February 12, 2001

Americans willing to fund relief
___WASHINGTON (RNS)--Most Americans support a global initiative to fight hunger in poor nations and even would be willing to pay extra taxes each year to slice world hunger in half, according to a new poll released Feb. 2.
___Eighty-three percent of the 901 people randomly surveyed by the Program on International Policy Attitudes thought the United States should partner with other wealthy nations to cut world hunger by 50 percent within the next 15 years, and 75 percent said they would pay $50 a year in taxes to help do so.
___"Compassion is not a conservative or a liberal value; it's an American value," said David Beckmann, president of the grass-roots Christian group Bread for the World. "Americans do care about world hunger, and ... we want our government to do its part."
___The national survey--conducted last November--also found that less than one in four respondents believed the United States spends too much "on efforts to reduce hunger in poor countries." Just 20 percent of respondents wanted to cut the amount spent to fight hunger in low-income countries.
___Respondents were most supportive of foreign aid to fight hunger abroad rather than foreign aid given "in support of strategic goals" such as national security and trade interests, the study found.
___Beckmann said he hoped the new poll would help boost his organization's campaign to pressure Washington to help fight hunger in sub-Saharan African countries. In that part of the continent, hunger has more than doubled within the past three decades.
___"Many members of Congress mistakenly believe that Americans are overwhelmingly against foreign aid and don't care about hungry and poor people overseas," Beckmann said. "This poll shows us that is not true."

Get printer-friendly version of this story


Send this story to a friend

---

Contents/ Masthead / Why We're Here / Links / Archive / E-mail us/ SUBSCRIBE!