Nearly 90% of Americans believe the U.S. should spend at least 1% of its federal budget on foreign aid, according to a survey conducted this week amidst controversial moves by the new presidential administration to dismantle the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).
A memo that replaced the agency’s website this week revealed that most USAID employees would be put on administrative leave by the end of the day Friday. This decision appeared to be motivated by the work of the new Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), created by President Donald Trump and led by multi-billionaire Elon Musk.
On the social media site X, which he owns, Musk has recently slammed USAID, an agency kickstarted by former President John F. Kennedy and officially established by Congress to provide aid around the world. He called it a “criminal” organization and said it should “die.”
Actions by DOGE, which go beyond the plans to dismantle USAID, have been met with protests and backlash. For example, a lawsuit filed Thursday regarding the USAID cuts.
According to the Public Citizen Litigation Group, the U.S. District Court in the District of Columbia stated it will issue a temporary restraining order regarding various aspects of the Trump administration’s attempt to shutter the operations of USAID Friday. It said that the administration’s plans would place more than 2,200 USAID workers on leave.
Results from the new survey of 1,160 adults on Feb. 6 and Feb. 7 from the Program for Public Consultation at the University of Maryland, 94% of Democrats believe the U.S. should spend at least 1% of the federal budget on foreign aid. On the other side of the aisle, 84% of Republicans – Trump’s own party – think so too.
Overall, a majority (58%) oppose abolishing USAID and folding it into the State Department, as the Trump administration has indicated it plans to do. Both Democrats (77%) and independents (64%) are against the plans, while 60% of Republicans are in favor of them.
“Americans greatly overestimate the amount spent on U.S. foreign aid,” said a press release about the survey results. “The majority of respondents estimate that at least 20% of the budget goes to foreign aid. Asked what percentage of the federal budget should go to foreign aid, the majority says that it should be at least 10%,”
Republicans said 5% should be spent on foreign aid, while both Democrats and independents said 10% should be spent on it. However, that 1% portion is closer to reality. According to the Pew Research Center, the $71.9 billion in foreign aid that the government spent in fiscal year 2023 was equivalent to approximately 1.2% of that year’s total federal outlays of more than $6.1 trillion.
Compared to the average of developed countries, the U.S. spends less in foreign aid. That’s not what Americans think, according to the Program for Public Consultation. More than 60% overall think we spend more, including 70% of Republicans and 59% of Democrats.
“Extreme overestimations of the amount of U.S. foreign aid have led some Americans in some polls to favor reductions from this assumed amount,” Director of the Program for Public Consultation Steven Kull explained. “But large majorities support the actual amount of U.S. aid.”
Survey respondents were asked to evaluate spending on six foreign aid programs and more than half wanted to increase or keep funding for them, as follows: humanitarian relief (56%), economic development (56%), global health (64%), education (67%), the environment (65%), and democracy and human rights (60%).
In fact, only 8% to 14% were in favor of eliminating any of the programs. A majority of Republicans did favor cutting some programs, but just 11% to 20% favored eliminating them.
“Arguments for and against foreign aid in general were evaluated before respondents made any spending recommendations for aid programs,” said the survey press release. “The argument that did best overall focused on how aid ‘saves lives, alleviates suffering and hunger’ and ‘helps communities recover.’”
While 87% of Democrats found those arguments convincing, so did 73% of Republicans, coming out to 78% of those surveyed overall. Around 75% also found the arguments that “taking care of problems at home is more important” and that “waste and corruption” in foreign aid needs to be stopped were convincing, though 70% also found the argument that alleged fraud and waste are exaggerated was convincing.
“Support for the government providing foreign aid is rooted in moral concerns, and the beliefs that it is effective and serves U.S. interests,” commented Evan Charles Lewitus, senior research analyst at PPC.
“While concerns about waste and fraud in foreign aid resonate with many, their support for aid suggests they would rather try to fix the problems than cut spending.”