loved, unloved countries
nid=3D&id=3D&pnt=3D325&lb=3Dhmpg1> Israel and Iran Share Most Negative Ratings in Global Poll A majority of people polled for the BBC World Service across 27 = countries believe Israel and Iran have a mainly negative influence in = the world with almost as many saying the same about North Korea and = the United States. Respondents were asked to rate 12 countries =96 Britain, Canada, China, = France, India, Iran, Israel, Japan, North Korea, Russia, the USA, = Venezuela =96 and the European Union, as having a positive or negative = influence. Canada, Japan, the European Union, and France were judged most = positively. Britain, China, and India received more positive than = negative evaluations while Russia was viewed slightly more negatively = than positively. Opinions about Venezuela were evenly divided. (Details of the evaluations of the United States were released = separately by the BBC on 23 January and are available here). The BBC has been tracking opinions about countries’ influence in the = world over three years (2005 =96 2007). During that time most ratings = have remained relatively stable. There has been improvement in = ratings of India, a slight decline in views about Britain and a = significant fall in positive evaluations of the United States. = Russia, China, and France also lost ground over the period, mainly = between 2005 and 2006. “It appears that people around the world tend to look negatively on = countries whose profile is marked by the use or pursuit of military = power,” said Steven Kull, director of PIPA. This includes Israel and = the US, who have recently used military force, and North Korea and = Iran, who are perceived as trying to develop nuclear weapons.” “Countries that relate to the world primarily through soft power, = like Japan, France, and the EU in general, tend to be viewed = positively,” he added. GlobeScan president Doug Miller said: “India is the only country that = has significantly improved its global stature in the past year, and = is now even with China. Britain, while slipping a bit since 2005, = appears to be avoiding the steep decline that its war partner, the = US, is suffering. And it is fascinating that Chavez’s Venezuela seems = to be appealing to as many people as it is displeasing.” The poll was conducted for the BBC World Service by the international = polling firm GlobeScan together with the Program on International = Policy Attitudes (PIPA) at the University of Maryland. GlobeScan = coordinated the fieldwork between November 2006 and January 2007. = Each country’s rating is based on half-samples. Israel Israel is viewed quite negatively in the world, possibly because the = poll was conducted less than six months following the Israel/ = Hezbollah war in Lebanon. On average, 56 percent have a mainly = negative view of the country, and just 17 percent have a positive = view, the least positive rating for any country evaluated. In 23 = countries the most common view is negative, with only two leaning = towards a positive view and two divided. Unsurprisingly, the most negative views of Israel are found in the = predominantly Muslim countries in the Middle East, with very large = majorities in Lebanon (85%), Egypt (78%), Turkey (76%), and the UAE = (73%) having negative views. Large majorities also have negative views in Europe, including = Germany (77%), Greece (68%) and France (66%). Indonesia (71%), = Australia (68%) and South Korea (62%) are the most negative countries = in the Asia/Pacific region. Brazilians (72%) are the most negative in = Latin America. The two countries that tend to view Israel positively do so in modest = numbers. Forty-five percent of Nigerians and 41 percent of Americans = have positive views of Israel’s influence in the world, while nearly = one-third in each country has negative views. The Kenyan and Indian = populations have divided views of Israel. Because this is the first time the survey has included Israel among = the countries rated, there is no evidence that its current ratings = are better or worse than before. Iran Iran continues to receive quite negative views worldwide, with the = exception of some predominantly Muslim countries. On average this = year, a majority of 54 percent view Iran’s influence negatively, = while just 18 percent say it has a positive influence. Out of 27 countries, 21 view Iran negatively. Four countries lean = positive and two others are divided. Among the 19 countries polled in = both 2006 and 2007 the average views have remained essentially = unchanged. Countries in Western Europe and North America have the largest = majorities expressing a negative view of Iran, though some have seen = dramatic movements in opinion over the past year. Negative views = among Americans have dropped sharply (81% to 63%) while negative = views in France have jumped 18 points (68% to 86%). Large majorities = in Italy (84%), Germany (78%), Portugal (77%), Canada (76%), and = Great Britain (76%) have negative views of Iran’s influence in the = world. Widespread negative views are also found in Australia (75%), = South Korea (69%) and Brazil (69%). The positive views of Iran are primarily in the Muslim world where = there have also been some dramatic positive movements over the least = year. Positive views are found in Egypt (51% up from 38% in 2006) and = Indonesia (50% up from 39% in 2006) with the UAE leaning positive = (29%), but many not answering either way. Turks, however, have mostly = negative views (46%) and have grown more negative by 13 percentage = points over the last year. Indians lean slightly positive (27%) with = many not answering. Kenyans have grown sharply more negative with negative views rising = from 37 to 60 percent. Negative views have also risen in Chile from = 42 to 51 percent and in Nigeria from 40 to 48 percent, but have = moderated in Argentina from 53 to 45 percent. North Korea North Korea is also seen as a mainly negative influence in the world. = Out of 27 countries polled, 20 have mostly negative views, while five = lean towards seeing it positively, and two are divided. On average, = 48 percent see North Korea as a negative influence and 19 percent = believe it has a positive influence. Some of the most negative views of North Korea can be seen in North = America and Western Europe. Nearly three-quarters in Canada (74%) and = the United States (73%) see North Korea as having a negative = influence. An overwhelming majority in Germany (87%), France (75%), = Great Britain (70%), Italy (70%), and Portugal (68%) have negative = views of North Korea’s influence in the world. In the Asia/Pacific = region, Australians (86%) and South Koreans (78%) are also quite = critical. No country has a majority with a positive view of North Korea, but = views lean slightly positive in a number of Muslim countries = including Lebanon (38%), Turkey (31%), and the UAE (29%). Nigeria = (42%) and India (26%), which have large Muslim populations, also lean = positive. In general, Muslims throughout the world lean towards a = positive view of North Korea (34% positive to 26% negative). This may = be an expression of support for the way that North Korea has stood up = to the US in regards to its nuclear program. Egyptians, however, are = evenly divided (18% positive, 18% negative), with nearly two-thirds = not taking a position. Indonesians are also divided (40% positive, = 37% negative). Two key countries that have often stood by North Korea also lean = negative on its influence=97Russia (37% negative, 20% positive) and = China (39% negative, 34% positive). United States As reported earlier, worldviews of the United States continue to = worsen, with most countries having a largely negative view of the US. = Across all 27 countries polled (excluding the US self-evaluation), = half (51%) now say the US is playing a mainly negative role in the = world. However, among the countries that on average are viewed = negatively, the US has the largest percentage=9730 percent=97saying it = has a positive influence. Across the 19 countries that have been polled for the last three = years, the average percentage saying that the United States is having = a mainly positive influence in the world has dropped six points from = a year ago after having dropped four points from the previous year. Among the 26 countries polled this time (excluding the US), in 20 the = most common view of the United States’ influence is negative, while = in just four it is mainly positive and two are evenly divided. = Negative views are particularly widespread in Europe (especially = Greece 78%, Germany 74%, and France 69%) and predominantly Muslim = countries (Indonesia 71%, Turkey 69%, Egypt 59%, and Lebanon 58%). = The only countries with positive majorities are found in Africa = (Nigeria 72%, and Kenya 70%), and the Philippines (72%). Some of the sharpest drops in positive ratings over the last year = have occurred in four countries that tended to be quite positive = about the United States. Poland’s positive ratings dropped 24 points, = from 62 percent a year ago to 38 percent today. The Philippines = dropped 13 points, from a very high 85 percent to a still-high 72 = percent. India fell from 44 percent to 30 percent. And Indonesia = plunged 19 points=97from 40 percent to 21 percent positive=97perhaps due = to the waning of the positive effect of the American aid to = Indonesian tsunami victims. Additionally, the number of American respondents who believe the = United States is having a positive influence in the world has also = decreased six points, from 63 percent to 57 percent, and has dropped = a total of fourteen points (from 71%) from 2005. Japan Japan remains one of the most positively viewed countries worldwide. = On average this year, 54 percent gave Japan a positive rating, while = just 20 percent say its influence in the world is mainly negative. = Out of 27 countries polled, 24 give Japan a positive rating, with = just two giving it a negative and one divided. Among the 19 countries = polled in both 2006 and 2007, positive views of Japan slipped = slightly by 1 percentage point. The two exceptions to this positive reputation for Japan continue to = be its neighbours, China and South Korea, where majorities rate it = quite negatively. Views are somewhat less negative in China compared = to a year ago (71% down to 63% negative) and slightly more negative = in South Korea (54% to 58% negative). While the overall picture remained the same, positive views of Japan = increased significantly in Turkey (42% to 51%), France (47% to 55%), = Canada (62% to 74%), and Great Britain (57% to 63%); while positive = views decreased somewhat in India (48% to 37%) and Brazil (73% to 64%). In contrast to China and South Korea, other countries in the Asia/ = Pacific region have quite positive views of Japan including = Indonesians (84%), Filipinos (70%) and Australians (55%). Indians = also lean positive (37% positive to 16% negative). Positive views of Japan’s influence in the world remained largely = steady among Americans (66%), Russians (56%), Germans (54%), and = Italians (52%). Japan is also well-regarded in the Middle East, with = majorities in Lebanon (58%), the United Arab Emirates (56%), and = Turkey (51%) as well as a plurality in Egypt (33%) having positive = views. European Union (EU) The European Union receives very positive ratings on its role in the = world. Positive evaluations of the EU are the most common view in 24 = out of 27 countries polled, while in just two countries the dominant = view is negative and one divided. On average, 53 percent see the = European Union positively, while just 19 percent view it negatively, = making it the most positively evaluated international entity behind = Canada and Japan. Among the 19 tracking countries, views of the EU = have been unchanged in aggregate, though specific countries have = shown some substantial shifts. Unsurprisingly, the European Union is viewed very positively by the = EU member countries that were polled, though some countries have more = lukewarm views than others. Seventy-nine percent of Portuguese have = positive views of the EU, as well as large majorities in Italy (76%), = Germany (73%), Poland (70%) and France (68%). Smaller majorities are = found in Greece (63%) and Great Britain (59%). The newest EU member = polled, Hungary, gives it the lowest positive ratings (50%), but only = 11 percent give a negative rating, while a large 39 percent do not = take a position. Positive views of the EU are not derived primarily from EU countries, = however. When EU countries are excluded, the average rating is still = 48 percent positive and 22 percent negative. The EU is also highly regarded in North America, where positive views = of its influence are widespread and improving. A large majority in = Canada (70%, up from 51%) and a growing number in the United States = (53%, up from 42%) give it positive reviews. Attitudes about the European Union in Turkey are quite mixed and = growing more negative, perhaps an indication of its struggles to = become a member state. Turks are now evenly divided between positive = views (30%, down from 40%) and negative views (32%, up from 16%), = while a large number declined to answer either way. Views of the European Union are mixed among the other three Middle = Eastern countries polled. In Egypt and the UAE very large numbers do = not take a position and those that do, lean to the negative: in = Egypt, 33 percent negative and 10 percent positive; in the UAE, 33 = percent negative and 25 percent positive. However, in Lebanon a clear = majority (54%) rates the EU’s influence positively (27% negatively). Very positive views of the EU are found in Africa. Majorities in = Nigeria (64%) and Kenya (62%) view the EU’s influence as positive. In the Asia/Pacific region, numbers are positive and improving in = Australia (59%, up from 46%) and the Philippines (49%, up from 39%). = Views are positive but declining in South Korea (63%, down from 71%) = and India (29%, down from 37%) though many did not express an = opinion. Views are positive and stable in China (58%) and Indonesia = (52%). Publics in Latin America also tend to view the European Union = positively, though Brazilians are now the exception. The EU receives = widespread positive evaluations among two-thirds (66%) in Chile, as = well as in Mexico (43%) and Argentina (35%). More Brazilians, = however, now view the EU’s influence unfavorably. Thirty-eight = percent say its influence is mainly negative, the highest out of any = country, while just 31 percent view it as mainly positive (down from = a 45% plurality a year ago). Views in Russia are firmly positive with 46 percent saying that the = EU is having a positive influence and just 18 percent saying it is = having a negative influence. France France continues to be viewed quite positively by the rest of the = world, though less positively than two years ago. The only country = that does not view France’s influence positively is Turkey, while the = United States is divided. On average, 50 percent see France as having = a positive influence in the world (21% negative). The countries with the most positive views are found in most world = regions: Kenya (66%), Portugal (65%), Chile (64%), Russia (63%), = Italy (63%), Nigeria (63%), China (62%), Greece (60%), Germany (60%) = and Lebanon (60%). Generally, views of France in Latin America tend = to be more moderate, with pluralities having positive views of the = country. While average positive views of France dipped from 2005 to 2006, this = year they have remained steady. However, this masks some sharp shifts = in specific countries. Especially in some European countries, ratings = of France have returned to the higher levels found in 2005, after the = 2006 dip that may have been influenced by the widespread urban = rioting in France that year. In Italy, 63 percent are positive (up = from 50% in 2006); in Russia 63 percent have a positive view (up from = 57% in 2006); and in Britain 54 percent now see France positively (up = 19 points from the previous year). Other countries that warmed = towards France in the past year are Canada (55%, up from 45%), Kenya = (66%, up from 44%), Australia (48%, up from 41%) and Mexico (36%, up = from 30%). American views have also improved notably. Americans’ negative = ratings of France continue to drift downward from 52 percent in 2005, = to 48 percent in 2006 and 41 percent in 2007. For the first time in = three years views are now roughly divided (38% positive, 41% negative). In some cases, views of France sharply worsened, most notably in = Turkey, where negative views jumped from 39% in 2006 to 69%, likely = due to the French government’s opposition to Turkey joining the = European Union. Positive ratings also declined in South Korea, = dropping from a very high 74% in 2006 to 55%. Indians also show = cooler attitudes towards France, falling from 42 to 32 percent = positive, while negative views increased from 11 to 19 percent. In = Brazil positive views dropped from 60 to 46 percent, but remain a = plurality. China China continues to enjoy mildly positive ratings worldwide, with 16 = out of 26 countries polled this year (excluding China) having mainly = positive views of its influence, nine having mainly negative views = and one divided. On average, China received a positive rating from = 42% and a negative rating of 32%. Following a sharp drop (8%) in the = previous year, views of China on average have remained largely stable = over the past year among the countries polled in all three years. Positive views of China remain highest in African and some Middle = Eastern countries. Majorities in Kenya (70%), the United Arab = Emirates (68%), Lebanon (66%), and Nigeria (66%) view China = positively. Interestingly, a plurality in Turkey (39%) sees China’s = influence as negative. Latin Americans tend to view China somewhat = positively, with a majority in Chile (62%), and pluralities in Brazil = (46%) and Argentina (32%) having this view, though Mexicans remain = divided in their views of China. The most negative views are found in Europe and the US. Of the nine = European countries polled, six view China negatively including = majorities in France (59%), Portugal (58%), Italy (58%) and Germany = (53%). Among Americans 44 percent see China as mostly negative while = 34 percent see it as positive. Britons, however, now lean positive on = China (49% positive to 34% negative). A few dramatic changes occurred over the last year. Britons went from = leaning slightly negative to leaning mainly positive with a nine = point increase in positive views. Russia went from being divided to = leaning positive (up six points). Canadians slightly reversed their = downward trend from the previous year, and now a plurality (46%) = views China positively, up from 36% the previous year. American views = of China are slightly less negative than a year earlier, falling from = 53 percent in 2006 to 44 percent today, but positive views held = steady at 34 percent. Average ratings of China in the Asia/Pacific region also remained = stable overall, with only slight shifts in views. In terms of = individual countries, negative views of China in South Korea dropped = from a majority to a plurality (58% to 48%), however positive = attitudes fell dramatically in the Philippines (54% to 44%) and India = (44% to 35%). Attitudes about China remained steady in other = countries in the Asia/Pacific region, with Indonesians (62%) and to = some extent Australians (43%) continuing to see China’s influence as = positive. Britain Though still largely positive, views of Britain appear to be slipping = towards the negative in a number of countries. Overall, 17 countries = out of 26 polled have positive views of Britain, while just seven = have negative views and two are divided. Among all countries polled = (excluding Britain), an average of 45 percent have a positive view, = while 28 percent have a negative view. Among the 19 countries polled the last three years, positive views = have slipped from 50 percent in 2005 to 46 percent, perhaps due to = Britain’s continuing involvement in the unpopular Iraq war. Most = significantly, views of Britain plummeted in Brazil, dropping from 49 = percent in 2006 to 24 percent today, with a plurality of 33 percent = now holding a negative view of its influence. In France positive = views have slipped from 50 percent last year to 44 percent today, = while negative views jumped from 32 to 42 percent. In Turkey negative = views grew from 41 to 54 percent. In Lebanon, as compared to 2005, = negative views jumped from 34 to 53 percent. Those who still view = Britain quite positively, but have seen decreases over the past year = include South Korea (75% to 61%), Nigeria (75% to 64%), and Poland = (72% to 62%). Majorities continue to view Britain positively in the United States = (67%), Portugal (65%), Australia (60%), Canada (59%), Italy (56%), = and Indonesia (56%). Positive views are up among Kenyans (60% to = 74%), Russians (45% to 55%) and Germans (43% to 51%). India India’s image appears to be improving significantly in some regions = of the world, though in many countries numbers are divided with many = not providing a judgment one way or the other. Out of the 26 = countries polled in the current year (excluding India), 17 give it a = positive rating while only 3 give it a negative rating and 6 = countries show divided opinions. On average, 37 percent view its = influence positively, 26 percent negatively, and 37 percent do not = give an answer. The strongest positive views can be found in Indonesia (61%), Canada = (59%), Great Britain (53%), Russia (49%), Nigeria (49%), and the US = (48%). Only three countries lean to a negative view and all of these = do so with fairly small numbers: Brazil (40%), Portugal (32%), and = Hungary (25%). Of the 19 countries polled in the previous cycles, on average, = positive opinion has increased from 34 to 39 percent. The number of = countries with positive views of India has grown from 9 to 12. Four = out of the five countries that leaned negative in 2006 now have = divided views of India. Positive opinion of India in North America and some European = countries has grown significantly over the past year, with = substantial jumps in positive views in Canada (34% to 59%), France = (27% to 40%), Germany (30% to 39%), the United States (38% to 48%), = and Italy (31% to 38%). In the Asia/Pacific region there have been some sharp changes. = Positive views increased in Indonesia (50% to 61%) and two countries = that had somewhat negative views warmed considerably. While Filipinos = had 57 percent expressing negative views last year, this has now = dropped 25 points, so that views are now divided. Among South Koreans = negative views dropped from 47 to 37 percent. Indians also rate themselves more highly than the previous year, = moving from 47 percent to 55 percent who view their country’s = influence positively, though Indians remain lukewarm about themselves = in comparison to most other countries. Russia Russia’s influence in the world continues to be viewed as largely = negative, with views becoming more negative, especially in European = countries=97presumably a response to some of the energy and industrial = policies of President Vladimir Putin. Out of the 26 countries polled = this year (excluding Russia), 18 have negative views of Russia’s = influence in the world, while seven countries have positive views and = one is divided. On average 28 percent view Russia as having a = positive influence, while 40 percent see it as having a negative = influence. Among the 19 countries polled three times since 2005, average = positive evaluations, after dropping from 37 to 29 percent last year, = have remained largely stable (27%) this year. Negative views after = staying steady last year at 40 percent have increased slightly to 43 = percent. The only country that continues to have a majority positive view of = Russia is China with 59 percent (12% negative). Fifty percent of = Nigerians hold a positive view. Europeans have become more negative towards Russia in the past year = with negative views growing in France (77%, up from 62%), Italy (56%, = up from 45%), and Germany, (54%, up from 45%). Negative attitudes = about Russia in South Korea grew to a majority (48% to 56%), as well = as in Australia (43% to 51%). Americans’ negative views are also up = (40% to 46%). Additionally, a growing plurality in Turkey (38% to = 49%) has a negative view of Russia’s influence. A few countries have shown some improvements in attitude. Filipinos = reversed the dramatic increase in negative attitudes about Russia = from the previous year, with negative attitudes dropping from 52 to = 35 percent. Positive views are also up among Kenyans (28% to 43%). Venezuela Overall world public opinion is closely divided about Venezuela, led = by the charismatic but polarizing Hugo Ch=E1vez. Of the 27 countries = polled, in 13 countries the most common view of the oil-rich Latin = American nation is mainly positive, while in 13 others the dominant = view is mainly negative and one country is divided. On average, equal = numbers (27% each) see Venezuela as having a positive or negative = influence, with 46 percent declining to offer an opinion. In no = country does a majority hold a positive or a negative view and in = most cases the divide is quite narrow. This divided attitude towards Venezuela is spread across nearly all = regions. Its fellow Latin American nations are divided: While = positive views are held by pluralities of Mexicans (40%) and = Argentineans (31%), negative views of their neighbour are held by = pluralities of Chileans (40%) and Brazilians (41%). In Europe, small = pluralities of Russians (33%), Greeks (33%), and Germans (30%) have = favourable views while pluralities of Portuguese (42%), Italians = (40%), French (37%), and Britons (36%) have unfavourable views. In = the Asia/Pacific region, South Koreans are the most negative (45%) of = all countries, along with pluralities in the Philippines (31%), and = Australia (29%). However pluralities in Indonesia (39%) and India = (21%) lean towards a positive view. Surprisingly, given the criticism of President Ch=E1vez by American = leaders, only a modest plurality of Americans (40%) have a negative = view of Venezuela, while nearly as many (34%) have a positive view. Lebanon is the only country where a significant plurality (48%) holds = a positive view of Venezuela, but this opinion is not widely shared = throughout the Middle East. While quite small pluralities in the = United Arab Emirates (28%) and Egypt (22%) view Venezuela’s influence = positively, Turks are divided (19% positive, 16% negative).