2 June 2021

The Coalition for Global Prosperity and the British Foreign Policy Group recently polled 1500 swing voters across 30 constituencies over the period 1 April – 13 April 2021 around England to look at attitudes towards UK aid and the UK’s role in the world. Through this polling, we were able to see that voters truly believe that the UK’s national interest is served best by utilising a strong development policy as part of a diplomatic and defence mix. 

The first important statistic from this project was that when asked “Which, if any, foreign policy issues are most important to you when forming views of political parties?”, almost 25% said Climate Change, another 24% responded with Defence and Security, 23% highlighted international trade and then a quarter of respondents stated other reasons. We know that Climate Change will continue to be a significant issue for the international community after COVID and this reaffirms its importance to voters. 

With the issue of aid spending very firmly in the media and discussion in Westminster, when asked about what level of spending voters found acceptable for the UK’s aid commitments, 67% said that we should be spending the same amount or more than our closest allies. 

When asked to choose a response that best fits the statement “The UK as a world leader in international aid…” the responses were as follows: 

• Makes the UK a safer place to live: 69%

• Makes the world a safer place: 79%

• Helps the UK to achieve its foreign policy objectives: 86%

• Strengthens our trade and investment opportunities: 85%

• Shows the enduring strength of our values: 88%

• Sets us apart from other nations in a positive way: 84%