Development Cooperation Survey 2002

The survey charts Finnish opinion on the country's development co-operation, its objectives, allocation and successfulness. Respondents were asked which geographical area of the world they think should be the main target of the co-operation and why. They were asked to choose the three most important fields for Finland's co-operation (e.g. education, communications, forestry, democracy) and three main goals (e.g. promote peace, reduce poverty, prevent population growth, increase equality). Views on the causes of African poverty, improvement options and the future of African countries were probed. Opinions on the relationship between Finland's trade policy and development co-operation policy were canvassed. One theme covered the Africa 2002 campaign organized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Several questions were asked about respondents' awareness of any events or television programmes connected with the campaign or their participation in them and what was the effect of the campaign on their knowledge and interest in Africa and development co-operation. Some questions asked whether there is enough information available of development co-operation and developing countries and from which sources respondents had received most information. Respondents evaluated the reliability of the information given by authorities, civil society groups and the media. They were also asked whether they know how much money Finland spends on development co-operation annually (as per cent of the GNI) and how much should be spent. The survey also probed views on how actively Finland promotes development issues in international forums and on the efficiency and successfulness of the country's development co-operation. One theme covered the satisfaction with disaster relief given by Finland, its speed, amount and targets. Respondents also compared the development co-operation of the civil society groups to that of the government. Opinions on whether development co-operation should be bilateral or multilateral were canvassed, likewise opinions on how ethically Finnish firms should act in developing countries. Background variables included respondents' age, sex, economic activity, marital status, occupation of the household member with highest income, household monthly gross income, household size and four regional variables.