afrol News, 16 October - A new WorldPublicOpinion.org poll has revealed that majorities in all eight developed countries polled are willing to contribute funds necessary to cut hunger and severe poverty in half by year 2015, one of key Millennium Development Goals.

The poll also found that majorities in 19 out of 20 nations polled agree that developed countries "have a moral responsibility to help reduce hunger and severe poverty in poor countries." On average, according to poll results, eight in 10 say developed countries have such a responsibility.

Poll results, released on World Food Day, was conducted by WorldPublicOpinion.org, an international network of research centers managed by Programme on International Policy Attitudes (PIPA) at University of Maryland. Poll includes 16,370 respondents surveyed from July 15 through September 9, 2008, with poll managers saying margins of error range from +/-3 to 4 percent.

Interviews are said to have been conducted in 20 nations: Argentina, China, Egypt, France, Germany, Great Britain, India, Indonesia, Italy, Jordan, Kenya, Mexico, Nigeria, the Palestinian Territories, Russia, South Korea, Taiwan, Turkey, Ukraine, and the United States.

World Bank estimates that, in order to fullfill goal of cutting hunger and severe poverty, to half by 2015, states who are members of Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) will have to increase their aid together to $39 billion per year.

According to poll report, respondents in seven OECD member countries, plus Russia, were told how much it would cost each person in their country per year to meet this goal if the cost were shared among all of OECD countries. It further said they were also asked if they would be willing to pay that amount, assuming that people in other countries were willing to also pay their share.

"Majorities in every country polled say that they would be willing to pay the required amount, ranging from 54 percent in Russia to 86 percent in France. On average, 77 percent favor contributing to meet this goal, and only 17 percent are opposed," report said.

"This tells us that, when presented the actual, per-person cost of cutting hunger and severe poverty in half, people of developed countries are willing to spend what is necessary," Steven Kull, director of WorldPublicOpinion.org, commented.

By staff writer

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