[Public Opinion Brief 37-1] Global Citizens: "Developed Nations Must Act to Solve World Hunger"

[Public Opinion Brief No. 37] World Hunger and the Responsibility of Developed Nations

[Topic 1] Global Citizens: "Developed Nations Must Act to Solve World Hunger"

[Topic 2] 77% of Citizens in Developed Nations: "Willing to Bear Additional Costs to Eradicate Global Poverty"

[Topic 3] Korea's Sense of Responsibility for World Hunger is High; May Weaken if Economic Conditions Worsen

Topic 1. Global Citizens: "Developed Nations Must Act to Solve World Hunger"

- 81% of Global Citizens: "Developed Nations Have a Responsibility to Solve World Hunger"

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Global public opinion demands that developed nations take action to eradicate world poverty. This sentiment is widely shared not only by citizens in recipient countries and developing nations in need of aid but also by citizens in developed countries. When asked, "Do developed nations have a moral responsibility to reduce extreme poverty worldwide?", an overwhelming majority in all surveyed countries, except for Russia and the Palestinian Autonomous Territories, emphasized the responsibility of developed nations. Out of a total of 16,370 respondents, 81% agreed with the assertion of responsibility for developed nations.

High rates of agreement with the responsibility of developed nations were observed in African countries desperately in need of international aid due to hunger (e.g., Kenya 92%, Nigeria 87%), as well as in China (83%) and India (72%), where absolute poverty is gradually decreasing as they emerge as new economic powers. Furthermore, an overwhelming majority of citizens in major developed countries, which should be sharing the costs for poverty reduction, (e.g., Germany 87%, United Kingdom 81%, United States 81%, France 79%) agree on the necessity of developed nations playing a role in eradicating world hunger. However, the rate of agreement was around half in Russia (54%) and the Palestinian Autonomous Territories (50%). [See Figure 1]

Indeed, the international community and major developed nations have been diligently working on concrete measures to alleviate world hunger since the 2000s. The "Millennium Development Goals (MDG)," adopted by unprecedented unanimous consent at the UN General Assembly in 2000, included reducing world hunger by half and decreasing extreme poverty by 2015 as a primary agenda item. The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), comprising major developed countries, has also voiced its commitment to fulfilling its responsibilities for the realization of these Millennium Development Goals. Thus, the international community and developed nations are actively addressing world hunger as global public opinion expects. However, the question remains whether there is the will to implement these goals and commitments.

[Figure 1] Perception of Developed Nations' Responsibility for Global Poverty in 20 Countries (%)