Q. As far as you know, about how much of the Federal Budget is spent on foreign aid?
| Nov’20 | Jun’17 | Jun’15 | Jul’11 | |
| Less than 1% | 6% | 10% | 13% | 7% |
| About 1% | 8% | 9% | 11% | 8% |
| About 2% | 13% | 15% | 14% | 17% |
| About 5% | 16% | 10% | 10% | 11% |
| More than 5% | 17% | 12% | 9% | 16% |
| Don’t know | 39% | 44% | 43% | 41% |
| Total | Gender | Age Group | Federal Voting Intention | |||||||||
| Male | Female | 18-34 | 35-54 | 55+ | Labor | TOTAL: Coalition | Greens | TOTAL: Other | ||||
| Less than 1% | 6% | 9% | 4% | 5% | 6% | 7% | 7% | 5% | 11% | 7% | ||
| About 1% | 8% | 11% | 4% | 11% | 7% | 6% | 7% | 8% | 17% | 6% | ||
| About 2% | 13% | 17% | 10% | 17% | 11% | 13% | 15% | 16% | 13% | 11% | ||
| About 5% | 16% | 19% | 13% | 23% | 15% | 12% | 15% | 18% | 14% | 21% | ||
| More than 5% | 17% | 15% | 19% | 13% | 23% | 15% | 15% | 18% | 9% | 29% | ||
| Don’t know | 39% | 29% | 49% | 31% | 38% | 47% | 41% | 35% | 36% | 25% | ||
| Base (n) | 1,034 | 528 | 506 | 329 | 320 | 385 | 322 | 430 | 88 | 107 | ||
Q. Do you think Australia spends too much or too little on foreign aid?
| Nov’20 | Jun’17 | Jun’15 | Jul’11 | |
| Spends too much | 37% | 41% | 44% | 42% |
| Spends too little | 16% | 16% | 16% | 16% |
| Spends about the right amount | 23% | 19% | 21% | 21% |
| Don’t know | 24% | 24% | 19% | 21% |
| Total | Gender | Age Group | Federal Voting Intention | |||||||||
| Male | Female | 18-34 | 35-54 | 55+ | Labor | TOTAL: Coalition | Greens | TOTAL: Other | ||||
| Spends too much | 37% | 37% | 37% | 27% | 42% | 39% | 30% | 43% | 17% | 52% | ||
| Spends too little | 16% | 20% | 13% | 24% | 14% | 13% | 22% | 11% | 29% | 15% | ||
| Spends about the right amount | 23% | 27% | 18% | 23% | 19% | 26% | 23% | 27% | 27% | 15% | ||
| Don’t know | 24% | 16% | 32% | 26% | 25% | 22% | 25% | 19% | 26% | 18% | ||
| Base (n) | 1,034 | 528 | 506 | 329 | 320 | 385 | 322 | 430 | 88 | 107 | ||
| Total | ||||||||
| Less than 1% | 1% to 5% | Over 5% | Don’t know | |||||
| Spends too much | 37% | 23% | 31% | 68% | 31% | |||
| Spends too little | 16% | 48% | 28% | 5% | 5% | |||
| Spends about the right amount | 23% | 25% | 33% | 21% | 14% | |||
| Don’t know | 24% | 4% | 9% | 6% | 50% | |||
| Base (n) | 1,034 | 70 | 408 | 169 | 387 | |||
Q. And do you think Australia spends too much or too little on foreign aid?
|
Total |
Vote Labor |
Vote Lib/Nat |
Vote Greens |
Vote Other |
Spend 1% or less |
Spend about 2% |
Spend 5% or more |
Don’t know spend |
Jul 2011 |
||||
|
Spends too much |
44% |
45% |
50% |
12% |
59% |
26% |
45% |
66% |
43% |
42% |
|||
|
Spends too little |
16% |
22% |
7% |
46% |
16% |
39% |
16% |
9% |
7% |
16% |
|||
|
Spends about the right amount |
21% |
17% |
30% |
13% |
12% |
26% |
31% |
20% |
14% |
21% |
|||
|
Don’t know |
19% |
16% |
13% |
29% |
12% |
9% |
9% |
4% |
36% |
21% |
44% (up 2% since 2011) think Australia spends too much on foreign aid, 21% (no change) about the right amount and 16% (no change) too little.
Opinions are strongly related to perceptions of how much is spent. Those who think Australia spends a higher percentage of the budget are much more likely to think the spend is too much. Those that most accurately estimate the actual spend (around 1% or less) were more likely to think the spend was too little (39%).
Q. In your opinion, how important is it that Australia gives foreign aid to the following countries and regions?
|
Total very/ somewhat important |
Very important |
Somewhat important |
Not very important |
Not at all important |
Don’t know |
||
|
Pacific island countries |
66% |
24% |
42% |
14% |
10% |
10% |
|
|
Papua New Guinea |
65% |
24% |
41% |
14% |
11% |
10% |
|
|
South East Asia countries |
50% |
13% |
37% |
23% |
16% |
12% |
|
|
African countries |
50% |
13% |
37% |
20% |
19% |
11% |
|
|
Indonesia |
39% |
10% |
29% |
24% |
27% |
11% |
|
|
Middle east countries |
26% |
6% |
20% |
27% |
35% |
12% |
About two thirds of respondents think foreign aid to the Pacific islands and Papua New Guinea is very or somewhat important.
About half think aid to South East Asia and Africa is very/somewhat important.
Aid to Indonesia and the Middle East is considered less important.
2% deficit levy, budget 2014, foreign aid, HELP debt, Labor Opposition
Q. Do you think the Labor Opposition should vote for or against the following budget decisions?
|
Vote for |
Vote against |
Don’t know |
|
| A 2% deficit levy on earnings over $180,000 |
73% |
13% |
14% |
| Foreign aid frozen at current levels for two years, helping save $7.6 billion over five years |
65% |
22% |
12% |
| University graduates to repay HELP debt once they earn $50,638 (reduced from $53,345) |
64% |
25% |
11% |
| A six-month waiting period for those under-30 before they can access the dole (Newstart) |
47% |
41% |
12% |
| Cut 16,500 full-time jobs from the public service in the next 3 years |
36% |
49% |
15% |
| A $120M cut to the ABC’s budget |
32% |
47% |
21% |
| $7 Medicare co-payment for all visits to the GP, with this money to be used to fund a Medical Research Future Fund. |
32% |
61% |
8% |
| Cut public funding for university courses by 20% |
28% |
57% |
16% |
| Eligibility for the age pension to rise to 70 by 2035 |
27% |
62% |
10% |
| Deregulation of university fees (meaning universities can set their own tuition fees) |
23% |
63% |
15% |
A majority think that Labor should vote for the 2% deficit levy (73%), freezing foreign aid (65%) and reducing the income level at which students repay debt (64%).
A majority think that Labor should vote against deregulation of university fees (63%), raising the pension age (62%), the $7 Medicare copayment (61%) and cutting university funding (57%).
They were more divided over the other issues, but tended to support the six-month waiting period for under 30’s to access the dole (47% for/41% against) and tended to oppose cutting the public service (36%/49%) and cutting funds to the ABC (32%/47%).
foreign aid, Government spending, private schools, reduce spending, the arts
If “Reduce spending” or “both” –
Q. In which of the following areas should the Government reduce spending?
|
Total |
|
Vote Labor |
Vote Lib/Nat |
Vote Greens |
Vote other |
|
13 Aug 13 |
|
| Foreign aid |
79% |
72% |
83% |
56% |
92% |
76% |
||
| The arts |
70% |
64% |
75% |
44% |
61% |
70% |
||
| Private schools |
65% |
76% |
57% |
68% |
70% |
59% |
||
| Subsidies for business |
61% |
59% |
62% |
70% |
57% |
59% |
||
| Welfare support |
44% |
31% |
54% |
46% |
37% |
43% |
||
| Support for manufacturing industries |
43% |
34% |
46% |
46% |
34% |
32% |
||
| Defence |
38% |
47% |
31% |
68% |
36% |
34% |
||
| The environment |
36% |
32% |
41% |
6% |
45% |
36% |
||
| Border security |
23% |
33% |
12% |
60% |
27% |
18% |
||
| Universities |
23% |
24% |
26% |
16% |
17% |
18% |
||
| Public transport |
15% |
18% |
13% |
20% |
16% |
14% |
||
| Roads |
12% |
15% |
9% |
12% |
16% |
12% |
||
| Pensions |
12% |
13% |
12% |
6% |
13% |
9% |
||
| Public schools |
9% |
8% |
10% |
8% |
13% |
9% |
||
| Health and hospitals |
8% |
10% |
9% |
7% |
6% |
5% |
Of those who think spending should be reduced, 79% think spending on foreign aid should be reduced, 70% the arts, 65% private schools and 61% subsidies for business.
The areas least likely to be nominated for spending cuts were health and hospitals, public schools, pensions and roads.
Since this question was asked in August, the percentage thinking that spending on support for manufacturing industries should be reduced has increased from 32% to 43%.
13 August 2013, 130813, business, environment, foreign aid, government spending reduce, the arts
If “Reduce spending” or “both” –
Q. In which of the following areas should the Government reduce spending?
|
Total |
|
Vote Labor |
Vote Lib/Nat |
Vote Greens |
|
| Foreign aid |
76% |
72% |
82% |
43% |
|
| The arts |
70% |
65% |
76% |
29% |
|
| Subsidies for business |
59% |
65% |
57% |
58% |
|
| Private schools |
59% |
63% |
56% |
38% |
|
| Welfare support |
43% |
33% |
53% |
17% |
|
| The environment |
36% |
22% |
49% |
12% |
|
| Defence |
34% |
36% |
30% |
68% |
|
| Support for manufacturing industries |
32% |
31% |
34% |
37% |
|
| Border security |
18% |
18% |
17% |
43% |
|
| Universities |
18% |
12% |
25% |
9% |
|
| Public transport |
14% |
11% |
18% |
14% |
|
| Roads |
12% |
10% |
11% |
33% |
|
| Public schools |
9% |
7% |
12% |
12% |
|
| Pensions |
9% |
6% |
11% |
15% |
|
| Health and hospitals |
5% |
6% |
5% |
9% |
Of those who think spending should be reduced, 76% think spending on foreign aid should be reduced, 70% the arts, 59% subsidies for business and 59% private schools.
The areas least likely to be nominated for spending cuts were health and hospitals, pensions and public schools.
08 May 2012, 080512, 3q, 3Q Ep11, Aid, Ep 11, foreign aid, Tim O’Connor, UNICEF
With Treasurer Wayne Swan reaching deep to produce his promised Budget surplus, foreign aid has become one of the victims.
The Government’s long standing promise to increase aid will happen but it will be delayed for another year. Currently Australia allocates just 0.35 per cent of National Gross Income — or 35c for every $100. The change means that by 2015-16, it will increase to 50c in every dollar. It’s still a long way from the top global donor, Norway, which gives $1.10 out of every $100 of its national income to the world’s poor.
Tim O’Connor from UNICEF tells 3Q Australia rates poorly compared with the rest of the world, ranking 13th out of 23 OECD nations. The delay in increasing funding has been criticised by aid groups and according to UNICEF it will cost lives.