A public opinion tracking survey commissioned by Global Affairs Canada revealed fewer than half of Canadians think taxpayer money should fund international aid.
The survey—which was conducted online by EKOS Research Associations Inc. between Jan. 16 and Feb. 3 and involved 3,059 nationwide respondents—also revealed support has declined since last year.
According to the poll, fewer than half of Canadians (44%) think Canada should spend more money on international aid because it is morally right, decreasing from 48% in 2022.
Moreover, most Canadians also doubt their contributions are impactful.
“When asked to what extent they think various organizations are able to make a difference in reducing poverty in poor countries, findings reveal that Canadians feel many of these organizations can make a difference in reducing world poverty, but are less confident in the Government of Canada’s capacity and their own ability to make an impact in this area,” the report said.
Only 42% of Canadians believe the Canadian government can help reduce world poverty, while 12% think they can personally make an impact as individuals.
The survey also shows Canadians are split on whether the government should increase or decrease its spending on international aid.
One-third of Canadians (33%) say the government should spend more on international aid, down from 37% in 2022. On the other hand, one-quarter of Canadians (25%) say the government should spend less on international aid. The remaining third say the amount should stay the same.
Last year, the federal government pledged $8.15 billion for international aid efforts. Global Affairs Canada was recently slammed by Auditor General Karen Hogan for losing track of billions in bilateral aid for “gender-equality outcomes.” According to Hogan, the federal government provided no progress on any of its spending.
Additionally, Ottawa was forced to recently axe a cultural exchange program after it was revealed that funds were dedicated towards putting on senior sex theatrical performances and sex toy exhibitions abroad.
When asked about the top issues for international aid spending, Canadians ranked providing clean drinking water (44%), education (39%), and health care (37%) as the three most important. The results were consistent with last year’s, noted researchers.
However, the survey also revealed that Canadians have doubts about the effectiveness and accountability of international aid.
Twenty-nine percent of Canadians believe government spending on global aid didn’t achieve results, up slightly from 26% in 2022.
“Despite generally positive views on international aid, Canadians also continue to express some fairly negative views about certain aspects of international aid,” wrote researchers.
Meanwhile, 42% of Canadians doubted the effectiveness of government spending, and more than half agreed with the sentiment that a lot of international aid funding benefits corrupt politicians in the developing world (56%), and that it does not actually help people living in poverty (54%).
