“It is extremely encouraging that the confidence the Swedes have in aid generally is greater than ever. It is particularly pleasing that this increased confidence applies to both Swedish agencies, such as Sida, and civil society, and to international organisations, such as the UN and the EU,” says Charlotte Petri Gornitzka, Director-General of Sida.
The survey is carried out every year by Statistics Sweden, on behalf of Sida, and reflects the Swedes’ attitudes and knowledge about development and aid.
This year, more questions were included about the Swedes’ view of the state of the world. The responses show that Swedes see the world as similar to how it was 20–30 years ago. Only 4.2 per cent of Swedes are aware that 80 per cent of people in Tanzania can read and write; only 6.5 per cent know that the average life expectancy in Vietnam is 75 years; only 7.5 per cent know that 10 per cent of Kenyan children die before they are five years of age; and only 5.3 per cent know that women in Bangladesh, on average, give birth to 2.5 children.
“Developments in the world have advanced positively in recent decades. Much remains to be done, however, before we have a world free of poverty, but we can see major progress in areas such as growth, education and child survival,” says Charlotte Petri Gornitzka.
Awareness is high (over 90 per cent), of the fact that Sweden supports efforts in the event of disasters and conflicts and measures that improve health and education. When Swedes were asked what topics they felt were important for development, the top answers (75 per cent) were peace and education. Democracy and health care then follow, at nearly 60 per cent. Twenty-five percent of people believe that aid and climate/environmental issues are important, while only 15 per cent believe in free trade in this context.
Sixty per cent of Swedes think that the amount of aid given is correct or should increase, while nearly thirty per cent think it should be reduced or discontinued altogether. These numbers have been relatively steady since 2005.
