A majority or plurality in nearly every nation polled faults their government for not doing enough to remedy the economic crisis. Across all nations, an average of 56 percent say their "government's efforts to address the current economic crisis do not go far enough;" 25 percent say they "are about right"; and only 15 percent say these efforts "go too far."
The notable exceptions to the desire for governments to do more are the Chinese public (63% feel government efforts "are about right") and India, where as many think efforts "go too far" (37%) as think they "do not go far enough" (36%; 21% say "about right").
"People around the world want more robust action from their governments in the face of the economic crisis", says Stephen Weber of WorldPublicOpinion.org. "Only in China and India, rare countries still on a growth track, do the public seem content with policy."
Government action to provide financial support for large industries in trouble is widely supported, with majorities in most nations taking the position that "if they fail it damages the general economy and too many people lose their jobs." The American public, alone among nations polled, opposes government financial intervention.
WorldPublicOpinion.org conducted the poll of 18,066 respondents between April 4 and June 12, 2009 (margins of error +/- 3-4%) in 19 nations that comprise 62 percent of the world's population (China, India, the United States, Indonesia, Nigeria, Pakistan, Russia, Mexico, Germany, Great Britain, France, Poland, Ukraine, Kenya, Egypt, Turkey, Iraq, the Palestinian territories, and South Korea). Polling was also conducted in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau.
