(29 February 2016) – New figures show that almost nine out of ten EU citizens support development aid (89% – a 4 percentage point increase since 2014.)
The survey was held towards the end of 2015, which was the European Year for Development. One of the goals of the European Year for Development was to increase the awareness of citizens about how EU development aid works and where the money is spent.
Figures show that increases in the proportion of people who think tackling poverty in developing countries should be one of the main priorities of the EU (up five percentage points to 69%) and of national governments (up five percentage points to 50%).
Almost seven out of ten respondents supported an increase of development aid delivered by the EU (68%) – a higher percentage than in recent years.
Meanwhile, more than one third of Europeans have heard or read about the Sustainable Development Goals (36%). This compares with just 22% who said that they had heard about the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in the 2013 Eurobarometer survey.