People underestimate global advances in quality of life and are pessimistic about the future

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Sep 19, 2017, 06:00 ET

WASHINGTON, Sept. 19, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Most people in developed nations have very low levels of knowledge about international development progress. They believe conditions around the world have gotten worse when, in fact, they have markedly improved. This illustrates a critical messaging challenge for foreign aid organizations because people who understand the success of development are the most optimistic about continued progress. These are the findings from a 28-country study conducted by Ipsos with the Gates Foundation to examine public awareness of, and perceptions toward, the global progress made battling poverty, immunizations, infant mortality and other public health issues.

Among the findings from our 28-country study are:

Most citizens in donor countries believe that living conditions in the developing world are worsening when most data – including the Gates Foundation Goalkeepers Report – shows marked progress toward meeting development goals;
Furthermore, few people in donor countries expect the quality of economic opportunities, health, or education in the world's poorest countries to improve over the next 15 years;
Most people in donor countries (significantly) overestimate the amount of money their governments spend on development aid;
However, among respondents who are best informed about development progress, optimism increases.

Taking low understanding of the facts of development with poor expectations for future progress and combining it with an overinflated sense of how much is being spent on aid, it comes as little surprise that most donor countries struggle to generate support for aid spending. Moving forward, advocates for aid – including the Sustainable Development Goals – should consider balancing the urgency and importance of the mission with a sense of hopefulness about the progress already made.

For more information contact Chris Jackson, Vice President, Ipsos Public Affairs at [email protected]

For study methodology details, visit https://www.ipsos.com/en-us/global-perceptions-development-progress-perils-perceptions-research

Ipsos is an independent market research company controlled and managed by research professionals. Founded in France in 1975, Ipsos has grown into a worldwide research group with a strong presence in all key markets.

Ipsos delivers insightful expertise across five research specializations: brand, advertising and media; customer loyalty; marketing; public affairs research; and survey management.
Ipsos researchers assess market potential and interpret market trends. They develop and build brands.

They help clients build long-term relationships with their customers. They test advertising and study audience responses to various media and they measure public opinion around the globe.

SOURCE Ipsos