Issue Watch
Track global public opinion on current issues.
- 2008: Race for the White House
- 2008: The U.S. Electoral College
- Abortion
- Africa
- Angela Merkel
- Death Penalty
- Economy and Globalization
- Environment
- European Union
- George W. Bush
- Global Warming
- Gordon Brown
- Hamas
- Immigration
- Iran
- Iraq War
- Kevin Rudd
- Latin America
- New Zealand Election 2008
- Nicolas Sarkozy
- North Korea
- Oil and Gas
- Same-Sex Marriage
- Silvio Berlusconi
- Stem Cell Research
- Stephen Harper
- Terrorism
- U.S. Election 2008 - The Democrats
- U.S. Election 2008 - The Republicans
- U.S. Election 2008: The Primaries
- Vladimir Putin
- Yasuo Fukuda
Angus Reid Global Monitor : Polls & Research
Britons Have Doubts on Donations to Africa
Credit:UN/DPI Photo
Gordon Brown
(Angus Reid Global Scan) - Many adults in Britain openly question the actual destination of monetary assistance to African nations, according to a poll by YouGov published in the Daily Telegraph. 83 per cent of respondents say they have little or no confidence that the money will be spent wisely.
On May 27, British prime minister Tony Blair issued a call for action, saying, "(Africa is) the only continent anywhere in the world that has gone backwards in the last 30 years." Blair has called for an additional $25 billion U.S. a year in assistance for the continent from the world's most developed nations.
British chancellor of the exchequer Gordon Brown has urged rich countries to pardon the debt relief owed by African nations to the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the World Bank and the African Development Bank. 53 per cent of respondents support the idea, and 47 per cent believe the plan would significantly contribute to solving Africa's problems.
Polling Data
How confident are you that, if outsiders donate more money to Africa, that money will be spent wisely rather than being wasted or finding its way into the pockets of criminals and corrupt governments?
Very confident | 1% |
Fairly confident | 10% |
Not very confident | 41% |
Not at all confident | 42% |
Don't know | 7% |
Should the British government assist Africa by cancelling all or most of the large debts owed by African governments?
Yes | 53% |
No | 28% |
Don't know | 19% |
Would reducing African governments' burdens of debt and debt interest contribute significantly to solving Africa's problems?
Yes, it would | 47% |
No, it would not | 38% |
Don't know | 15% |
Source: YouGov / Daily Telegraph
Methodology: Online interviews to 3,771 British adults, conducted from May 24 to May 26, 2005. No margin of error was provided.