Global Pulse Blog

The Kaiser Family Foundation has released its latest global health survey, Views on the U.S. Role in Global Health Update. This report explores opinions of the American public on US efforts and policies aimed at improving the health of people in developing nations. The poll found that the majority of Americans support continuing current US spending to improve the health of resource-limited nations, with 32% of the public supporting maintaining spending and 34% supporting increasing spending. A quarter of respondents were leery of the economic conditions of the times and felt that the country was spending too much on health abroad. 58% of respondents felt that efforts should focus on building health infrastructure compared to 36% who felt that it is important to emphasize efforts towards eliminating specific diseases like malaria and HIV.  Reflecting our globalized world, 55% felt that money spent to improve the health of developing nations also impacts the health of Americans in the US. When asked whether US global health funding should be administered directly by the US or via coordinated international efforts, 45% believe that it is best for the US to directly provide aid on its own while 43% felt that international efforts through organizations like the Global Fund are more effective. Additional findings and data as well as information on US Global Health Policy is available from the Kaiser Family Foundation.