ECONOMY: Poll Supports Govt Intervention in Crisis

• by Danielle Kurtzleben (washington)
• Wednesday, July 22, 2009
• Inter Press Service

The poll of over 18,000 people was conducted by WorldPublicOpinion.org, a programme of the University of Maryland's Programme on International Policy Attitudes, and represents a diverse group of 19 countries, as well as Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Macau.

Of the 22 populations polled, a majority or plurality of respondents said that their governments 'do not go far enough' in addressing the economic crisis. Among those most discontented with their governments' responses were Ukraine (85 percent), South Korea (80 percent), Poland (72 percent), and Kenya (71 percent). On average, 56 percent of those polled said their governments are not doing enough to address the economic crisis.

The U.S. and India stand out in the findings as countries in which the greatest proportion of respondents said that their governments were 'going too far' in their policies to counteract the economic crisis. Thirty-seven percent of Indians agreed with this statement, as well as 31 percent of U.S. citizens. In contrast, only 15 percent of the total respondents said their governments were doing too much.

Respondents in China were by far most satisfied with their government's policies, with 63 percent of respondents saying the Chinese government's response to the economic crisis is 'about right', and only 20 percent saying it is 'not going far enough'. On average, only 25 percent of the survey's total respondents said their governments were doing the 'about right' amount to counteract the effects of the economic downturn.

The survey also showed broad support for the proposition that governments 'should use public funds to help large manufacturers in trouble'. In 17 of the 22 populations, over 50 percent of respondents agreed with this statement, with respondents in Pakistan (77 percent), China (73 percent), Turkey (71 percent), and Mexico (59 percent) showing the most support.

Only five nations surveyed had fewer than 50 percent of respondents supporting public assistance to the manufacturing sector. U.S. respondents were most strongly opposed to such assistance; the U.S. was the only nation surveyed in which a majority of respondents – a whopping 70 percent – said the government should not assist manufacturers in trouble.

The U.S. also stood alone on the question of global financial regulation, as the only nation in which a majority of respondents (52 percent) said a global financial regulating body is a bad idea.

Though many respondents agreed that their governments needed to do more to counteract the global recession, they also largely recognised the U.S. as bearing the most responsibility for the global recession. Forty-nine percent of respondents said U.S. economic policies had contributed 'a lot' to the global recession, compared to the 42 percent of respondents who said that their own governments' economic policies had contributed 'a lot'.

The question of trade barriers created a more even split among the countries surveyed. Respondents in nations that trade heavily in manufactured goods – China, South Korea, Hong Kong, the U.S., and the EU nations of France, Germany, Great Britain and Poland – expressed disapproval towards temporary trade barriers, for fear that other countries would likewise erect their own barriers. In all, nine countries surveyed had a majority of respondents saying trade barriers are a bad idea.

In contrast, in eight countries surveyed, a majority of respondents supported temporary protectionist policies to protect their countries' industries. These populations tended to represent nations with less developed trading economies, like Nigeria, Egypt, and Turkey.

Taken together, the results of the survey seem to show reasonable responses to the global economic crisis. For example, Mark Weisbrot, co-director of the Centre for Economic Policy Research, a Washington-based economic policy research think tank, told IPS that it's not surprising that nations place blame on the U.S. for the economic crisis.

'I don't think there's any dispute over where the origin of the crisis is,' he said, adding that 'there's a lot of resentment...this is a crisis created by U.S. financial excesses, and developing countries are paying the price for it.'

Other results of the survey show publics largely attuned to their countries' economic situations and policies. As Stephen Weber of WorldPublicOpinion.org noted, 'Only in China and India, rare countries still on a growth track, do the public seem content with policy.'

Likewise, as Tony Avirgan of the Economic Policy Institute, another Washington-based economic policy think tank, told IPS, it is understandable that the populations of nations with large stakes in international trade oppose protectionist trade measures, while less developed countries support such measures.

However, the poll results also show that populations form these conclusions without necessarily having access to or understanding of sophisticated economic data.

'People don't see all the statistics and studies,' said Avirgan, citing the International Labour Organisation's estimate of 51 million more jobs to be lost by the end of 2009. Though most people do not know the raw numbers, he said, 'People do see members of their families and their neighbours losing their jobs.'

Therefore, Avirgan said, many of the survey's respondents are justified in their desire for more action from their governments.

'The fact is that governments haven't done nearly enough,' he said, adding that 'a lot of governments are hoping that the U.S. recovers and we'll go back to old times'.

'It's wrong for the rest of the world to wait,' he cautioned.

© Inter Press Service (2009) — All Rights ReservedOriginal source: Inter Press Service

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