In an international environment characterized by intensifying crises, the reshaping of geopolitical balances and the weakening of cooperation frameworks, the 2026 edition of the International Cooperation Barometer, conducted since 2006 for Agence Française de Développement, sheds light on the perceptions and expectations of public opinion in the G7 countries. It enables us to assess the hierarchy they establish between international priorities, their understanding of global interdependencies, and their support for the principles, aims and instruments of international cooperation.
THE RELATIONSHIP TO INTERNATIONAL CURRENT AFFAIRS AND THE HIERARCHY OF PRIORITIES
- Within the G7, interest in international current affairs is high in all countries: 73% of the population declare a high level of interest, with Italy standing out for its high level of sensitivity to this subject (85%).
- With 60% of mentions, economic issues dominate the priorities of the G7 countries’ inhabitants, while sovereign issues also occupy a central place, between armed conflicts and their consequences (58%), the fight against terrorism and extremism (57%) and security issues (56%).
- Although less urgent than sovereignty or security imperatives, humanitarian issues are nonetheless significant: global poverty and inequality are considered “very high priority” by 46% of respondents, just ahead of epidemics, natural disasters and migration (44%).
AWARENESS OF DEVELOPMENT AND PERCEPTION OF INTERDEPENDENCE
- Awareness of the difficulties faced by less-developed countries is in the majority across the G7, with 65% of respondents, although Japan stands out with a much lower level of declared solidarity (46%).
- Strongly perceived throughout the G7, interdependence with developing countries leads 64% of the population to believe that what happens there could have a major impact on their lives, with Japan standing out with a much stronger perception (74%).
REPRESENTATIONS OF INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION
- More than a moral obligation, cooperation is primarily seen as a strategic investment: 78% of G7 residents see it as a long-term investment in the interests of their country’s citizens, versus 73% who associate it primarily with a moral obligation.
- Knowledge of official development assistance is imperfect, with only one in two respondents (50%) correctly identifying it as financing in the form of loans or grants to developing countries.
- The structural lack of information on cooperation policy means that only 47% of G7 members say they are well informed, with France among the countries least familiar with the subject (28%).
SUPPORT FOR COOPERATION AND BUDGET ARBITRATION
- Support in principle for financing developing countries is in the majority in the G7, at 75%, with Italy well ahead (84%) and France at the bottom (66%).
- Net across the G7 as a whole, 54% of respondents were in favor of maintaining the official development assistance budget, compared with 33% who wanted to reduce it and 13% who wanted to increase it.
- In France, too, the preference is to maintain aid, but in a more defensive mode: 50% of French people want to stabilize its level, while 38% are calling for a reduction and only 10% for an increase.
PERCEIVED EFFECTIVENESS AND GOALS OF COOPERATION
- Measured across the G7 as a whole, confidence in the effectiveness of cooperation convinces 60% of the population, while France stands out for its marked skepticism, with only 37% of French people judging aid to be effective.
- In the G7, geopolitical stabilization is the most important objective of cooperation, with 35% of respondents citing it, ahead of strengthening a country’s international role (21%) and combating inequality (15%).
- The same logic applies in France, where geopolitical and peacemaking goals dominate: 33% of French people rank stability and peace as the priority objective of cooperation, ahead of combating climate change (22%) and strengthening France’s international role (16%).
Find the results on the AFD – Agence Française de Développement website :
G7 countries’ views on international partnerships | AFD – Agence Française de Développement
