Mixed Views About Providing Foreign Aid To Poorer Countries For HIV.

The American public overall does not appear to be a strong proponent for increased foreign aid to poorer countries for public health initiatives and to help with the prevention of disease including HIV/AIDS. While one-in-five (21%) U.S. adults believes the U.S. government spends about the right amount, twice that number (43%) thinks the government spends too much to help prevent disease and improve public health and one-quarter (23%) believes it does not spend enough. Furthermore, when asked specifically about providing foreign aid to poorer countries to help prevent and treat HIV/AIDS, just over a third (36%) of adults believe that the U.S. government does not spend enough.

However, Democrats and Independents are much more likely than Republicans to feel that the government does not spend enough to help poorer countries with these health initiatives.

Approximately three in 10 Democrats (31%) and Independents (29%) believe the U.S. government does not spend enough money to help prevent disease and improve public health in poorer countries, while only 11 percent of Republicans feel this way.
Forty-six percent of Democrats and 41 percent of Independents, compared to 21 percent of Republicans, believe the U.S. government does not spend enough money to help prevent and treat HIV/AIDS in poorer countries.
These are some of the results of a Harris Interactive® online survey of 2,547 U.S. adults conducted between June 23 and 27, 2005 for The Wall Street Journal Online’s Health Industry Edition.

Restricted vs. unrestricted foreign aid for HIV/AIDS prevention

A plurality of adults (47%) believe the U.S. government should allow other countries to decide how aid dollars for the prevention of HIV/AIDS are best spent based on their own experience and understanding of what works best in their countries. Approximately one-third (32%) believes the U.S. government should have the right to set limits on how its aid dollars are spent by other governments, while another one-in-five (21%) believes the U.S. government should not be in the business of funding any HIV/AIDS prevention programs outside the United States.

Democrats and Independents appear to have a different point of view than Republicans as to how foreign aid dollars for HIV/AIDS are awarded. While majorities of Democrats (52%) and Independents (59%) tend to support unrestricted foreign aid, a plurality of Republicans (45%) tend to believe the U.S. government should have the right to set restrictions on how its monetary assistance is spent by other countries.

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For more information at http://www.harrisinteractive.com