Most Say Global Health R&D is Important for Jobs, Incomes in the State
WASHINGTON—December 8, 2010—In the current economy, nearly three-quarters (73%) of Illinois residents think spending money on research to improve health globally is important to jobs and incomes in the state, according to a new statewide poll commissioned by Research!America .
A majority of Illinois residents (54%) say it is important for their state to be a leader in health research and development (R&D), but only 30% think it currently is. More than half (51%) say they think more about global health now than five years ago, and 84% say Illinois residents should be concerned about global health.
Former Illinois Congressman John Edward Porter, Research!America's chair, said, "Global health is America's health-curing illness abroad helps fuel our economy and create jobs here. Global health research is one of Illinois's best investments, creating growth opportunities at the state's universities, medical centers and local companies that keep the state's economy growing."
Illinois ranks fifth in the nation in population but just eighth in R&D investment and 13th in federal R&D funding. Porter added, "I urge the state's leaders to step up their commitment to bringing global health R&D investment to Illinois."
This week, Research!America is convening Illinois leaders and policymakers to discuss cross-sector collaboration in global health research within the state and ways to encourage more investment in global health R&D in Illinois. The poll findings will be presented at a Capitol Hill briefing today.
The poll found that health care is a top-of-mind concern for Illinoisans, second only to the economy among topics they say they had thought about in the past 24 hours (79% and 84%, respectively). Regarding global health issues specifically:
- 92% are concerned about drug resistance, and 93% say it is important to conduct global health research to prevent the problem worldwide.
- 75% say Americans should worry about diseases like malaria, dengue fever and cholera that mostly affect poorer countries, and 94% say these diseases will pose a threat to the U.S. in the next few years.
"Illinois is the fifth leading exporter in the U.S., and the burden of diseases such as malaria, HIV/AIDS and TB depresses world demand for U.S. goods and services and threatens health and jobs here," said Mary Woolley, Research!America president and CEO. "Investment in global health research clearly has strong public support, which should send a strong message to local and national policy makers."
Eighty-two percent of Illinoisans agree that Americans benefit from U.S. government investment in research designed to improve health around the world, and 93% think institutions like private industry, government and universities that conduct global health research should collaborate.
Illinois is one of the nation's top 10 bioscience employers, and global health R&D draws jobs and investment to the state. The University of Illinois Institute for Tuberculosis Research, for example, brings in $1 million or more each year to the state through federal investment and private-sector partnerships, and Illinois-based Abbott employs more than 13,000 people in the state and partners with local universities in health research.
To learn more about global health R&D investment in Illinois, visit http://www.researchamerica.org/uploads/ILGHeconomicsheet.pdf.
To see highlights from our recent congressional briefing on global health R&D in Illinois, click here.
About the Poll: Research!America commissioned Charlton Research Company to conduct an online survey of 800 adults residing in Illinois in November 2010. The sample is representative of the state's demographics, including geography, gender and ethnicity, with a theoretical error of ±3.5%.
About Us: Research!America is the nation's largest not-for-profit public education and advocacy alliance working to make research to improve health a higher national priority. Founded in 1989, Research!America is supported by member organizations representing 125 million Americans. Visit http://www.researchamerica.org/.