[Public Opinion Brief No. 133] International Reputation of 17 Countries as Seen Through the Eyes of the World

[Public Opinion Brief No. 133] Jointly by BBC World Service, GlobeScan, and EAI

2013 Global Poll of 25 Countries

1. Comprehensive Survey Results from 22 Countries

2. Key Characteristics of Survey Results for China, the US, North Korea, and Japan

[Appendix]

1. Comprehensive Survey Results from 22 Countries

1) International Reputation of 17 Countries

- Germany, Canada, and the UK have the best international reputations, in that order.

- South Korea ranks 10th among 17 countries in international reputation; North Korea ranks 15th.

- Japan and China show the largest decline in reputation.

In international relations, the power to make others do what one wants is not limited to hard power such as military or economic strength. There is also soft power, which elicits voluntary cooperation from other countries, such as attractiveness and reputation. Among these, we will examine the international reputation, an important element of soft power, by asking citizens of 25 countries whether the international influence of 17 countries is generally positive (mainly positive) or negative (mainly negative).

In the 2013 survey results, Germany received the most positive evaluation among the 17 surveyed countries from the citizens of 25 countries. The proportion of respondents who answered that Germany's international influence is generally positive was 59%, and the proportion who answered it is generally negative was 15%. Those who answered 'don't know/no answer/reserved' accounted for 26%. This positive global perception of Germany was also consistent in the 2011 and 2012 surveys. In the 2012 survey, the proportion of respondents who answered that Germany's international influence is generally positive was 56%, and in the 2011 survey, it was 62%.

The proportion of respondents who answered that Canada and the United Kingdom have a generally positive international influence ranked second and third, following Germany. The proportion of citizens from 25 countries who answered that Canada and the United Kingdom have a generally positive influence was the same at 55%. The difference between the two countries lay in the proportion of negative responses. While the proportion who answered that Canada has a generally negative influence was 13%, the proportion who answered that the United Kingdom has a generally negative influence was 18%, which was 5 percentage points (p) higher than Canada.

Japan ranked fourth with a generally positive evaluation response rate of 51%. France was fifth (49%), the EU was sixth (49%), with a higher proportion of negative responses compared to France, and Brazil was seventh (46%). The United States ranked eighth, the same as in the 2012 survey, with a generally positive evaluation response rate of 45%. China was ninth (42%), and South Korea was tenth, rising two places from the 2012 survey (36%). South Africa was eleventh (35%), India twelfth (34%), and Russia thirteenth (30%). Countries ranked fourteenth and below were Israel, North Korea, Pakistan, and Iran, in that order.

Comparing with past survey results, Japan, China, and India showed relatively significant changes. For Japan, the proportion of global respondents who answered that its international influence is generally positive was 51%, ranking fourth. Although the proportion of positive evaluations exceeded half, it was the lowest figure over the past three years. Notably, in the 2012 survey, Japan ranked first, receiving the highest proportion of generally positive evaluations (58%) among all surveyed countries, indicating a significant decline.

China's generally positive evaluation rate this year was 42%, which is 3 percentage points (p) higher than the average of 39% for the 17 countries. However, it is noteworthy that this represents the largest decline among the surveyed countries, with a drop of 8 percentage points (p) compared to the 2012 survey results, where 50% of respondents answered that China's international role is generally positive. Its ranking also fell, from fifth place last year, following the UK, to ninth place this year, after the United States, a drop of four places.

India can also be classified as a country whose proportion of generally positive evaluations regarding its international role has decreased. In last year's survey, the proportion of global respondents who answered that India has a generally positive international influence was 40%, but this year's proportion decreased to 34%. Comparing this with the 2011 survey result of 42%, it shows a declining trend for three consecutive years.

While no country showed a consistent increase in the proportion of positive evaluations since the 2010 survey, there were countries that consistently received negative evaluations. Representative examples include Iran, Pakistan, North Korea, and Israel. Iran, in particular, has consistently received the lowest positive evaluations since 2010. This year, the proportion of respondents who answered that it has a generally positive influence was only 15%, the lowest among the 17 surveyed countries.

Pakistan and North Korea also maintained the lowest rankings with little difference in response rates compared to Iran. In terms of the proportion of generally positive responses, Pakistan's was 15%, the same as Iran, and North Korea's was 19%. Israel's proportion of generally positive responses was 21%, showing no significant difference compared to past survey results.

The proportion of generally negative evaluations showed a characteristic inverse relationship with the proportion of generally positive evaluations. Countries with a high proportion of negative evaluations were Iran (59%), Pakistan (55%), North Korea (54%), and Israel (52%) in that order. Conversely, countries with a low proportion of negative evaluations were Canada (13%), Germany (15%), the United Kingdom (18%), and France and Brazil (21%) in that order.

Examining the proportion of negative evaluations for Japan, China, and India, which showed relatively large changes in the 2013 survey compared to past results, Japan's response rate was 27%, causing it to drop to seventh place, three ranks below its positive evaluation ranking (fourth). China's response rate was 39%, ranking it twelfth, lower than its positive evaluation ranking (ninth). For India, the proportion of negative evaluations (35%) exceeded the proportion of positive evaluations (34%).

Russia's proportion of negative evaluations was also 40%, exceeding its proportion of positive evaluations (30%). Among the 17 surveyed countries, there were six countries where the proportion of negative evaluations was higher than the proportion of positive evaluations. Excluding India and Russia, the countries where negative evaluations accounted for a majority were Iran, Pakistan, North Korea, and Israel.

Looking at the negative evaluation rates for other countries, the United States was 34%, South Korea 31%, South Africa 30%, the EU 24%, and Brazil and France 21%.

[Figure 1] International Reputation of 17 Countries (%)

[Table 1] Trend of International Reputation Change for 17 Countries (%)

Note) Domestic public opinion survey results were excluded from the calculation of the average value.

[Table 2] Change in International Reputation Ranking for 17 Countries

2) Difference between Positive and Negative Reputation for 17 Countries

- Germany and Canada ranked first and second in the difference between positive and negative reputation.

- Japan dropped from 4th to 7th place, China from 9th to 11th place.

- South Korea moved from 10th to 9th place.

Examining the degree of difference between the assessment of generally positive international roles and generally negative international roles for each of the 17 surveyed countries is useful for confirming the strength of the evaluation results. A large positive difference between the two values suggests a stronger positive evaluation, while a large negative difference suggests a stronger negative evaluation.

In reality, the difference between positive and negative evaluations did not exactly match the rankings for positive or negative evaluations. Germany, which ranked first in positive evaluations, and Canada, which ranked second, showed high differences of 45 percentage points (p) and 37 percentage points (p) respectively, in terms of the difference with negative evaluation rates. This indicates the strong intensity of positive evaluations for both countries. The United Kingdom, ranked third, also showed a difference of 37 percentage points (p), indicating strong positive evaluations.

Countries with a high proportion of negative evaluations also showed large negative values when subtracting the proportion of negative evaluations from the proportion of positive evaluations. Iran, which had the highest proportion of negative evaluations, had a difference of -44 percentage points (p), and Pakistan had a difference of -40 percentage points (p). North Korea, which had the third highest proportion of negative evaluations, also showed a difference of -35 percentage points (p), indicating that negative evaluations overwhelmingly outnumbered positive ones.

Israel, Russia, and India also showed negative values when subtracting the proportion of negative evaluations from the proportion of positive evaluations, indicating that global perceptions of these countries lean towards the negative.

However, Japan and China showed different results. For Japan, the proportion of generally positive responses was 51%, ranking fourth, but when calculating the difference with the proportion of generally negative responses, the difference was 24 percentage points (p), and its rank dropped to seventh. This result indicates that the intensity of negative perceptions of Japan is relatively strong compared to other surveyed countries.

China's difference between positive and negative evaluations was only 3 percentage points (p), and its rank dropped to eleventh. Similar to the results for Japan, this indicates that global perceptions of China are relatively divided compared to other countries.

In addition, based on the positive evaluation rankings, the rankings according to the magnitude of the difference between positive and negative evaluations showed the following: France moved from 5th to 4th, the EU from 6th to 4th, the United States from 8th to 8th, Brazil from 7th to 6th, South Korea from 10th to 9th, and South Africa from 11th to 10th. These countries generally maintained the same ranking as their positive evaluation rankings or moved up one or two places, filling the positions vacated by Japan and China.

[Table 3] Difference between Positive and Negative Reputation for 17 Countries (%)

2. Key Characteristics of Results for the US, China, North Korea, and Japan

1) Comparison of US and China Results

- International Role: US positive 45%, China positive 42%

- Fierce Competition for Soft Power between the US and China

There is little room for disagreement regarding the status of the G2, the US and China, in terms of hard power. However, the status of hard power possessed by the US and China does not directly translate into soft power. In fact, the results of this survey show that the proportion of positive evaluations of the international roles of the US and China was lower than that of many European countries, as well as Brazil.

However, the competition between the two countries was fierce. In this year's survey, the proportion of global respondents who positively evaluated the US's international role was 45%. China's positive evaluation rate was 42%. The US's positive evaluation rate was 3 percentage points (p) higher than China's. This result differs from 2012, when China's positive evaluation rate for its international role (50%) surpassed the US's positive evaluation rate (47%).

The competition between the US and China is not limited to 2012 and 2013. From 2005 to 2008, the proportion of positive evaluations for China consistently surpassed that for the US. After reaching parity in 2009 with 40%, the US regained the lead from 2010 to 2011. This suggests that the soft power competition between the US and China is fierce in global evaluations. Indeed, examining the changes in rankings of the US and China among the 17 countries surveyed for international reputation, in 2010 the US was 7th and China was 8th. In 2011, the US was 8th and China was 9th. In 2012, the US was 8th and China was 5th, and in this year's 2013 survey, the US was 8th and China was 9th.

[Figure 2] Trend of Positive Evaluation Rate for US-China International Reputation

Note) The numbers in parentheses indicate the number of participating countries for the respective year.

2) Characteristics of US Survey Results

- Higher positive evaluations in African and South American countries.

- In Asia, South Korea had the highest at 58%.

- Still negative in Islamic and socialist countries.

Excluding the results from US citizens, the proportion of global respondents who positively evaluated the US's international role was 44%. The proportion of negative evaluations was 35%, and 21% were undecided/reserved. The citizens who evaluated the US's international role most positively were from Ghana (82%), Kenya (69%), and Nigeria (67%). Excluding these African citizens, South America was the region with a high proportion of positive evaluations. Citizens of Chile, Brazil, and Peru, excluding Mexico, gave a generally positive evaluation of the US's international role at a rate of 55% to 62%, which was more than 10 percentage points (p) above the overall average.

Excluding these countries, the citizens who gave the most positive evaluation of the US's international role were South Korean citizens. South Korean citizens evaluated the US's international role positively at a rate of 58%. Australian citizens also evaluated it positively at a rate of 46%, and Canadian citizens at a rate of 45%.

Conversely, citizens who gave negative evaluations of the US's international role were mainly from Islamic countries and countries classified as socialist. In Pakistan and Egypt, Islamic countries, the proportion of citizens who positively evaluated the US's international role was 14% and 24%, respectively. Indonesian citizens also had a positive evaluation rate of 38%, below the overall average. The positive evaluation rate for Turkish citizens was also low at 27%.

Citizens of China and Russia, which are socialist countries and can be considered competitors with the US, also had negative evaluations of the US's international role. Among Chinese citizens, the proportion who positively evaluated the US's international role was 20%, and the response rate among Russian citizens was 17%.

In addition, citizens of Japan, India, and Mexico also had positive evaluation rates for the US's international role below the overall average. The positive evaluation rate for Japanese citizens was 42%, for Indian citizens 40%, and for Mexican citizens 41%.

Positive evaluation rates for the US in European countries were generally divided, with clear preferences. In Poland and France, the proportion of citizens who positively evaluated the US's international role was 55% and 52%, respectively, exceeding the majority. Citizens of the United Kingdom and Spain also gave positive evaluations at rates of 46% and 43%, respectively. However, in Germany, Turkey, Greece, and Russia, the evaluation of the US's international role was generally negative. The response rate among German citizens was 35%, and among Greek citizens, it was a low 23%.

- US citizens' positive evaluations ranked Canada, UK, Germany, Japan in order.

- South Korea ranked 10th with a 47% positive evaluation rate.

- North Korea ranked first with an 88% negative evaluation rate.

An examination of American perceptions of the international roles of 17 countries reveals that the most positively evaluated nations were traditionally American allies: Canada, the United Kingdom, Germany, and Japan. The rate of positive evaluation of Canada's international role among the American public reached 84%, followed by the United Kingdom at 74%, Germany at 71%, and Japan at 66%. These perceptions of the American public towards these countries were similar to past survey results (see Issue No. 115).

In the 2012 survey, Canada, the United Kingdom, Japan, and Germany were ranked in descending order of positive evaluation rates. The notable difference is that Germany's positive evaluation rate increased by 3 percentage points (p) from 68% in the 2012 survey to the current survey, while Japan's positive evaluation rate dropped by 8 percentage points (p) from 74%, leading to a change in ranking.

Beyond these four countries, France received the next highest positive evaluation rate at 60%. The EU and Israel also surpassed the overall average with response rates of 51%. Brazil (50%) and South Korea (47%) also exceeded the overall average, though not by a significant margin.

North Korea received the most negative evaluation. The positive evaluation rate for North Korea was a mere 6%, while the negative evaluation rate reached 88%. Pakistan and Iran also had positive evaluation rates below 10%. American perceptions of China and Russia were also largely negative. Specifically, the positive evaluation rate for China was only 23%, and for Russia, it was 29%.

[Figure 3] US Survey Results (%)

Note) Results of domestic opinion polls are excluded from the total values.

3) Characteristics of Chinese Survey Results

- High positive evaluation of China in African and South American countries

- Low positive evaluation in European, North American, and Asian countries

- Positive evaluation rate by South Korean citizens: 23%

The global positive evaluation rate of China's international role, excluding the results from Chinese citizens, is 40%. The negative evaluation rate was also 40%, the same as the positive evaluation rate, and the rate of "don't know/reserved" responses was 20%. The citizens who evaluated China's international role most positively were primarily from South American and African countries, excluding Pakistan (81%).

In fact, the positive evaluation rates of Nigeria (78%), Ghana (68%), Kenya (58%), Egypt (57%), and South American countries such as Chile (57%), Brazil (54%), and Peru (53%) for China's international role exceeded the overall average. Citizens of Indonesia, an Islamic country, also showed a relatively high positive evaluation rate of China's international role at 55%. However, the positive evaluation rate among Russian citizens, classified as a socialist country, was 42%, only 2 percentage points (p) higher than the overall average.

In countries other than those mentioned above, the proportion of negative responses regarding China's international role was generally high. Among Asian countries, the positive evaluation rates in Japan (5%), South Korea (23%), Australia, and India (36%) were lower than the overall average.

In North American and European countries, positive evaluations of China's international role were also relatively low. Primarily, citizens of the United States and Canada in North America generally held a negative view of China's international role. The proportion of citizens in these two countries who positively evaluated China's international role was only 23% in the US and 29% in Canada.

Similarly, citizens in European countries generally did not evaluate China's international role positively. The positive evaluation rates among Spanish and German citizens were only 13%, and the response rates in France (25%) and Poland (25%) were also below the overall average. Citizens of Turkey, classified as an Islamic country, also showed a positive evaluation rate of China's international role of only 32%, while the response rates in Greece and the UK were 34% and 37%, respectively, both below the overall average.

Looking at the negative evaluation rates, the US, Germany, Spain, Japan, and South Korea showed rates above 60%, while Australia, the UK, and Turkey showed rates in the 50% range. All these countries share the characteristic of being members of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). Conversely, countries with low negative evaluation rates included Pakistan (6%), as well as Chile, Brazil, and Peru in South America, Nigeria, Egypt, Ghana, and Kenya in Africa, and Indonesia and India in Asia. Russia also showed a negative evaluation rate of 24%, which was 16 percentage points (p) lower than the overall average.

- Positive evaluation by Chinese citizens: Canada, France, Germany, UK in order

- Positive evaluation rate for South Korea: 44%, ranking 7th

- Positive evaluation rate for North Korea: 32%, ranking 11th

Examining the evaluations of the international role of 17 countries by Chinese citizens, the countries receiving positive evaluations were all European countries, with the exception of Canada. The positive evaluation rate by Chinese citizens for Canada's international role reached 77%. The positive evaluation rates for the European countries France, Germany, and the UK were also around 50%, higher than the positive evaluation rates for other countries.

Compared to the 2012 survey results, the countries with the most significant changes in the positive evaluation rate by Chinese citizens include France, Canada, India, Russia, and South Korea. Among these, France and Canada saw an increase in their positive evaluation rates, while India, Russia, South Korea, and Brazil experienced a decrease.

Specifically, the positive evaluation rates for France and Canada increased by 7 percentage points (p) and 5 percentage points (p), respectively, compared to the 2012 survey results. In contrast, India's positive evaluation rate decreased by 9 percentage points (p), while Russia and South Korea saw a decrease of 8 percentage points (p), and Brazil decreased by 7 percentage points (p). Among the countries with a decrease in positive evaluation rates, excluding South Korea, all are BRICS countries.

The country that received the most negative evaluation from Chinese citizens was Japan. The proportion of Chinese citizens who positively evaluated Japan's international role was only 17%. The United States also showed a response rate of 20%, indicating it received the most negative evaluation from Chinese citizens.

Excluding Japan and the United States, the negative perception among Chinese citizens showed similarities to that of people worldwide. India, Iran, Pakistan, Israel, and North Korea followed in order of high negative evaluation rates. Specifically, the proportion of Chinese citizens who positively evaluated India's international role was only 23%. For Iran, the response rate was 24%, for Pakistan 28%, and for Israel and North Korea, it was only 32%.

The negative evaluation rates were also inversely proportional to the positive evaluation rates. The proportion of Chinese citizens who negatively evaluated Japan's international role reached 74%, and the response rate for the United States was 57%. Negative evaluation rates for India and Iran were also in the 40% range. For the other surveyed countries, the negative evaluation rates were all similar to or below the overall average of 34%. This result indicates that the negative perception held by Chinese citizens towards specific countries is relatively strong compared to other countries.

[Figure 4] China Survey Results (%)

Note) Results of domestic opinion polls are excluded from the total values.

4) Characteristics of North Korea Survey Results

- Positive evaluation of North Korea's international role: 18%

- Negative evaluation: 54%

- Only Indonesia and Ghana show positive evaluation in the 40% range

Global views on North Korea's contribution to the international community are highly negative. Since 2011, North Korea's international reputation has consistently ranked between 15th and 16th among the 17 surveyed countries. In this year's survey, the positive evaluation rate of North Korea's contribution to the international community was only 18%, ranking 15th, placing it in the lower tier. The negative evaluation rate was 54%, and the rate of "don't know/reserved" responses was 28%.

The countries whose citizens evaluated North Korea's contribution to the international community most positively were Ghana and Indonesia. The response rate for Ghanaian citizens was 48%, and for Indonesian citizens, it was 42%. The positive evaluation rates among citizens of Nigeria, China, Egypt, and Turkey were also in the 30% range, indicating a relatively positive assessment of North Korea's international role compared to citizens of other participating countries.

Conversely, the countries with the lowest positive evaluation rates were Japan, Germany, South Korea, Spain, and Poland, in that order. The response rates in these countries were all 5% or lower. However, countries in other regions did not necessarily evaluate North Korea's contribution to the international community positively either. In all surveyed North American, South American, and European countries, the negative evaluation rate for North Korea significantly outweighed the positive evaluation rate. Only Indonesia in Asia and Ghana and Egypt in Africa had positive evaluation rates higher than negative evaluation rates.

Regarding negative evaluation rates, the highest proportions were observed among citizens of Japan (92%), South Korea and Germany (90%). In these three countries, the proportion of citizens who negatively evaluated North Korea's contribution to the international community exceeded 90%. Citizens of the United States, Australia, the United Kingdom, and France showed negative evaluation rates in the 80% range, while citizens of Canada and Spain showed rates in the 70% range. For reference, among the surveyed countries, Egypt was the only one that evaluated North Korea's international role more positively than South Korea's. This is because the proportion of Egyptian citizens who positively evaluated South Korea's international role was only 20%. Furthermore, Turkish citizens gave identical positive evaluation rates of 30% for both North Korea and South Korea, and the difference in positive evaluation rates between North Korea and South Korea among Indian and German citizens was only a single digit. The response rate among Polish citizens was also relatively high at 68%.

However, considering that the response rates from citizens of China, Indonesia, Pakistan, and India in Asia, as well as African countries and Peru in South America, were all below 30%, it can be analyzed that while the negative evaluation of North Korea's contribution to the international community is a common phenomenon globally, it is also bifurcated. This is because countries can be divided into those that evaluate North Korea's role in the international community negatively and those that evaluate it extremely negatively.

[Figure 5] North Korea Survey Results (%)

- Countries with an increase in positive evaluation: Pakistan and Mexico

- Positive evaluation by Japanese citizens: 0%

- Countries with a decrease in negative evaluation: China and Egypt

In the current survey, the positive and negative evaluation rates of North Korea's international role were compared with the survey results from 2012 and 2011. Compared to the 2012 survey results, 8 out of the 25 participating countries showed an increase in their positive evaluation rates. The country with the largest increase was Indonesia, with a 24 percentage point (p) rise compared to the 2012 survey results. Ghana also saw a significant increase of 22 percentage points (p) in its positive evaluation rate. Additionally, the increase in India, Pakistan, and Peru was all over 5 percentage points (p).

Comparing with the 2011 survey results, Pakistan and Mexico showed an increase of 16 percentage points (p) in their positive evaluation rates. Ghana and Indonesia also showed increases of 11% and 10 percentage points (p), respectively, in their positive evaluation rates.

Compared to the 2012 survey results, the countries with the largest decrease in positive evaluation rates were Kenya and Nigeria, with a decrease of 15 percentage points (p). The decrease in Russia, China, and Spain was also relatively large. The decrease in Russia's positive evaluation rate was 9 percentage points (p), and the decrease in China and Spain was 5 percentage points (%). Compared to the 2011 survey results, the country with the largest decrease in positive evaluation rate was Germany, with a decrease of 6 percentage points (p).

In terms of negative evaluations, countries with an increase of over 10 percentage points (p) compared to the 2012 survey results were Chile, Russia, Ghana, Spain, and Peru. Compared to the 2011 survey results, Mexico and Spain showed the largest increases, with 26 percentage points (p) and 12 percentage points (p), respectively.

Compared to the 2012 survey results, the countries with a relatively large decrease in negative evaluation rates were Egypt and Indonesia, with decreases of over 10 percentage points (p) in both countries. Compared to the 2011 survey results, the countries with significant decreases were China, Egypt, and Kenya. The decrease in China was as much as 19 percentage points (p), and the decrease in Egypt was 17 percentage points (p).

There are four countries—Pakistan, Peru, Brazil, and Mexico—that have shown a consistent increase in their positive evaluation rates from 2011 to 2013. Notably, Pakistan's positive evaluation rate, which was only 11% in 2011, increased to 20% in 2012 and 27% in the 2013 survey, showing a relatively distinct upward trend. Germany is a country where the positive evaluation rate has consistently decreased.

Conversely, Mexico showed a consistent increase in its negative evaluation rate, while Egypt, Kenya, China, and Brazil showed a consistent decrease. Among these, China's negative evaluation rate of North Korea's international role, which was 51% in 2011, decreased to 35% in 2012 (a drop of 16 percentage points (p)) and further decreased to 32% in the 2013 survey (an additional drop of 3 percentage points (p)). This indicates that while the perception of North Korea among Chinese citizens remains negative, it is not entirely so.

[Table 4] Changes in International Reputation of North Korea (%)

5) Characteristics of Japan Survey Results

- Positive evaluation of Japan's international role, evenly distributed

- Most negative region: Asia

- Positive evaluation rates: Chinese citizens 17%, South Korean citizens 21%

The global positive evaluation rate of Japan's international role, excluding the results from Japanese citizens, is 52%. The negative evaluation rate was also 26%, the same as the positive evaluation rate, and the rate of "don't know/reserved" responses was 22%. Countries that positively evaluated Japan's international role were evenly distributed across regions. In North America, the positive evaluation rates in the US and Canada were high at 66% and 61%, respectively. The positive evaluation rates in Brazil, Chile, and Peru in South America were also above 60%. In Nigeria, Ghana, and Kenya in Africa, the positive evaluation rates for Japan's international role were also relatively high.

In European countries, the evaluation results of Japan's international role varied. Citizens of Poland, the UK, France, and Greece showed positive evaluation rates above 50%, while citizens of Turkey, Russia, Spain, and Germany showed relatively low positive evaluation rates. In particular, the positive evaluation rates in Germany and Spain were 28% and 36%, respectively.

The region with the lowest positive evaluation rate of Japan's international role was Asia. Indonesia was an exception, with an overwhelmingly high positive evaluation rate of 82% for Japan's international role; however, in other Asian countries, the positive evaluation rates were similar to or lower than the overall average. The positive evaluation rates in China and South Korea were particularly low. The proportion of Chinese citizens who positively evaluated Japan's international role was only 17%, and the response rate in South Korea was only 21%. In India and Pakistan, the proportion of positive responses was also not high, at 33% and 45%, respectively.

Based on the negative evaluation rates of Japan's international role, the countries with the most negative evaluations were citizens of China and South Korea. The response rate in China reached 74%, and the response rate in South Korea was also high at 67%. The response rates in Germany and Turkey were also in the 40% range. For other countries, the negative evaluation rates were all below 30%. Consequently, if Japan wishes to further enhance its positive international reputation, efforts to change the perceptions of citizens in Asian countries, especially China and South Korea, appear necessary.

- Positive evaluation by Japanese citizens: Germany, UK, US, and India in order

- Positive evaluation of China: 5%, South Korea: 19%

Looking at the Japanese public's assessment of the international roles of 17 countries, the most positively evaluated nations were Germany, the United Kingdom, India, the United States, Canada, and Brazil. The proportion of positive evaluations for Germany's international role was the highest at 47%, followed by the UK at 44%, India and the US at 42%, and Canada and Brazil at 40%. North Korea received the lowest positive evaluation rate. The proportion of respondents who answered that North Korea's role in the international community was generally positive was 0%. The positive evaluation rates for Israel, Iran, China, and Pakistan were also very low, below 6%. The positive evaluation rates for Russia, South Korea, and South Africa were also low at 10%.

These perceptions of international roles differ from the 2011 survey. Firstly, based on the positive evaluation rate, there was no change from 23% in 2012 to 24% in the current survey, but the increase for the US and Germany was distinct. The positive evaluation rate for the US increased by 10 percentage points (p), and for Germany by 9 percentage points (p). Conversely, the positive evaluation rate for South Korea declined the most, with a decrease of 15 percentage points (%). This result confirms the change in the negative international reputation that the Japanese public holds towards South Korea.

The country that received the most negative evaluation was North Korea, with a response rate of 92%. China followed with a negative evaluation rate of 64%, and Iran and Israel had high negative evaluation rates in that order. Pakistan, Russia, and South Korea also had higher negative evaluation rates than positive ones. ■

[Figure 6] Japanese Survey Results (%)