section_path: US public opinion
section_name: US public opinion
paragraph_text: US public opinion
  
  According to a 2010 poll, the median American believed that 25% of the federal budget goes to foreign aid and that it should be 10%. In reality, between 0.8% and 1.4% of the U.S. federal budget has gone to foreign aid since 2001. The USAID portion of the federal budget is even smaller, accounting for 0.6% in 2023.
  
  In a 2019 poll of the American public, 35% said more money should be spent on foreign aid, 33% said spending should stay about the same, and 28% said less money should be spent.
  
  A 2025 poll revealed that 50% of Americans believed that the US should play a major or leading role in improving health in developing countries, with 36% preferring a minor role and 14% preferring no role at all. However, the same poll also revealed that 43% of Americans thought that "too much" US funding was being given to these initiatives.
  
  According to a 2010 poll, the median American believed that 25% of the federal budget goes to foreign aid and that it should be 10%. In reality, between 0.8% and 1.4% of the U.S. federal budget has gone to foreign aid since 2001. The USAID portion of the federal budget is even smaller, accounting for 0.6% in 2023.
  
  In a 2019 poll of the American public, 35% said more money should be spent on foreign aid, 33% said spending should stay about the same, and 28% said less money should be spent.
  
  A 2025 poll revealed that 50% of Americans believed that the US should play a major or leading role in improving health in developing countries, with 36% preferring a minor role and 14% preferring no role at all. However, the same poll also revealed that 43% of Americans thought that "too much" US funding was being given to these initiatives.