In 2009 the Council on Foreign Relations International Institutions and Global Governance program produced a massive collection of polling data on U.S. and global public attitudes on international issues, including terrorism, human rights, and international aid and development. The data suggest Americans share many similar opinions with their global counterparts, viewing the protection of human rights and international development aid favorably, and seeing aid as a valuable tool in combating terrorism.

The following excerpts are from the polling data relating to aid and development work, international laws, and human rights:

US Public Opinion on Development and Humanitarian Aid

  • Nearly half (49 percent) of Americans polled said “providing economic aid to raise living standards in countries where terrorists are recruited is the most appropriate way to fight terrorism.”

  • Americans were more likely than Europeans to identify “preventing breeding grounds for terrorism” as a top reason for development aid.

  • When asked whether they had a favorable or unfavorable view of “providing development assistance to poor countries,” 66 percent of Americans expressed a favorable view.

  • There is a broad U.S. consensus (nearly 80 percent) that developed countries have “a moral responsibility to work to reduce hunger and severe poverty in poor countries.”

  • A majority of Americans (64 percent) believe that development assistance strengthens support for democratic institutions in developing countries.

Views on International Cooperation

  • In every country polled, including the U.S., support for a global system based on the rule of law, international treaties, and robust multilateral institutions was high, including abiding “by international law, even when doing so is at odds with its perceived national interest.”

  • Majorities of both U.S. and international responders “believe that global challenges are simply too complex and daunting to be addressed by unilateral or even regional means.”

  • Both U.S. and international responders “want the UN to actively promote human rights” and “investigate human rights violations.”