Public Opinion Briefing Vol. 25-2: How the International Community Views the United States

Public Opinion Briefing Vol. 25: Globalization and Economic Perceptions Worldwide

[1] Perceptions of Neighboring Great Powers: Seo Sang-min

[2] A Cold World, A Lonely America: Global Assessments of U.S. Influence

[3] International Perceptions of China in 2008: Kwak So-hee

A Cold World, A Lonely America

Global Assessments of U.S. Influence

How does the international community assess the United States, the sole superpower today? A survey of 17,582 individuals across 34 countries revealed that the influence the U.S. wields in the world today did not receive positive evaluations. Among the 14 surveyed countries, the U.S. ranked ninth in terms of positive evaluation of its influence (38% positive, 44% negative). Following the U.S. were Russia (37%), North Korea (22%), Israel (20%), Iran (18%), and Pakistan (17%).



The international community's cool assessment of U.S. influence is not an isolated phenomenon limited to this survey. Over the past three years, global sentiment towards the U.S. has consistently been negative in surveys addressing the same question. In 2005, only 38% held a positive view of the U.S., followed by 32% in 2006 and 28% in 2007. In contrast, negative evaluations were 50%, 51%, and 55% respectively, exceeding positive assessments. However, the continuously deteriorating perception of the U.S. showed a slight improvement in the 2008 survey. Furthermore, the proportion of respondents who evaluated the U.S. negatively also decreased in 2008.

Note: This is the average assessment of 17 countries regarding the U.S.'s global influence from 2005-2008. The number of countries was limited to 17 for consistency across the four surveys.

How did the citizens of each country evaluate the U.S.? Primarily, the most favorable assessments came from African nations such as Kenya (80%), Nigeria (66%), and Ghana (65%), along with the Philippines (79%), which has consistently shown favor in past surveys, and Central American countries like Nicaragua (70%), Honduras (67%), and Panama (58%). Israel (68%) also warrants mention. However, Mexico, which shares a border with the U.S. and frequently experiences friction, registered the lowest positive response at 10%. The assessments from citizens of major powers were similarly cool. China (38%), the United Kingdom (35%), France (32%), Australia (32%), Canada (27%), Japan (21%), Germany (20%), and Russia (19%) all showed higher negative than positive evaluations of the U.S.



The reason for the international community's parsimonious evaluation of U.S. influence likely stems from the significant negative repercussions of the interventionist foreign policy pursued by the U.S. The Iraq War is a prime example. Even among Americans, while the assessment of their country's global influence was somewhat favorable, the proportion of positive responses decreased from 71% to 56% over the past four years, while negative responses increased from 25% to 36%. This can be interpreted as a partial reflection of internal introspection regarding the nation's foreign policy.

How, then, do Americans evaluate other countries? The country most positively assessed by Americans is Japan (70%). This is followed by Brazil (61%), the European Union (60%), and India (57%). An interesting point here is that the citizens of developed countries like Japan and European nations, whom Americans view favorably, do not evaluate U.S. foreign influence as positively. This represents an irony in the foreign relations of the lonely superpower, the United States.