 367 378 356

36% 39% 26% 38% 38% 36%

Education (End of)

903 76 305 124 302 176

18% 8% 30% 13% 30% 18%1964 422 326 333 328 522

40% 45% 33% 35% 33% 53%1663 385 290 426 267 239

34% 41% 29% 44% 27% 24%222 30 63 64 73 0

5% 3% 6% 7% 7% - 77 3 12 10 22 38

2% 0 1% 1% 2% 4%55 17 5 7 12 9

1% 2% 1% 1% 1% 1%Don’t know/ refusal

16 - 19

20+

Still studying

No full time education

25 - 39

40 - 54

55 and more

15 –

Male

Female

18 - 24

C. THE SURVEY QUESTIONS

9

The survey questionsQB1 : These questions relate to support to developing countries, which are the poorest countries in the world where economic and social development is a long way behind (NATION). Improving health in developing countries is one way of supporting these countries. By this, we mean action to reduce child mortality, to reduce mothers’ mortality (number of women who die as a result of childbirth or during pregnancy), and the fight against diseases such as HIV and AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria.In your opinion, does the (NATIONALITY) government allocate too much, too little or about the right proportion of its money to helping to improve health in developing countries? Even if you do not know the amount, please answer based on your general impression.

QB2 : Please say to what extent you agree or disagree with the following statement: One of the main targets of the European Union's support FOR DEVELOPING COUNTRIES should be improving health so that people are fit to work and thereby reduce poverty in the long term. Do you strongly agree, tend to agree, tend to disagree or strongly disagree with this statement?

QB3 : Would you say that help for developing countries is more efficient if it is provided by each European government separately or if it is combined and coordinated through the European Union?

A. SUMMARYD. SUMMARY OF THE FINDINGS

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Summary of the findingsALLOCATION OF GOVERNMENT MONEY• Although overall the majority view is that governments allocate about the right amount of money to helping to improve health in developing countries (43%), there is considerable support for more spending as 38% of respondents feel that their government allocates too little money.• Public opinion in the five EU donor countries differs strongly. In Italy, which spends the smallest proportion of its gross national income on development aid, over half of the respondents feel their government allocates too little money (51%). In Germany, only a quarter of respondents share this view.•Young people (and those who are still studying) far more often than other socio-demographic groups hold the view that their government spends too little (53%). IMPROVING HEALTH SHOULD BE ONE OF THE MAIN TARGETS OF EU SUPPORT FOR DEVELOPING COUNTRIES• In all the countries surveyed and among all the socio-demographic groups examined there is widespread agreement that improving health should be one of the main targets of EU support for developing countries. On average, 86% of respondents agree.ORGANISING HELP FOR DEVELOPING COUNTRIES•Citizens in all five countries broadly support the opinion that help for developing countries is more efficient if it is combined and coordinated through the European Union (79%). There is also widespread agreement with this opinion among the different socio-demographic groups that the survey identifies.

E. PRESENTATION OF THE RESULTS

Nearly 4 out of 10 citizens find that their government allocates too little money to helping improve health in developing countries

QB1: In your opinion, does the (NATIONALITY) government allocate too much, too little or about the right proportion of its money to helping to improve health in developing countries? Even if you do not know the amount, please answer based on your general impression.

Too much

12%

About the right amount

43%

Too little

38%

Don't know

(SPONTANEOUS)

7%

In this regard, public opinion differs at country level

12%20%

9% 9% 6%15%

43%

50%

37% 41%

31%

50%

38%

25%

46%44%

51%

33%

7% 5% 9% 6%12%

3%

TOTAL DE ES FR IT UK

Don't know(SPONTANEOUS)

Too little

About the right amount

Too much

Opinions and reality

• Opinion: Italian respondents most often feel that their government spends too little (51%); Reality: their government has the lowest allocation of development aid and further reduced its aid from 2006 to 2007.

•Opinion: Close to half of Spanish respondents seem to want more spending (46%); Reality: their government has the highest % of GNI spent on ODA and in fact increased its aid between 2006 and 2007.

•Opinion: German respondents are most critical about development aid; Reality: their government is not the biggest spender.

QB1 by country IT ES FR UK DE

Too little 51% 46% 44% 33% 25%

About the right amount 31% 37% 41% 50% 50%

Too much 6% 9% 9% 15% 20%

Don't know (SPONTANEOUS) 12% 9% 6% 3% 5%

% of GNI spent on ODA in 2007* 0.19 0.41 0.39 0.36 0.37

% Change since 2006* -3.6 33.8 -15.9 -29.1 5.9

*Source: "Report 2 Healthy Aid", Action for Global Health, June 2008

Young people stand out

• Unlike the other socio-demographic groups examined, over half of the respondents aged 18 to 24 and those who are still studying find that their government allocates too little money to helping to improve health in developing countries (both 53%).

QB1 by Socio-demographics

Gender Age Education (End of)

Total Male Female 18 - 24 25 - 39 40 - 54 55 and more

15 – 16 - 19 20+Still

studying

Too little 38% 38% 39% 53% 39% 38% 34% 36% 35% 42% 53%

About the right amount 43% 42% 43% 32% 44% 42% 45% 41% 45% 42% 35%

Too much 12% 14% 11% 11% 12% 12% 13% 13% 15% 9% 6%

Don't know (SPONTANEOUS)

7% 6% 7% 3% 6% 7% 8% 11% 5% 6% 6%

The survey reveals widespread agreement that improving health should be one of the main targets of the EU’s support for developing countries

QB2 : Please say to what extent you agree or disagree with the following statement: One of the main targets of the European Union's support FOR DEVELOPING COUNTRIES should be improving health so that people are fit to work and thereby reduce poverty in the long term. Do you strongly agree, tend to agree, tend to disagree or strongly disagree with this statement?

Strongly agree43%

Tend to agree43%

Tend to disagree8%

Strongly disagree4%

Don't know (spontaneous)2%

Agreement that improving health should be one of the main targets of the EU’s support for developing countries is

widespread in all 5 countries

•Public opinion is particularly outspoken in Spain, where more than half of the respondents strongly agree (56%).

•The strength of support is such that the lowest national agreement levels are 82% (for Germany) and 83% (for France).

QB2 by country

Strongly agree 56% 46% 43% 39% 35%Tend to agree 33% 44% 39% 49% 48%Tend to disagree 6% 5% 11% 4% 11%Strongly disagree 3% 3% 6% 0% 6%

Don't know (spontaneous) 2% 2% 1% 8% 1%

Equally, there is broad consensus about the main targets among the socio-demographic groups examined

• It is perhaps interesting to note that agreement is highest among the oldest age category and among citizens who ended their education before reaching age 16 (both 89%).

QB2 by Socio-demographics Gender Age Education (End of)

Total Male Female 18 - 24 25 - 39 40 - 54 55 and more

15 – 16 - 19 20+Still

studying

Total agree 86% 83% 88% 83% 85% 83% 89% 89% 86% 84% 86%

Total disagree 12% 14% 10% 16% 13% 14% 8% 7% 12% 15% 13%

Don't know (SPONTANEOUS) 2% 2% 2% 1% 2% 3% 3% 4% 2% 2% 2%

The survey reveals broad support for combining and coordinating help for developing countries through the European Union

QB3: Would you say that help for developing countries is...

More efficient if combined and coordinated through

the European Union, 79%

More efficient if provided by each Member State

separately, 14%

Don't know (SPONTANEOUS), 7%

Notwithstanding some variation, support for EU-coordinated aid is widespread in all the countries and among all the socio-demographic groups examined

82% 82% 81% 79%73%

79%

8% 12% 14% 16%18%

14%

10% 6% 6% 5% 9% 7%

IT ES FR DE UK TOTAL

Don't know(SPONTANEOUS)

More efficient if providedby each Member Stateseparately

More efficient if combinedand coordinated throughthe European Union

QB3 by socio-demographics

Total Male Female 18 - 24 25 - 39 40 - 54 55 and more

15 – 16 - 19 20+Still

studying

More efficient if combined and coordinated through the European Union

79% 80% 79% 83% 83% 81% 75% 75% 79% 82% 87%

More efficient if provided by each Member State separately

14% 15% 13% 15% 12% 11% 16% 13% 15% 13% 10%

Don't know (SPONTANEOUS) 7% 5% 8% 3% 5% 8% 9% 12% 5% 5% 3%

Gender Age Education (End of)

22

Vision, Public Opinion & Reality

VISION:Since November 2005, a common vision of development by the Member States of the EU and the EC has existed. The European Consensus on Development provides a framework to support developing countries in their poverty reduction strategies, including building up health systems and support for capacity-building programmes and initiatives for democracy and good governance. It also built upon an earlier agreement for a timetable to increase European states’ aid. (Source: Action for Global Health, Report Two, June 2008)

Public opinion:The survey highlights that the public supports this vision. The results of the survey can be

used to convince European Leaders to change current reality

REALITY: • EU Member States still prefer bilateral relations with developing countries, illustrated in many of

the case studies in this report. They seem to prefer their own technical advisers, their own funding priorities and have a varied approach to the major global health partnerships, on the one hand, and sector and budget support on the other. This continued reliance on bilateral agreements presents the primary challenge for improving the effectiveness of European health aid. (Source: Action for Global Health, Report Two, June 2008)