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Dec. 10
GLOBAL: 25-Nation Poll Finds Worldwide Support for
Principles in Universal Declaration of Human Rights Most Favor
UN Taking a Larger Role in Promoting Human Rights
A WorldPublicOpinion.org study of 25 nations from around the
world has found a remarkable degree of consensus in support of
the principles enunciated in the Universal Declaration of Human
Rights, which will celebrate its 60th anniversary on December
10. But there are certain limits--when presented difficult
conditions, such as the potential for political instability,
publics in a few nations back away from unequivocal support for
some rights, though most publics do not.
Majorities or pluralities in all nations polled (on average 7 in
10) support the idea that the UN should make efforts to promote
the human rights established in the Universal Declaration of
Human Rights (UDHR). In nearly all nations, majorities (on
average 65%) favor the UN making even greater efforts and a
similar number favor the idea of giving the UN power to go into
countries to investigate human rights abuses.
Majorities in all the nations polled, including those with
authoritarian governments, endorse the principles that: people
should be free to express their opinions, including criticism of
the government; people should have the right to demonstrate
peacefully; the media should be free of government control;
people should be treated equally irrespective of religion,
gender, race or ethnicity; governments should be responsible
for ensuring that their citizens can meet their basic needs for
food, healthcare and education; the will of the people should
be the basis for the authority of government and government
leaders should be selected through free elections with universal
suffrage.
Steven Kull, director of WorldPublicOpinion.org comments, "It is
quite remarkable to find this high degree of consensus on so
many questions regarding human rights, especially given how much
conflict there has been on these issues over the last decades."
He adds, "While practices sometimes lag behind principles, the
norms expressed in the UDHR are prevalent around the globe."
At the same time, in some nations, though not most, when there
is a threat of political instability people show a readiness to
let the government impose limits on various forms of expression
and the media.
The poll of 25 nations was conducted by WorldPublicOpinion.org,
a worldwide network of research centers managed by the Program
on International Policy Attitudes (PIPA) at the University of
Maryland.
Interviews were conducted primarily in two waves, from December
2007 to April 2008 and from July to October 2008. Sample sizes
within a wave ranged from about 600 respondents to as high as
3,200. Thus, the margins of error per public ranged from 1.9 to
4.1 percent. Overall, approximately 20,000 respondents were
interviewed in the first wave and approximately 26,000 in the
second; a total of more than 47,000 respondents participated in
the study. Funding for this study was provided by the Oak
Foundation and the Calvert Foundation.
The study was conducted in 25 nations, plus three additional
Chinese publics (Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan), that include
over 60 percent of the world's population. Most nations were
polled in both waves, but some participated in only one wave.
Also, in each wave a few questions were not asked in all
countries.
Polling data on the Universal Declaration in general, the role
of the UN, freedom of expression and freedom of religion are
being released for the first time, while some material on other
rights was released previously.
Large majorities in all nations polled say that it is important
for people to have the right to express any opinion, including
criticism of the government (69% to 98%--on average 88%), and to
demonstrate peacefully (53% to 94%--on average 75%). Majorities
or pluralities in 16 out of 20 nations say that their government
should not have "the right to prohibit certain political or
religious views from being discussed," with an average of 57
percent holding this view. However, majorities in Kenya (67%),
Thailand (63%), and Indonesia (55%) say the government should
have such a right. A common feature of these three countries is
that they have all recently experienced political instability.
Similarly, large majorities in all nations say that it is
important "for people of different religions to be treated
equally" (74% to 99%--on average 89%). When asked whether
followers of "any religion" should be allowed to practice in
their country, majorities or pluralities in 16 out of 20 nations
say they should--but majorities say there are "some religions
that should not be allowed" in Egypt (67%), Ukraine (54%), and
Jordan (51%), while views are divided in South Korea. Views are
also divided on whether people should have the right to try to
convert members of other religions to join theirs, with more
nations saying that they should not (14) than saying that they
should (6). Publics in European nations and in Muslim nations
express the highest levels of discomfort about proselytizing
activities.
The study also addresses whether views on human rights in
majority-Muslim nations differ from the views in other nations.
In response to some questions majority-Muslim nations appear
disproportionately among those who deviate from the dominant
norm, but in every case there are other majority-Muslim nations
that strongly align with the global norm. Turks and Indonesians,
for example, often give responses supportive of human rights
that are above world averages. Thus there is not a consistent
basis for concluding Islam itself is a factor at odds with the
principles of the Declaration.
Another part of the world sometimes designated as having
different values regarding human rights and democracy is East
Asia. Yet for the region as a whole, there is no pattern that
distinguishes people's views clearly from those of the world as
a whole. China has majorities higher than the world average
saying it is very important that the media be free to publish
without government control; that people should be free to read
anything on the Internet; and that the Chinese media should have
more freedom than they do now.
The United States is often assumed to be resistant to the
concept of social and economic rights. In fact, belief in a
government responsibility to ensure that citizens can meet their
basic needs for food, healthcare and education is below the
world average in the United States--but in no case is it below
three in four Americans.
http://www.worldpublicopinion.org/pipa/articles/home_page/576.php |
