Posted on 06/13/2008 10:02:52 PM PDT by Niteflyr
WASHINGTON — Public opinion in Mexico has turned sharply against the United States over the past decade, and many in America's southern neighbor now hold strongly negative views of President Bush and the candidates vying to replace him, a public opinion survey released Thursday revealed.
A Pew Global Attitudes Survey of citizens in Mexico and 23 other countries found that 47 percent of Mexicans have a positive view of the United States, down from 68 percent a decade ago. Nearly half of that decline — 9 percentage points — came since last year, when an anti-immigrant backlash in America inflamed some residents of Mexico.
The survey did not attempt to question Mexicans about their motivations behind their beliefs, but the negative mood is clearly focused on American political leaders.
Just 16 percent of Mexicans have confidence in President Bush, a former border state governor who professes great affection for Mexico. Only 29 percent of Mexicans have confidence in Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama, and 19 percent respond favorably to Republican contender John McCain.
"The cynicism about the United States runs pretty deeply" in Mexico, said Andrew Kohut, president of the Pew Research Center. "They know us fairly well, and they probably have doubts."
The findings were part of a comprehensive survey of world attitudes on various political and economic topics. More than 24,000 people were interviewed on six continents.
While other nations' views of the U.S. soured after the Iraq invasion in 2003, the decline in Mexican support for America has come more recently, amid growing anti-immigrant sentiment in the United States and a crackdown by the Bush administration on undocumented workers.
Among all the countries surveyed, Mexico was more skeptical of the two candidates for president than any outside the Muslim world. The only nations that were more dubious of Obama than Mexico were Pakistan (10 percent), Turkey (20 percent) and Jordan (22 percent).
Only Pakistan, Turkey and Indonesia were more hostile to McCain.
Just 37 percent of Mexican citizens think that the new president will change U.S. foreign policy for the better, the survey said — one of the most pessimistic assessments in the world.
Dang!! My night in ruined. I am so disappointed (/sarc)
Good!
Now stay on your side of the border...comprende?
And is there some reason I should care what some Third World Toilet like Mexico thinks?
If they're so disappointed they can go back to their country of origin.
Oh, I get it -- they like our money however they don't like us!
Hasn't stopped them from flooding into this country tho has it? One would have thought that the sharp negative turn of Mexicans’ opinions of America woulds have led to lower illegal immigration. Instead in the past 10 years, we have had more illegal immigrants from Mexico than at any other time.
Sigh.
I guess they just dont like our objections to their over-running our country.We should just let’em in let’em in.Guess they will just have to dislike us more.Disheartening/s
As long as they view them from their side of the border.
Frankly, I couldn’t care less how Mexicans view us or our country!!
Darn! I didn't think so.
vaudine
You wouldn’t expect a favorable view of any GOP candidate but Obama’s negatives are interesting and even surprising.
Funny. They should be kneeling at the feet of Bush and McCain.
You'd sure think so....geez....
Maybe they want Geraldo to run for POTUS?
Now now Wikipedia lists Mexico as an upper middle income country .... probably because of the 14 odd billion remittances our mexican gardners, dishwashers, and vegtable pickers send back.
Mexico's economy would cave in on itself if it weren't for wire transfers from the US...and they think OUR economy depends on THEM...
If they consider us to be enemies, they should immediately build a 15 foot high block wall with no breaks from the Pacific Ocean to the Gulf of Mexico and guard their border so no enemies from the north can get in. Just prudent action to protect Mexico's sovereignty, you know.
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