American attitude toward international giving

It is often assumed that most Americans feel US foreign policy should be tied closely to the national interest, narrowly defined, and are opposed to the idea of making sacrifices based on altruistic purposes.

Polling data reveal quite a different picture. In numerous cases the American public shows support for altruism in US foreign policy independent of any impact it might have on US interests.

In January 2000 [a poll] asked respondents to rate a list of reasons "for the US to be active in world affairs" on a scale of 0 to 10, with 0 meaning "it is not at all an important reason" and 10 meaning "it is an extremely important reason to you personally." Altruistic reasons scored quite well.

[WorldPublicOpinion.org]