The Rockefeller Foundation partnered with Focaldata to capture global public opinion on cooperation in an era of geopolitical uncertainty. The result was one of the largest-ever surveys of its kind – 36,405 people across 34 countries – published in the landmark report Demanding Results: Global Views on International Cooperation.
Challenge
The Foundation needed robust, credible evidence on how citizens worldwide view international cooperation. With nationalist rhetoric on the rise, trust in institutions under strain, and urgent cross-border issues demanding collective action, they required data that went beyond elite commentary and reflected genuine public sentiment.
Solution
Focaldata deployed its AI-powered research platform to run nationally representative surveys across every region of the world.
- Sample: 36,405 respondents, balanced by age, gender, region, education, and political affiliation.
- Methodology: Rigorous weighting ensured national representation with consistent methodology across 34 countries.
- Focus areas: Support for cooperation, trust in global institutions, and whether people see cooperation serving their personal and national interests.
Results
The research produced authoritative insights that shaped The Rockefeller Foundation’s global strategy:
- 55% of people globally believe their country should cooperate on global challenges even if it means compromising on national interests.
- Support rises to 75% if cooperation is shown to solve global problems and 76% if it solves issues in people’s own country.
- 54% say their lives are already affected by events abroad, yet only 42% see cooperation as serving their personal interests.
- Trust is higher in the UN (58%) and WHO (60%), but weaker in institutions like the IMF, WTO, and World Bank.
- Optimism matters: support for cooperation is 66% among those optimistic about their national economy vs 48% among pessimists.
These insights directly fed into The Rockefeller Foundation’s launch of a US$50 million “Build the Shared Future” initiative, designed to reimagine global cooperation on health, food systems, and multilateral frameworks.
Read report: Demanding Results: Global Views on International Cooperation
More info: Rockefeller Foundation’s New U.S. $50 Million Initiative
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📩 If you’re interested in learning more about the project, please contact lily@focaldata.com or matt@focaldata.com.
