Poll says poverty is the biggest global problem

Johannesburg - Poverty, or the gap between rich and poor, is considered the main problem facing the world, according to Gallup International.

A quarter of the world's population - about 26 percent - mentions the gap between rich and poor as the main problem facing them. It was viewed most strongly in Latin America and Africa - regions where almost four out of 10, or 9 percent and 37 percent respectively, pointed to the gap between rich and poor as being the "main problem of the world".

In the Voice of the People survey - involving 50,000 people surveyed between May and July 2005 - released at the weekend through South Africa's Markinor, Gallup said the poverty gap was the most mentioned problem in 56 of 68 countries surveyed....

Asked what was the most important problems facing the world, the second most crucial issue was terrorism - mentioned by 12 percent, then unemployment, by 9 percent. This was followed by wars and conflicts with 8 percent and economic problems 7 percent.

Environmental issues were mentioned by 6 percent and drugs and drug abuse by 5 percent.

Corruption, globalisation and crime as well as HIV/Aids and other diseases were mentioned by 4 percent in each of those categories.