Authors

• Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland. Department for International Development Cooperation

Keywords

aid, developing countries, development aid (international), development policy, information sources, international cooperation, public expenditure, trade policy, voluntary organizations

Abstract

The survey charted Finnish public opinion on the country's development cooperation. The respondents were asked which geographical area of the world should be the main target of Finnish development aid, and why. Opinions on the most important goals and areas (e.g. education, health care, industry) for development aid were surveyed. Views were probed on the interrelationship between trade policy and development cooperation policy. Further questions covered the availability of information on development cooperation and developing countries, and the reliability of information given by the authorities, voluntary organisations and the media. The main information sources on this issue were surveyed.

The respondents were asked to estimate how much Finland spent on development co-operation annually (as per cent of the GNI), and how much should be spent. Satisfaction with the velocity, volume and targets of Finnish relief aid, and opinions on business ethics in development cooperation were studied. One theme focused on developmental partnerships: is bilateral aid provided by the Finnish government more effective than multilateral aid channelled through the UN or other international organizations. Views on the Tobin tax, and familiarity with the UN Millennium Project and its goals were investigated.

Background variables included the respondents' age, gender, economic activity, occupational group, education, household gross income, type of the place of residence, region of residence, and whether the respondent had ever visited developing countries.