The poll further highlights that a clear knowledge gap exists with regard to the public perception of American engagement around the world.

"Most American voters overestimate the US federal budget spent on international assistance," said Wirth. "Telling voters the actual percentage -- less than one percent of the federal budget -- makes a huge difference in whether or not they support increasing this portion of the US federal budget."

"If you just ask, do you believe the US budget should be increased," Wirth elaborated, "only 13 percent say it should be increased, 33 percent say that it should be decreased. But if you tell them the actual percentage spent, more than third of the voters say that more should be spent on international assistance. In other words, most people just don't know."

Wirth thinks that with this new information, Washington should be less apprehensive to support the important work the UN and its agencies are conducting throughout the developing world.

Wirth and his foundation have been actively lobbying the US government for over a decade and have been instrumental in effecting a change in the US governments policy towards the UN.

Created by Ted Turner to support UN causes, the UN foundation engages in extensive public advocacy, resource mobilization, and institutional strengthening efforts on behalf of the UN. Wirth has been the President of the foundation, since its early days in 1998.

"We came into existence when US had a debt of $1.3 billion to the UN and arrears of more than a billion dollars in US peacekeeping," said Wirth. "Those arrears in both cases are almost completely taken care of."

Wirth said as part of its strategy to understand and increase American public interest in UN issues, the foundation undertakes national poll every year. This year's results highlight attitudes of American voters about how involved the U.S. should be internationally and their support for the UN's Millennium Development Goals.

The poll, the sixth in a series of national surveys conducted by UNF sister organization, The Better World Campaign, was conducted in June 2002 by Bill McInturff of Public Opinion Strategies and Bob Drake of Talmey Drake Research & Strategy, Inc.

In September 2000, at the United Nations Millennium Summit 189 world leaders signed on to the Millennium Development Goals (MDG), which are set of time-bound and measurable goals and targets for combating poverty, hunger, disease, illiteracy, environmental degradation and discrimination against women.

The poll highlights that the American public show a high degree of support to all MDG and especially those addressing fundamental development issues of promoting access to clean water, universal primary education and combating HIV/AIDS pandemic.

One of the key goals of MDG is to cut by half the number of people without access to safe drinking water. Today, more than one billion people lack access to safe drinking water, most of them children. Unsafe water and poor sanitation cause about 80 percent of all diseases in the developing world, killing more than five million people every year.

The MDG on primary education aims to get almost all the eligible children into primary education program. Currently, more than one hundred and thirty million primary school-age children around the world are not in school today.

"The MDG Americans feel most strongly about are increasing access to safe drinking water," Wirth said. "75 percent of Americans voted this to be the priority amongst MDG. HIV/AIDS and primary education was next with 63 percent prioritizing these to be the other critical goals."

Further, the poll highlights that American voters think that within the MDG, water and education are most likely to be achieved by 2015. They are a bit more discouraged about the probability of likely progress on HIV/AIDS.

"All of this data becomes important in our efforts and those of others to forge a campaign to broaden support for increasing US international assistance. Now that we have the debts paid off, we should really work towards increasing the US official development assistance (ODA). There has already been a good start with that in Monterrey with President Bush increasing ODA by $5 billion."