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Overview of public opinion and awareness about the MDGs
Key messages:
> There is higher recognition of the MDGs in countries where there has been a public campaign on the MDGs (see Figure 1).
Sources: Special Eurobarometers 280 (2007) and 222 (2005), European Commission; Focus Canada, Environics Research Group (2004), Canadian Attitudes toward Development Assistance, Ottawa.
> In Belgium, Sweden and the Netherlands the jump in recognition between 2004-2007 is due to more active communication about the MDGs around the time of the UN summit in 2005.
> There is a large gap between the level of recognition of the MDGs in the Netherlands and Sweden compared to France and UK. In the case of the UK the unprecedented public debate and communication about aid/trade/debt in 2005 was not explicitly linked to the MDGs. This may be an explanatory factor for the gap.
> People over the age of 45; the highly educated; higher salaries; who are school students (MDGs in lessons) and know about the official aid programme are slightly more likely to have heard about the MDGs (Table 2). The UN Millennium Campaign Survey conducted by Globescan finds a similar trend with age.
Table 2. Demographics: which groups are more aware of the MDGs?
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Country
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Groups most aware of the MDGs
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Explanation
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Finland
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Middle-aged (40-49 year olds)
Highest education
High school students
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Students: MDGs in school lessons
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Denmark
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Elderly
Highest education
Highest earners
High school students
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Students: MDGs in school lessons
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Sweden
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Elderly
Highest education
High school students
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Students: MDGs in school lessons
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Netherlands
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Women are more optimistic than men about the likelihood of achieving the goals
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Belgium
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Youth from 11 years of age, people engaged with NGOs
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Canada
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University degree
Already knowledgeable about the aid programme
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UK
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University degree
Already knowledgeable about DFID;
Certain regions (London and Northern Ireland)
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Why is it higher in Northern Ireland? Has an MDG campaign taken place there?
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Italy
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45 years and older;
regions
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In the central region more people had heard (53%). The campaign was most active there.
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Sources: Canada: Focus Canada, Environics Research Group (2004), Canadian Attitudes toward Development Assistance, Ottawa; Nordics: Catinét (2007) Millennium Development Goals 2015, UNDP, Copenhagen; Netherlands: Motivaction (2007) Barometer Internationale Samenwerking 2007, NCDO, Amsterdam, Motivaction (2006) Barometer Internationale Samenwerking 2006, NCDO, Amsterdam; Italy: Millward BorwnDelfo (2006), Gli Italiani e la lotta alla povertà, Prepared for: CINI, unpublished; UK: TNS Consumer (2007), Public Attitudes Towards Development, forthcoming.
Next: Sustaining public recognition of the MDGs is a challenge
Previous: Key findings: comparison of four MDG campaigns
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