Public opinion in G7 countries on international partnerships
Published on 29/05/2026.
AFD–IFOP Survey
As of January 1, 2026, France holds the rotating presidency of the G7 and will host the G7 Heads of State Summit in Evian from June 15 to 17, 2026. The meeting will focus on major global challenges, with particular attention to global imbalances, including macroeconomic ones.
In the lead-up to this major international event, the French Development Agency (AFD) conducted a survey to assess public opinion across G7 countries on international partnerships. The survey was conducted in collaboration with the French polling institute IFOP from April 3 to 7, 2026, among representative samples of the adult population in each of the seven G7 countries (1,000 respondents per country).
The findings analyzed in this article reflect the views, knowledge, and perceptions of citizens from seven major advanced economies regarding development policies and the principle of international solidarity: Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
Engagement with international news
High awareness and strong interest in global issues
Across the seven G7 countries, 73% of respondents report having a “strong interest in international news” (68% in the US – 85% in Italy).
When asked to rank a list of international issues (economy, climate, security, poverty and global inequalities, migration, etc.), two levels of priorities emerge. At the first level, respondents identified the economy (60%), wars and conflicts (58%) and other security issues (56%), malnutrition (50%), and climate change (47%) as key concerns.
At a second level of priority, a range of other issues appear to be perceived as an undifferentiated whole, suggesting partial or limited understanding of these issues, their priority, and their consequences. The gap between the lowest-ranked issue, “disinformation and opinion manipulation campaigns” (40% – 26% in Japan), and “global poverty and inequalities” (46% – 27% in Japan – 74% in Italy) is a mere 6 percentage points.
High levels of concern regarding developing countries, coupled with awareness of global interconnectedness
According to the survey results, 65% of respondents report feeling “concerned” about the challenges faced by developing countries (46% in Japan – 76% in the United States).
Concurrently, an average of 64% of respondents recognize the extent to which countries are interconnected. They believe that what happens in developing countries could have a “significant impact” on their own lives (52% in Germany – 74% in Japan).
Perceptions of international cooperation
A favorable outlook on international cooperation policies
When presented with a range of possible definitions of “international cooperation policy,” 78% of respondents on average (71% in France – 93% in Italy) view it primarily as a “long-term investment in the interest of citizens” (including those in donor countries), given the interconnected nature of the world.
The second most selected definition is that of a “moral obligation” (73% – 70% in Italy).
In third and fourth place (both at 71%), international cooperation is regarded as a means to address global challenges:
- environmental issues: managing natural resources
- health issues: limiting the global spread of infectious diseases
Managing migration flows and the idea of a “charitable act” both receive 65% support. In contrast, the notion that international cooperation is a “waste of public money” is the least selected perception (49% – 40% in Italy – 57% in France).
Strong support for international law
Across the seven countries, 86% of respondents emphasize respect for international law as a key obligation of their country.
This is followed by the need to “protect oneself first” economically (83%), and to “cooperate with as many countries as possible” (80%).
Despite growing conflicts, having a “strong military” ranks only fifth out of six priorities (73% – 41% in Japan – 83% in Italy).
Half of G7 citizens are familiar with Official Development Assistance (ODA)
Across the seven countries, 50% of respondents (42% in Canada – 66% in Japan) correctly identify ODA as public financing provided to developing countries in the form of grants or loans.
The other half (50%) select incorrect definitions, suggesting that only half of G7 citizens are familiar with the basic principles of development policy.
Widespread misperceptions regarding the share of national wealth for international cooperation
When asked about the share of national budgets allocated to international cooperation, only 2% of respondents provided the correct answer: that it is less than 1%.
The distribution of responses indicates a significant misunderstanding of the scale of public spending in this area:
- 36% (24% in Italy – 47% in the United States) believe their country allocates more than 20% of its budget
- Around one quarter (17% in the US – 41% in Italy) estimate it to be between 1% and 5%.
47% of G7 citizens feel informed about international cooperation policies
This proportion varies significantly across countries, partly explaining the limited understanding of these policies.
France records the lowest percentage of respondents who feel informed (28%), while the United States has the highest (62%), with a gap of 34 percentage points with France and 31 points with Japan.
Support for international cooperation
75% support assistance to developing countries
On average, three-quarters of respondents support their country providing aid to developing countries, with a gap of up to 19 percentage points between countries.
France has the lowest support rate (66%) while Italy has the highest (84%).
A majority favor maintaining current ODA budgets
Across the G7, 54% of respondents (46% in the UK – 71% in Japan) support maintaining current ODA spending levels.
A smaller share (13% – 4% in Japan – 19% in Italy) favors increasing it, while one-third (16% in Italy – 44% in Germany) believes it should be reduced.
The importance of transparency and tangible results
Two key drivers emerge for strengthening public support:
- being informed about how funds are used (81% – 90% in Italy)
- seeing concrete results on the ground (79% – 90% in Italy)
In other words, the principle of international cooperation is not contested, but citizens are demanding greater transparency and accountability.
Demonstrating the benefits for donor countries (“showing usefulness for our own country”) is less frequently cited (75%), as is focusing aid on a limited number of priorities (68% – 58% in the UK – 75% in Italy).
Perceptions of effectiveness vary widely
On average, 60% of respondents consider support to developing countries to be effective.
However, perceptions vary significantly: from 37% in France to 52% in the UK, compared to 66% in Canada, 68% in the United States, and 69% in Japan.
Perceived benefits of development finance
Development finance is primarily seen as strengthening donor countries’ international influence (63% – 56% in France – 69% in Japan) and contributing to global health (59% – 55% in Germany – 65% in Italy).
Its impact on donor economies or migration is less widely recognized (45% – 35% in the UK – 58% in Italy).
The G7 is seen as a relevant platform for action
46% of respondents (36% in France – 53% in Canada) consider the G7 framework to be the most relevant for international cooperation.
Only 20% (11% in Italy – 25% in the US) prioritize the national level.
It is noteworthy that 22% (15% in Italy – 29% in Japan) are unable to answer, indicating a lack of understanding regarding the operation of global cooperation mechanisms.
Strong opposition to disengagement from multilateral cooperation
A large majority (78%) believe that disengagement by major powers from multilateral frameworks (ODA, WHO, Paris Agreement, etc.) would have significant consequences.
This reflects strong support for multilateralism, even if not explicitly named.
Disapproval is particularly high regarding:
- reductions in ODA (55%)
- dismantling of USAID (61%)
- withdrawal from international agreements (63%)
In response to disengagement by European countries and the United States:
- 72% support a greater role for emerging countries (China, India, Brazil, Turkey)
- 66% support a greater role for major private foundations (e.g. Gates Foundation)
Geographic and sectoral priorities
Sub-Saharan Africa as the top priority
Respondents prioritize Central and West Africa (16% – 11% in Canada & the US – 29% in Italy), followed by anglophone and lusophone African countries (13% – 3% in Japan – 19% in the US).
Neighboring regions (Eastern Europe, Balkans, Caucasus, Turkey) rank third (12% – 4% in Japan – 18% in France & Canada).
Peace and stability as the top policy priority
Peace and global stability are identified as the primary priority (35% – 28% in Canada – 46% in Japan).
Strengthening G7 countries’ international role comes second (21% – 17% in Germany & Italy – 24% in Canada).
Issues such as inequality, climate change, and access to international markets are ranked at similar levels.
Citizens are most willing to engage on issues such as hunger and natural disasters
Regardless of the type of action (petitions, donations, etc.), when asked to choose from a list of eleven international causes, respondents in G7 countries ranked “combating hunger and malnutrition ” (68%—53% in Japan) and “natural disasters” (67%—58% in Japan) as the two issues most likely to garner their support.
These results are consistent across all surveyed countries, except in Japan. Tied for third or fourth place are global health issues (epidemics/health crises) and issues of “poverty and inequality worldwide.”
This question regarding personal commitment differs from questions about what international cooperation should be. When looking at what is likely to generate personal commitment, issues related to armed conflict rank second to last (56% – 43% in Japan – 67% in Italy), just ahead of migration issues (53% – 38% in Japan – 67% in Italy).
