What does the world think about human rights?
While individuals and organizations around the world encouraged people to embrace the principles the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, researchers at WorldPublicOpinion.org conducted a global poll to test our current views on the principles of the Universal Declaration.
According to the organization's website:
A WorldPublicOpinion.org study of 25 nations from around the world has found a
remarkable degree of consensus in support of the principles enunciated in the Universal
Declaration of Human Rights, which will celebrate its 60th anniversary on December 10.
But there are certain limits--when presented difficult conditions, such as the potential for
political instability, publics in a few nations back away from unequivocal support for some
rights, though most publics do not.
UN should make efforts to promote the human rights established in the Universal
Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR). In nearly all nations, majorities (on average 65%)
favor the UN making even greater efforts and a similar number favor the idea of giving the
UN power to go into countries to investigate human rights abuses.
Majorities in all the nations polled, including those with authoritarian governments,
endorse the principles that:
- people should be free to express their opinions, including criticism of the
government; - people should have the right to demonstrate peacefully;
- the media should be free of government control;
- people should be treated equally irrespective of religion, gender, race or ethnicity;
- governments should be responsible for ensuring that their citizens can meet their
basic needs for food, healthcare and education; - the will of the people should be the basis for the authority of government and
government leaders should be selected through free elections with universal suffrage.
