71% of Americans Would Be More Likely to Vote for a Presidential Candidate Who Takes a Stand on Reducing Global Hunger, New Study Shows

In advance of World Food Day on October 16, Action Against Hunger today released results from a survey finding that 71% of Americans would be more likely to vote for a U.S. presidential candidate who takes a stand on reducing global hunger than one who doesn’t, including a majority of Americans across every demographic category reflected in the survey: race, income, gender, region, educational attainment, home ownership status, marital status, parental status and political party. This includes 59% of Republicans, despite an official “America first” platform.

The survey, which was conducted by The Harris Poll on behalf of Action Against Hunger, also found:

• 69% of Americans think that candidates in the U.S. 2024 election should discuss global hunger reduction.
• During this election season, global hunger is an area without a gender divide, as women and men are equally likely to express support for a candidate who takes a stand on global hunger (72% and 70%).
• Taking a stand on global hunger is more likely to sway the youth vote: 78% of Americans ages 18 – 34 hold this view, roughly 12 percentage points higher than those ages 55 – 64 (65%) and 65+ (66%).
• A majority of Republicans (59%) say they are more likely to support a presidential candidate who takes a stand on reducing global hunger. That rises to 70% of Independents and 87% of Democrats.
• There is no statistically significant difference between Americans in the Northeast (75%), South or West (72% each). Those in the Northeast are significantly more likely than those in the Midwest (67%) to support a candidate who takes a stand on the issue.

“This survey shows that Americans are united in their concern about global hunger and, I believe, are eager for moral leadership and action to address this issue. It is an area of common ground and a topic that a vast majority of Americans want to see political candidates discussing,” said Dr. Charles Owubah, CEO of Action Against Hunger. “The world produces enough food for everyone, so hunger isn’t just an issue of food; it’s an issue of equity. Food is a basic human right and everyone should enjoy a life free from hunger. If we can come together, we can create a world where every life is well nourished.”

The results are broadly consistent with a separate poll conducted on behalf of Action Against Hunger in 2019, which found that more than 80% of Americans think the U.S. government isn’t doing enough on global hunger, with younger generations most likely to demand greater U.S. leadership. At that time, Gen Z and Millennials were more likely to say that the U.S. is doing enough to address illegal immigration (35% and 40%, respectively) and terrorism (27% and 32%) than to say the U.S. is doing enough to address hunger in developing nations (16% and 25%). In 2019, voters look favorably on U.S. presidential candidates taking a stand against global hunger.

The new 2024 survey comes at a critical time. Nearly one in 11 people around the world face hunger, a number that is rising due to conflicts in Gaza, Lebanon, Sudan, Ukraine, and beyond. Action Against Hunger’s 2024 Hunger Funding Gap analysis revealed a 65% gap between funding requests for hunger-related programs in countries dealing with crisis levels of hunger, up 23% from the previous year. 

Survey Methodology

This survey was conducted online within the United States by The Harris Poll on behalf of Action Against Hunger from September 26 – 30, 2024 among 2090 adults ages 18 and older.  The sampling precision of Harris online polls is measured by using a Bayesian credible interval.  For this study, the sample data is accurate to within +/- 2.5 percentage points using a 95% confidence level.