Global poverty has more than halved since 1990 according to the World Bank's "$1.25 a day" measure, from 1.9b to 840m people. Growth particularly in Africa and Asia, coupled with more equal income distribution, more open societies, and stronger South-South trade, has made this a staggeringly successful human achievement. Technology advances have been very important too.
People's opinions and understanding vary hugely both between and inside countries. In China for instance, 50% of those surveyed think correctly that poverty has decreased, compared to only 8% in Germany and the US. "Chinese people can actually witness the success in tackling extreme poverty in their own country. It is instructive that people in richer nations cannot," Lampert said.
Global Citizen spokesperson Michael Sheldrick said: "these findings bear out the fact that more of our supporters are coming from countries where great transformation or high economic growth are taking place. For example, in the top 10 countries represented on one of our Facebook channels, among the 156,000 followers are from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nigeria, The Philippines and Kenya. The key is now providing those who believe their actions can make a difference with a way to get involved and to help, including by raising awareness amongst other parts of the public.
Research director Lampert says: "They are active and willing to make a difference, spread the news and ask others to join poverty eradication initiatives. They are highly active on social media platforms such as Twitter, YouTube, LinkedIn and Facebook. By using these networks, engagement and information strategies can be far more effective than ever before in human history." Motivaction's survey suggests new ways these groups can be reached and motivated, whether visually or via evidence, and how they engage with the conversations that move them.
The survey report can be downloaded at glocalities.com/poverty or by the download form on this page.
France – Libération – Pourquoi l'extrême pauvreté recule-t-elle dans le monde?
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