The survey published yesterday, commissioned on behalf of Asia 2015, reveals, "The UK public does not have a good understanding of the nature of poverty in Asia. Three out of four people stated they do not feel well informed about the scale and causes of poverty in Asia in comparison with nearly half thinking they are informed about poverty in Africa."

The findings came ahead of a two-day international conference titled "Asia 2015: Promoting Growth, Ending Poverty" being held in London from yesterday. The conference has brought together key decision-makers from Asia and across the world to learn from Asia's success in alleviating poverty, to identify future challenges and solutions, and to build new alliances to fight poverty.

The release quoted Hilary Benn, international development secretary, as saying, "Asia is a continent of extremes; home to the greatest number of the world's poor and yet with some of the fastest growing and most dynamic economies in the world. However, with an increasing level of international support and emphasis on the formation of partnerships, there is real potential to eradicate poverty within a generation in Asia. The Asia 2015 conference will give us the ideal opportunity to understand better Asian successes and the challenges ahead."

The survey found that nearly four out of five people thought that poor governance is an obstruction to the economic and social development of Asia. Besides, one in three think Asia is now wealthy enough to manage its own future, stemming from the fact that Asian success stories are well publicised, but that development hurdles are often neglected.

Citing an example, the survey said China has sustained the highest rate of income growth in the world and has become an engine for growth in Asia and the world economy, and has lifted 350 million people out of extreme poverty.