Cypriots show strong support of ending world poverty

Respondents in Cyprus are the bloc’s strongest supporters of EU development aid to tackle climate change and promote education in partner countries, according to a new Eurobarometer survey.

The survey, carried out between February and March 2022 and made public ahead of European Development Days being held in Brussels on Tuesday and Wednesday, also showed very strong support in Cyprus for EU action to reduce poverty around the world.

Public opinion on the island also backed the EU donating Covid-19 vaccines to partner countries and supporting them in going digital.

Announcing the results, the European Commission said the survey on development cooperation showed widespread support in the EU for working with countries around the world.

As regards Cyprus, the survey showed respondents here have become more positive about development aid since November‐December 2020 and are among the most positive in the EU.

Almost all respondents in Cyprus (98 per cent) think it is important to partner with countries outside the EU to reduce poverty around the world, the second highest proportion in the EU and higher than the EU average of 80 per cent. This percentage represents a slight increase compared to November‐December 2020 (+2 percentage points).

Agreement that tackling poverty in partner countries should be one of the main priorities of the EU is almost universal (97 per cent). It is considerably higher than the EU average of 80 per cent and up five percentage points since November‐December 2020.

In fact, in Cyprus more than six in ten (62 per cent) say they “totally agree” ‐ the highest level of any Member State. A large majority (78 per cent) thinks tackling poverty in partner countries should be one of the main priorities of the national government, an increase of eight points since 2020 and notably higher than the EU average of 67 per cent.

Almost all (98 per cent) respondents in Cyprus think it is important that the EU tackles climate change and its effects in partner countries (vs the EU average of 89 per cent). This is the highest level of any Member State and represents an increase of six percentage points since 2020.

Nine in ten respondents (90 per cent) in Cyprus think that it is important for the EU to donate Covid‐19 vaccines to partner countries, which is slightly higher than the EU average of 86 per cent.

Almost half (49 per cent) in Cyprus think that the EU is currently successful in driving positive sustainable change around the world in terms of addressing climate change.

At 95 per cent, the proportion of respondents in Cyprus who think it is important the EU supports partner countries in going digital is the highest of any Member State, and considerably higher than the EU average 79 per cent.

The proportion that agrees promoting education for all in partner countries should be one of the main priorities of the EU is also the highest of any EU Member State (99 per cent vs the EU average of 91 cent).