(VEE) ITALIANS' OPINION OF DEVELOPMENT COOPERATION IMPROVING

(VELINO) Roma, 22 Jun - The Italian Development Cooperation agency is viewed more positively by Italians than before, according to the latest Eurobarometer survey. In 2015, 90 percent of interviewees said it was important to help developing countries, marking a 10-point improvement from 2014, the largest in a European country. In addition, the number of people who said fighting poverty in developing nations should be one of the EU's priorities also rose by 12 points over the same year to 72 percent, and 56 percent affirmed it should be a priority for the Italian government - 11 points more than in 2014. Two out of three Italians (66 percent) believe development aid should be increased, and 80 percent viewed it as effective in fighting poverty in developing countries, against the European average of 67 percent. Furthermore, 79 percent of Italians said development aid is an effective method against illegal immigration, against the average of 73 percent in other European countries. Lastly, 53 percent of the interviewees affirmed that each person can play a part in fighting poverty in developing nations. The results of the survey revealed that young people aged 15-24 were the category with the most positive opinion of cooperation efforts - a particularly important datum, as it comes after the communication activities that Italy's Development Cooperation ran at the Expo Milan 2015 as part of the European Year for Development, with a multimedia strategy and 36 events aimed at both the general public and students at every school and university level. vel
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