Child survival campaign: GMC Survey on middle class reactions to child mortality rates in eight developing countries

At the beginning of 2009, the Global Movement for Children (a coalition of organisations that includes Save the Children, UNICEF, PLAN and CARE, and World Vision ) commissioned surveys to explore the attitude of the middle classes towards high child mortality and their willingness to take action. Findings from the survey show that the middle class grossly underestimated the number of children dying every year. The surveys were conducted in eight developing countries: India, Cambodia, Kenya, Mali, Nigeria, Bolivia, Ethiopia and Zambia, and involved over 8000 interviews with middle class representatives and influencers (politicians, policy-makers, respected and recognised individuals). Due to sustained efforts, infant mortality has decreased over the past few years, yet the rate of decline is still insufficient to reach the MDG goal to cut child mortality by two thirds by 2015. The main results for all surveyed countries are included in this report.