No Broad U.S. Support for More Health Aid to Poor Countries; Support Greater for Global AIDS Prevention Funding, Poll Shows
Most U.S. residents do not support boosting foreign aid to fight disease and improve public health in developing countries, according to a Wall Street Journal Online/Harris Interactive health care poll, the Wall Street Journal reports. According to the online survey, which Harris Interactive conducted June 23-27 among 2,547 adults in the United States, 43% of respondents said they believe the United States spends too much money on public health aid to foreign countries, while 21% said the government spends the right amount and 23% said the government does not spend enough. Thirty-six percent of respondents said the United States does not spend enough money on HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment funding for developing countries, 24% said they feel the government currently spends too much on HIV/AIDS abroad, and 25% said the United States spends the right amount on such efforts. In addition, 47% of respondents said that recipient countries should be able to decide how to spend grants to fight HIV/AIDS, while 32% said they believe the U.S. government should set conditions for donations, such as awarding aid only to countries that use the money for abstinence education instead of condom distribution programs. People who identified themselves as Democrats or Independents were more likely than Republicans to support unrestricted aid. Twenty-one percent of respondents said the United States should not give any money to HIV/AIDS prevention programs in other countries (Bright, Wall Street Journal,, 7/6).
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