A majority of people around the world favour strengthening the United Nations to increase its role in peacekeeping, fighting terror and stopping nuclear proliferation, a new survey has found.

A large majority of those polled in 18 countries representing 56 per cent of the world's population believed the UN Security Council should have the right to authorise military force to prevent genocide, with the highest levels of support in France (85 per cent), Israel and the US (83 per cent each).

The survey by The Chicago Council on Global Affairs and WorldPublicOpinion.org in cooperation with polling organisations around the world also found that a majority in eight countries led by China (76 per cent), the US (74 per cent) and the Palestinians (69 per cent) felt it was the UNSC's 'responsibility' to intervene militarily to protect people suffering from human rights abuse.

Among Indians, 66 per cent felt the UNSC should have the right to authorise the use of force in defense of a country that has been attacked; and 63 per cent opined that the use of force must be authorised to prevent severe human rights violations such as genocide.

Sixty per cent also feel that the UNSC should have the right to authorise the use of force to stop a country from supporting terrorist groups.

Interestingly, Indians showed relatively modest support for allowing the UNSC to use force to prevent nuclear proliferation -- 53 per cent say it should have the right to prevent new countries from acquiring nuclear weapons, and 50 per cent believe it should also prevent countries from producing nuclear fuel that could be used for weapons.

Further, less than half of Indian respondents were ready to accept UN decisions that do not go their country's way.      

The poll also showed that a large majority of Indians -- 84 per cent -- also believed that "strengthening the United Nations" should be a very (49 per cent) or somewhat (35 per cent) important foreign policy goal.      

Respondents were interviewed from China, India, the United States, Russia, France, Thailand, Ukraine, Poland, Iran, Mexico, South Korea, the Philippines, Australia, Argentina, Peru, Armenia and Israel, plus the Palestinian territories.

"Despite well-publicised disagreements over the role of the United Nations in world affairs, this survey clearly shows that international public opinion has coalesced around the notion that the UN should be the vehicle for conflict resolution and international cooperation on a wide variety of pressing problems," said Christopher Whitney, executive director for studies at The Chicago Council on Global Affairs.

On the overall support for the UN, Mexico came in at first, with respondents in the country giving the world body 80 out of a maximum 100 points. India came in at number six (63 points).