By this I mean how much does the US government give in foreign aid compared to the their total spending?
Please answer the poll before reading the rest of this post. Please be honest about what you think the answer is right
now. Don't go and research it somewhere just yet.
Done?
Well, according to this book I read, a survey by the PIPA in the US found that the median estimate from the sample was
20%. Sounds decent?
But what was the real figure? Less than 1%. Only one person in 20 gave an
estimate of 1% or less. Even amongst the post graduates, the median estimate was 8%.
When asked what an appropriate percentage would be, the median was 10%.
Not knowing the real figures, 40% of the sample said that they wanted US foreign aid cut.
Now, this survey was taken in 2000 so by now many things may have changed. But I couldn't find any recent survey so I thought I'd do a little one myself. I just wanted to see whether these misconceptions still hold true even today, both inside and outside the US, with a sample of bright, intelligent people ;)
Now, a little data. First please note: my data is rather outdated. I believe from 2003. If eveything miraculously
changed since the time of this data collection, please tell me.
Also note: This data is specific to the US, but that doesn't mean the exact same thing isn't happening in the
UK, Australia etc etc.
The US government gives around $14 billion in development aid each year, only a quarter of which actually goes to
"low-income" countries.
In 2003, Bush proposed a military budget of $379 billion, an increase of $48 billion on the previous year, an increase
more than four times the amount they give in government aid.
Annual domestic US spending on alcohol was $34 billion, on tobacco $32 billion.
US non-government foreign aid amounts to $4 billion.
What is going on? With all the big talk of elminating poverty by 2015 and the UN set target of sending at least 0.7% of GNP as development aid to the developing countries. A target which only 5 of the 22 developed countries managed to meet or even come close to meeting - Denmark, The Netherlands, Norway, Sweden and Luxembourg. Every other developed country falls pitifully short of this target.
What do we, many of us being citizens of developed countries, think about this?
I'm not trying to guilt people into donating money. I myself am far from a generous donator. I just wanted to bring
this to attention of everyone here.
Reflect and post your thoughts please :)
PS this isn't a direct poke at the US. I just only have info on the US because they were the most pitiful of the developed donators :P