Posted on 12/04/2002 7:01:56 PM PST by Djarum
| IV: Global Publics View the United States The United States and its people are looked upon favorably by much of the world, despite substantial concern over U.S. international policies, its business practices and even its ideas about democracy. The United States is rated favorably by majorities in 35 of the 42 countries where the question was asked. But the U.S. is viewed only somewhat favorably in virtually all of these countries. Moreover, negative opinions of the U.S. have increased in most of the nations where trend benchmarks are available. Opinion of the U.S. varies greatly around the world. More than eight-in-ten respondents in countries such as Venezuela, Ukraine, Ghana, Uzbekistan and the Philippines have a positive view of the U.S. Negative opinion of the U.S. is most prevalent in the Middle East/Conflict Area, but by no means is it confined to those countries. Roughly half of Argentines look upon the United States unfavorably, as do sizable minorities in countries ranging from the Slovak Republic to South Korea. U.S. Image Among Allies: Positive, But Less So America’s image among its closest allies remains largely positive, although it has declined over the past two years. At least seven-in-ten in Great Britain, Canada and Italy, and roughly six-in-ten in France and Germany, still retain a favorable opinion of the United States. Yet relatively few people in these countries have strongly positive feelings toward the U.S. and favorable opinion has diminished among three of four major U.S. allies in Western Europe. The picture is similar in Eastern Europe, where solid majorities look favorably at the United States. But up to four-in-ten in the Slovak Republic dislike the U.S. and in four of the six Eastern European countries surveyed opinion of the U.S. has declined since 2000. Russia is an exception to this trend. Fully 61% of Russians have a positive opinion of the United States, a substantial increase from 37% two years ago. Middle East: Decidedly Negative Public opinion about the United States in the Middle East/Conflict Area is overwhelmingly negative. Even in countries whose governments have close ties with the United States, such as Jordan, Turkey and Pakistan, substantial majorities have an unfavorable view of the United States. Fully three-quarters of respondents in Jordan, the fourth largest recipient of U.S. assistance, have a poor image of the United States. In Pakistan and Egypt nearly as many (69%) have an unfavorable view and no more than one-in-ten in either country have positive feelings toward the U.S. In Jordan, Pakistan and Egypt, the intensity of this dislike is strong – more than 50% in each country have a very unfavorable view. Public perceptions of the United States in Turkey, a NATO ally, have declined sharply in the last few years. In 1999, a slim majority of Turks felt favorably toward the U.S., but now just three-in-ten do. As is the case in Pakistan, Jordan and Egypt, the intensity of negative opinion is strong: 42% of Turks have a very unfavorable view of the U.S. The same pattern is evident in Lebanon, where 59% have a poor opinion of the U.S. Uzbekistan, a new U.S. ally in the fight against terror, is a notable exception to this negative trend. By nearly eight-to-one (85%-11%) Uzbeks have a positive opinion of the United States and more than a third (35%) hold a very favorable view of the U.S. In Lebanon, Pakistan and Egypt, Muslims are more likely than non-Muslims to have an unfavorable opinion of the U.S. This is not the case in Jordan, where both Muslims and non-Muslims hold very unfavorable views of the U.S. In Uzbekistan, Muslims generally have a more positive opinion of the United States than do non-Muslims. Mixed Views of U.S. Elsewhere On balance, Latin Americans have a positive impression of the United States. This is particularly the case in Venezuela, Honduras and Guatemala, where eight-in-ten have a favorable opinion of the U.S. Solid majorities in Peru, Mexico and Bolivia assess the U.S. in positive terms. Yet people in Latin America’s two largest countries – Brazil and Argentina – have a decidedly mixed view of the U.S. Barely half of Brazilians now hold the United States in good stead, and America’s image has declined sharply in Argentina. Just 34% of Argentines voice a favorable opinion of the U.S., down from 50% in 2000. Overall, in seven of the eight Latin American countries surveyed, favorable opinion has declined since 2000. In Asia, there is strong support for the United States in Japan and the Philippines, both long-time U.S. allies. Yet South Koreans are much more skeptical despite that country’s close military and economic ties with the U.S. More than four-in-ten South Koreans (44%) have an unfavorable opinion of the U.S. Nearly half respondents in Bangladesh (47%) and more than a third in Indonesia (36%), where opinion has declined over the last two years, express an unfavorable opinion of the U.S. America’s image in India is also mixed, with a slim majority of Indians (54%) viewing the U.S. favorably. Publics in Africa have a generally positive attitude toward the U.S. More than three-in-four in the Ivory Coast, Kenya, Mali, Ghana and Nigeria voice favorable opinions of the U.S., and majorities in the other countries agree. Demographics of Discontent In general, there is limited evidence to support the widely held view that poverty fuels discontent with the United States. There is only a clear correlation between low income or a sense of deprivation and anti-American feelings in roughly one-in-three countries surveyed. This relationship is most apparent in Eastern Europe and the Middle East/Conflict Area. In these countries, people who are less well off economically are more likely than those who are more financially secure to dislike the U.S. Yet in Africa, Latin America and Asia, where poverty is widespread, the relationship between deprivation and anti-American sentiment is apparent in some countries but not others. Age is often a factor in attitudes toward the United States, but its effect varies in different countries. Older people in Eastern Europe and Latin America, in particular, express more negative views of the U.S. compared with younger people in those regions. Yet in Canada, this age gap is reversed: 44% of Canadians below the age of 30 have an unfavorable opinion of the U.S. compared with just 20% of those age 50-64. This tendency of younger people to be more negative toward the U.S. is also true to a lesser degree in the Czech Republic, Bangladesh and South Korea. Familiarity Increases Favorability Most of the respondents to this survey have not visited the United States. But an analysis of results from 21 of the nations surveyed shows that those who have traveled to the United States, or are in regular communication with Americans, have a more favorable opinion of the U.S. compared with those who have had no comparable exposure. This is even true in countries where many hold an unfavorable view of the U.S.: Jordan, Lebanon, Turkey and South Korea. Not surprisingly, people from countries in closest proximity to the U.S. have the most frequent contact with Americans, through travel and direct communications. Nine-in-ten Canadians say they have visited the United States, as have sizable minorities of British (40%), Germans (25%), French (14%) and Japanese (25%). Many Latin American respondents say they stay in regular contact with someone in the U.S., including roughly half or more Guatemala, Mexico and Honduras. Even in countries where relatively few people have visited the United States – such as Vietnam, Senegal and Ghana – nearly 20% have regular contact with someone in the U.S. |
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Here's some thoughts..
Uzbekistan - "Save us from the Russians"
Turkey - What's are you up to with the Kurds?
Vietnam - We don't listen to your lefty crazies. Bygones be bygones. Worry about China! Argentina and Brazil - F.U. for not bailing out our loans again.
Germany - I had been listening to Schroeder ... can you ask that question again now?
Koreans: we're pissed at a couple of soldiers hence your country sucks.
Country: Mexico Company: BGC, S.C. Sample design: Probability with age and gender quotas Mode: Face-to-face adults 18 plus Languages: Spanish Fieldwork dates: July 19-27, 2002 Sample size: 996 Margin of Error: 3.1% Representative: 100% adult population
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.