FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: THURSDAY, December 18, 2008
Global Public Opinion in the Bush Years (2001-2008)
America’s Image ?? Muslims and Westerners ?? Global Economy ?? Rise of China
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Andrew Kohut, President
Richard Wike, Associate Director
Erin Carriere-Kretschmer, Senior Researcher
Kathleen Holzwart, Research Analyst
(202) 419-4350
www.
GLOBAL PUBLIC OPINION IN THE BUSH YEARS (2001-2008)
When Barack Obama is sworn in as America’s new president in January, he will inherit
two wars in distant lands, one highly unpopular and the other going badly, along with a
worldwide financial crisis that is being measured against the Great Depression. He will confront
the prospect of destructive global climate change and the spread of nuclear weapons to rogue
states.
The president-elect has indicated that he will focus on international cooperation in
addressing global problems, but he will have to navigate a world that has grown highly critical of
the United States.
The U.S. image abroad is suffering almost everywhere. Particularly in the most
economically developed countries, people blame America for the financial crisis. Opposition to
key elements of American foreign policy is widespread in Western Europe, and positive views of
the U.S. have declined steeply
among many of America’s
longtime European allies. In
Muslim nations, the wars in
Afghanistan and particularly Iraq
have driven negative ratings
nearly off the charts. The United
States earns positive ratings in
several Asian and Latin
American nations, but usually by
declining margins. And while the
most recent Pew Global Attitudes
survey finds that favorable views
of America edged up in 2008,
only in sub-Saharan Africa does
America score uniformly
favorable marks.
83
53
31
78
62
42
33
50
0
20
40
60
80
2000 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008
Percent Favorable
Britain
Germany
France
Spain
U.S. Favorability: European Nations
Pew Global Attitudes Project 2
America’s image gap is the central, unmistakable finding from surveys conducted over
the course of this decade by the Pew Research Center’s Pew Global Attitudes Project. Since
2002, interviewers have polled over 175,000 people in 54 nations and the Palestinian territories
to compare and contrast public opinion around the world on a large variety of subjects. These
years coincide almost exactly with the presidency of George W. Bush, thus making it possible to
assess his impact on matters of concern not just to the United States but to the world. Some of
the other major findings include:
• Numerous tensions exist between Muslim and Western publics on values, policies, world
events, and perceptions of one another. For instance, a 2006 Pew Global Attitudes survey
highlighted the extent to which Muslims saw the controversy surrounding cartoons
published by a Danish newspaper portraying the prophet Muhammad as an example of
Western disrespect for Islam, while Westerners blamed intolerance among Muslims.
• Despite some rough edges, globalization has
enjoyed widespread popularity during the
Bush years. Surveys have found worldwide
support for increased commerce across
national borders. Still, enthusiasm is waning
in Western Europe and the United States as
rich countries become aware of
accompanying dislocations. And many
foreigners, even as they devour American
movies and music, fear the crowding out of
their own cultures.
• The rise of China has generated serious
concerns in many countries. China’s
favorability ratings have fallen since 2002,
particularly in Europe and its biggest
neighbors – India, Japan, and Russia. China is
already widely regarded as one of the world’s
top economic powers and is seen by many as
likely to replace the United States as the
world’s dominant power.
• The world’s agenda is evolving but not
transforming. A 2007 survey found that
Views of China
42
36
56
72
68
30
54
50
29
42
52
34
49
84
40
38
31
14
51
39
31
28
60
33
24
59
50
44
52
48
46
14
47
38
34
79
71
37
8
8
40
45
47
58
76
26
U.S.
Britain
Spain
France
Germany
Russia
Poland
Turkey
Egypt
Lebanon
Jordan
Pakistan
Indonesia
Australia
S. Korea
India
Japan
Brazil
Mexico
Argentina
Nigeria
Tanzania
S. Africa
Unfavorable Favorable
2008 Pew Global Attitudes Project
Pew Global Attitudes Project 3
global publics were increasingly concerned about the growing gap between the world’s
rich and poor. Concern about pollution had also increased. At the family level, people
consistently named financial concerns as the most important problem in their own lives,
but they did not want to see economic growth come at the expense of the environment.
AMERICA’S IMAGE GAP
Mounting discontent with U.S.
foreign policy over the last eight years
has translated into a concern about
American power. In the view of much of
the world, the United States has played
the role of bully in the school yard,
throwing its weight around with little
regard for others’ interests.
America won a measure of global
sympathy after the terrorist attacks of
Sept. 11, 2001, but the inaugural Pew
Global Attitudes survey showed that by
spring 2002 favorability ratings for the
U.S. had already dropped in many
countries since the start of the decade.
Surveys conducted after the U.S.–led
invasion of Iraq in 2003 found further
declines. Positive views of the United
States declined in 26 of the 33 countries
where the question was posed in both
2002 and 2007.
Respondents to the 2006 survey in
13 of 15 countries found the American presence in Iraq to be an equal or greater danger to
stability in the Middle East than the regime of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, while
11 judged it a threat to Middle East stability greater than or equal to the Israeli-Palestinian
conflict.
And while the U.S.-led war on terrorism initially drew strong support among U.S. allies
in Europe, in recent years world attitudes toward America’s military operations in Afghanistan
Favorable Views of the U.S.
1999/
2000 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008
% % % % % % % %
Britain 83 75 70 58 55 56 51 53
France 62 62 42 37 43 39 39 42
Spain 50 -- 38 -- 41 23 34 33
Germany 78 60 45 38 42 37 30 31
Poland 86 79 -- -- 62 -- 61 68
Russia 37 61 37 46 52 43 41 46
Turkey 52 30 15 30 23 12 9 12
Lebanon -- 36 27 -- 42 -- 47 51
Egypt -- -- -- -- -- 30 21 22
Jordan -- 25 1 5 21 15 20 19
South Korea 58 52 46 -- -- -- 58 70
India -- 66 -- -- 71 56 59 66
Japan 77 72 -- -- -- 63 61 50
Australia -- -- 59 -- -- -- -- 46
China -- -- -- -- 42 47 34 41
Indonesia 75 61 15 -- 38 30 29 37
Pakistan 23 10 13 21 23 27 15 19
Brazil 56 51 35 -- -- -- 44 47
Mexico 68 64 -- -- -- -- 56 47
Argentina 50 34 -- -- -- -- 16 22
Tanzania -- 53 -- -- -- -- 46 65
Nigeria 46 76 61 -- -- 62 70 64
South Africa -- 65 -- -- -- -- -- 60
1999/2000 survey trends provided by the Office of Research,
U.S. Department of State.
Pew Global Attitudes Project 4
have turned increasingly negative. Now in recent surveys, majorities in nearly all countries think
it’s time for America to withdraw from both Iraq and Afghanistan.
WESTERNERS AND MUSLIMS: A COMPLEX RELATIONSHIP
The project has documented considerable
tensions between Westerners and Muslims, finding
that fundamentally different views of world events are
feeding these tensions.
Not surprisingly, American and Muslim
opinions diverge on the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
In a 2006 survey, 51% of Americans said the ouster of
Iraqi President Saddam Hussein made the world a
safer place. In the five Muslim nations surveyed,
support for this view ranged from 8% to 16%.
Less expectedly, the 2006 survey found that a
majority of Indonesians, Jordanians, Turks and
Egyptians remained unconvinced that Arabs were
responsible for the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks in New
York and Washington.
The furor in Islamic countries over the publication in Denmark of cartoons that depicted
the prophet Muhammad revealed a similar divergence in perspective. Respondents to the 2006
survey in four Muslim countries blamed Western disrespect for Islam. But in five Western
nations, majorities attributed the controversy to Muslim intolerance of points of view other than
their own.
Muslims Look at the West
Many Muslims have an aggrieved view of the West. Majorities in many Muslim nations
– and in some Western European ones, for that matter – believe America’s war on terrorism is
really an effort to control Mideast oil or to dominate the world. In the 2004 Pew Global Attitudes
survey, more than half of Jordanians and Pakistanis, as well as 40% or more of French and
Germans – said that the war on terrorism was a smokescreen for a campaign against unfriendly
Muslim governments.
Many of those surveyed in predominantly Muslim nations in 2006 expressed ill will
toward the United States and other Western countries, frequently ascribing to them such traits as
Did Arabs Carry Out
9/11 Attacks?*
17
48
35
33
16
32
16
39
15
56
46
44
35
65
59
59
53
41
42 47
British Muslims
French Muslims
German Muslims
Spanish Muslims
Indonesia
Egypt
Turkey
Jordan
Pakistan
Nigerian
Yes No
*Asked of Muslims only.
2006 Pew Global Attitudes Project
Pew Global Attitudes Project 5
“violent” and “selfish.” In the 2007 survey, in nine of the 47 countries polled, fewer than 30% of
respondents rated America favorably. With the exception of Argentina, all were predominantly
Muslim.
Middle Eastern countries widely see a U.S. policy tilt toward Israel in its dispute with the
Palestinians. Of Egyptians surveyed in 2007, 86% held this view, against none who thought
America favored the Palestinians. Even among Israelis, a 42% plurality believed U.S. policy
favors their country too much.
Westerners Evaluate Muslims
By and large, non-Muslims express somewhat less negative views of Muslims than vice
versa. Majorities in four of the six Western countries in the 2006 survey voiced a favorable
attitude toward Muslims. Yet many in the non-Muslim world have doubts about Muslim values.
Large majorities in such countries as Spain, Russia, India and Nigeria consider them fanatical
and violent as do smaller majorities or pluralities in other non-Muslim countries.
Given a list of five positive characteristics and six negative ones, non-Muslims in the
2006 survey were just slightly more likely to apply the positive traits than the negative ones to
Selfish
50
51
54
56
57
63
67
69
73
81
Spanish Muslims
French Muslims
Pakistan
Nigeria
German Muslims
Egypt
British Muslims
Turkey
Jordan
Indonesia
Arrogant
43
45
48
48
49
53
64
67
72
74
Spanish Muslims
French Muslims
German Muslims
Jordan
Egypt
Pakistan
British Muslims
Turkey
Indonesia
Nigeria
Violent
24
29
34
49
52
64
70
74
75
81
Spanish Muslims
French Muslims
German Muslims
Pakistan
British Muslims
Indonesia
Turkey
Nigeria
Egypt
Jordan
Fanatical
0
43
48
50
72
73
74
78
83
Spanish Muslims
Spanish Muslims
U.S.
Great Britain
France
Russia
India
Nigeria
Germany
Spain
Violent
0
32
41
45
52
59
60
67
73
Spanish Muslims
Spanish Muslims
Great Britain
France
U.S.
Germany
Russia
Spain
India
Nigeria
Arrogant
0
28
35
35
38
42
51
55
58
Spanish Muslims
Spanish Muslims
Germany
U.S.
Great Britain
France
Spain
Russia
Nigeria
India
Negative Characteristics Muslims Associate with People in Western Countries *
Negative Traits Muslims and Non-Muslims See in One Another
Negative Characteristics Non-Muslims Associate with Muslims *
*Top three traits of six negative traits tested. Lighter shading indicates Muslim subpopulations within Western European countries.
In Pakistan, the percentage of Don't Know/Refused responses ranges from 28% to 31% on these characteristics.
Nigerian Muslims asked about "people in Western countries," Nigerian non-Muslims asked about "Muslims."
2006 Pew Global Attitudes Project
Pew Global Attitudes Project 6
Muslims. Muslims, in contrast, associated Westerners with negative characteristics more
frequently than with positive ones. Respondents in six Muslim nations most often called
Westerners violent (followed by selfish). In six Western nations, Muslims were most commonly
seen as devout (followed by fanatical).
Non-Muslim Europeans are particularly likely to regard Muslims as not respectful of
women; prevalence of the belief that women are treated badly in Muslim nations ranged from
59% in Britain to 83% in Spain. But strong majorities of Muslims living in three of four
European nations surveyed in 2006 said Westerners are respectful of women.
Non-Muslims in Western countries believe Muslims face a conflict between being devout
and living in a modern, prosperous society. Muslims – notably those living in Western Europe –
disagree.
Who’s to Blame?
Muslims and Westerners agree that they often disagree. But they part company on which
side is responsible. Each tends to blame the other. In all five predominantly Muslim countries in
the 2006 survey, majorities of those who felt relations were bad fingered the West. In Egypt, a
mere 1% said Muslims were responsible.
The six Western nations were more divided in their opinions. Pluralities – but not
majorities – in four of the six said Muslims were mostly to blame. In Britain, respondents by a
small margin cited Westerners. In Spain, a plurality volunteered that both were to blame.
Both Muslims and Westerners agree that Muslim nations should be doing better
economically. But that’s where agreement on this question ends, even within the two groups. In
Egypt and Jordan, majorities blamed U.S. and Western policies. Majorities of Pakistanis and
Turks pointed to a lack of education, and Indonesians to government corruption.
In the West, U.S. and Western policies ranked at or near the bottom of a list of five
choices to explain poverty in Muslim countries. Government corruption was cited most often,
followed by lack of education.
Some Light at the End of the Tunnel?
Amid all the mistrust and recriminations, the Pew surveys turned up a number of positive
trends in Muslim public opinion, most notably a sharp decline in support for suicide bombing.
The share of Muslims who found suicide bombing as a justified means of defending Islam fell
throughout the period from 2002 to 2008. In Lebanon, 74% of Muslims considered suicide
Pew Global Attitudes Project 7
bombing as justified in 2002, but
that percentage tumbled to 32%
in 2008. Pakistani support for
suicide bombing plunged from
33% to 5%.
While al Qaeda leader
Osama bin Laden inspired
substantial confidence in a few
predominately Muslim countries
in 2003, his popularity has
plummeted in recent years.
Confidence among Jordanian
Muslims has dropped from 56%
in 2003 to 19% in 2008; a mere
2% of Muslims in Lebanon and
3% in Turkey said in 2008 that
they were confident bin Laden
would do the right thing in world
affairs.
Finally, citizens of
predominantly Muslim nations
express positive views of
democracy, as do those of other
developing countries. In the 2006
survey, majorities or pluralities in
five Muslim countries said
democracy was not appropriate
just for the West but could work
for them as well. Included were
some of America’s toughest
critics, such as Egypt, Jordan, and
Pakistan.
For their part, Westerners
are divided over whether Muslim countries are ready for democracy. In the 2006 survey, about
half of Americans (49%) agreed with majorities in Britain and France that democracy would
work well in most Muslim countries. Majorities in Germany and Spain said it would not.
58
44 37
59
34
46
56
19
3
15
2
20
0
20
40
60
80
2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008
Percent A lot/Some Confidence
Nigeria
Indonesia
Pakistan
Jordan
Turkey
Lebanon
Declining Confidence in Osama bin Laden Among Muslims
Based on Muslim respondents.
74
32
47
32
43
25
26
11
33
5
13
0 3
20
40
60
80
2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008
Percent Often/Sometimes Justified
Lebanon
Nigeria
Jordan
Indonesia
Pakistan
Turkey
Fewer Muslims View Suicide Bombing as Justified
Based on Muslim respondents.
Pew Global Attitudes Project 8
FINANCIAL CRISIS IN A GLOBAL ECONOMY
As the world’s No. 1 economic as well as
military power, the United States is taking a hefty
share of the blame for the financial crisis that
engulfed most of the world in 2008.
Even before the crisis had fully blossomed,
only in six of the 24 countries included in the
spring 2008 Pew Global Attitudes survey did
participants describe their national economies as
“very good” or “somewhat good.” These included
three nations in Asia and the South Pacific
(Australia, China, and India) and three in Europe
(Germany, Poland, and Russia). Majorities in only
five countries – China (with a whopping 85%),
India, Pakistan, Brazil and Nigeria – saw better
times as likely in the next 12 months.
And at a time of global economic gloom,
the survey found overwhelming agreement that the United States exerted “a great deal” or a “fair
amount” of influence on other national economies. In most countries, vast majorities (95% in
Japan, 94% in South Korea, 91% in Australia, 90% in Britain and Germany) subscribed to this
view. The outliers were China and Pakistan, but even there, 46% and 41%, respectively, saw a
substantial American influence.
Those who saw a substantial economic impact were asked whether it was positive or
negative. Majorities or pluralities in 18 of the 23 countries said the influence was negative,
sometimes by large majorities (72% in both Britain and Germany). In no country did a majority
say that U.S. economic influence was positive.
Changing Views of National Economies
Number of countries Good Bad
where economy 6 18
currently is seen as:
Where “good” 2007 2008 Change
ratings plummeted % %
Britain 69 30 -39
U.S. 50 20 -30
Spain 65 35 -30
Turkey 46 21 -25
Argentina 45 23 -22
Pakistan 59 41 -18
Where “good”
ratings prevail
China 82 82 0
Australia n/a 69 --
India 74 62 -12
Germany 63 53 -10
Poland 36 52 +16
Russia 38 52 +14
Percent saying nation’s economic situation is very
or somewhat good.
Pew Global Attitudes Project 9
Enthusiasm for Globalization…
The United States, long a champion of closer
commercial links among countries, is seeing much
of the world not only sharing its enthusiasm but
exceeding it. In fact, of the 24 nations surveyed in
2008, Americans were dead last in calling the
growing multi-national trade and business ties either
“very good” or “somewhat good.” A 53% majority
of Americans gave thumbs up to international
commerce, but that support paled in comparison
with the 91% of Nigerians and 90% of Indians at the
top of the list.
In general, the Asian nations that have been
running huge trade surpluses thought international
commerce was just fine. Majorities of 88% in South
Korea and 87% in China approved of growing trade
and business ties across borders.
Many industrial countries, which have been
receiving new international competition from
developing economies such as China’s and India’s,
have found the global economy to be losing its
luster. American support for trade has fallen from
78% in 2002 to just 53% in 2008; Britain, France,
and Germany have also recorded declining levels of
support over this period.
…But Concerns Too
The ability of people to cross national borders in search of jobs is a central component of
globalization, but a controversial one. The United States is not the only country struggling to
limit immigration; majorities in 44 of the 46 other countries surveyed in 2007 wanted more
restrictions. The two exceptions were South Korea (25%) and Japan (47%), where barriers to
foreigners were already high.
Three Americans in four favored making immigration more difficult. Majorities in
Western European countries, magnets for immigrants from Eastern Europe, North Africa, and
elsewhere, strongly agreed. In Italy, whose economy has been particularly lethargic in recent
years, fully 87% of respondents called for stricter immigration controls.
Growing Trade Ties Between
Countries are…for Country
59
44
21
19
30
19
35
41
19
43
30
28
14
48
46
28
19
15
21
34
24
12
22
15
91
89
88
87
87
86
85
85
83
82
81
80
78
78
77
71
71
69
67
65
62
57
53
90
Nigeria
India
Spain
S. Korea
Germany
China
Australia
Lebanon
Poland
Tanzania
France
Russia
Brazil
Pakistan
S. Africa
Britain
Indonesia
Japan
Mexico
Turkey
Jordan
Argentina
Egypt
U.S.
Very good
Somewhat good
Net
2008 Pew Global Attitudes Project
Pew Global Attitudes Project 10
Other aspects of globalization are also controversial. In many countries, the public
worries about the widening gap between the world’s rich and poor. In 11 of the 35 countries
where trend data are available, a significantly larger share of
the public rated the rich-poor divide as a top danger to the
world in the 2007 survey.
Many also worry about the environmental
consequences of the economic growth associated with
globalization. In every one of the 47 countries surveyed in
2007, with the sole exception of Indonesia, majorities of
respondents agreed that “protecting the environment should
be given priority, even if it causes slower economic
growth and some loss of jobs.”
Finally, many countries, while fans of
American popular culture, express concern about a
tidal wave of U.S. music, television shows and
movies. Of the 46 foreign nations surveyed in 2007,
majorities or pluralities in only six – Japan, Israel and
four African countries – said it was good that
American ideas and customs were spreading there.
Opinion on the other side was vehement: French and
Germans found the spread of American culture
unwelcome by a margin of more than 4 to 1, and only
4% of Turks and Pakistanis applauded the trend.
WORLD LEADERS
President George W. Bush’s popularity in the
United States has sunk to the level of Richard Nixon’s
just before he resigned from office. The president’s
standing abroad is still worse.
In 2008, the Pew Global Attitudes Project
asked citizens of 24 countries whether they could
count on Bush to do the right thing regarding foreign
affairs. Majorities in only three (India, Nigeria, and
Tanzania) said they had a lot or some confidence.
Greater Concern About
American Ideas, Customs
‘Bad’ they are
spreading here
Greatest 2002 2007 Change
increases % %
Bulgaria 32 52 +20
Britain 50 67 +17
Tanzania 67 82 +15
Czech Rep. 61 76 +15
Germany 66 80 +14
Confidence in Bush
60
81
85
87
88
50
69
89
65
86
89
33
45
69
66
61
80
77
86
33
39
52
37
41
22
2
33
30
25
23
23
17
16
60
55
32
64
76
11
14
13
7
7
7
16
30
55
8
U.S.
Britain
Germany
France
Spain
Poland
Russia
Turkey
Lebanon
Egypt
Jordan
India
China
S. Korea
Japan
Australia
Indonesia
Pakistan
Brazil
Mexico
Argentina
Tanzania
Nigeria
S. Africa
Not too much/No confidence
A lot/Some confidence
2008 Pew Global Attitudes Project
Pew Global Attitudes Project 11
On the other side of the ledger, majorities in 19 of the 24 countries had little or no
confidence in the American president. In the four Western European countries surveyed,
majorities without much confidence ranged from 81% in Britain to 88% in Spain. In the Middle
East, majorities rose as high as 89% in Turkey and Jordan. Since 2003, confidence in Bush has
fallen in eight of the 14 foreign countries where trend data are available. In the remaining six
countries confidence has remained relatively low.
The 2008 survey also asked opinions of four other world leaders: Russian Prime Minister
Vladimir Putin, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, French President Nicolas Sarkozy and, in
only seven predominately Muslim countries, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. In four
of the countries – India and the survey’s three sub-Saharan African countries, Nigeria, South
Africa, and Tanzania – Bush received the highest confidence rating. Ahmadinejad won the
highest approval ratings in three countries, Turkey, Pakistan, and Indonesia; Putin prevailed in
two: his own and China. Respondents expressed confidence most frequently in Merkel, while
Sarkozy was a close second.
HERE COMES CHINA
China has come a long way since Mao Zedong’s Cultural Revolution left hundreds of
thousands dead and many more displaced in the 1960s and 1970s. In the intervening years, China
has used a unique blend of free markets and authoritarianism to attract both admiration for and
fear of its military and economic prowess. In the view of much of the world, America will not be
the world’s only superpower for long; if it’s not doing so already, China will soon be knocking
on the door. The 24-nation survey in 2008 asked publics whether China would replace – or had
already replaced – the United States as the world’s leading superpower. Majorities in seven
countries and pluralities in six more answered yes.
As for Americans, 54% said China would never supplant the United States. But it was
Japan, China’s longtime rival and sometime enemy, that supplied the largest margin against
China’s ultimately prevailing. Two-thirds of Japanese said it would never happen.
The 24 nations split virtually evenly between America and China in favorability ratings.
Both China and the U.S. scored favorable ratings among a majority in seven nations, but the
composition of the groups favoring each differed. However, while America’s overall image
improved slightly among the 21 countries surveyed in both 2007 and 2008, China’s grew more
negative.
Pew Global Attitudes Project 12
Contentment at Home
China’s own people seem to have accepted and even embraced the transformation from
socialism to capitalism, although nearly six-in-ten (59%) worry that their traditional way of life
is disappearing.
An extraordinary 86% of Chinese said in 2008 that they were satisfied with the way
things were going in their country, the highest of the 24 countries in the survey. Australia was a
distant second, 25 percentage points behind.
The Chinese are in the middle of the
global pack, however, when it comes to rating
their own lives. Of the 47 countries in the
2007 survey, China ranked 29th in satisfaction
with family life, 32nd in household income
and 34th in happiness on the job.
Economic issues lead the list of
problems the Chinese identify. Specifically,
they are most worried about inflation,
followed by the gap between the rich and the
poor.
Addressing China’s pollution
problems, which attracted much international
attention during the 2008 summer Olympics
in Beijing, ranks high in importance to the
Chinese people. Four Chinese in five believe
protecting the environment should be a
priority even if it means less economic growth.
China in the World
The Chinese people tend to believe their country is admired around the world, but in
reality many people in other countries voice serious concerns about China. More than threequarters
of the Chinese surveyed in 2008 said their country was generally liked abroad. In fact, in
only seven of the 23 other countries in the survey did majorities express a favorable view of
China, and the trend since 2005, especially in Europe, has been toward the unfavorable. Less
than a third of respondents in Germany, France or Spain, and less than half in Britain, now
express a favorable view of China.
The Chinese Look at Their Lives and Country
Rating their country Global
2002 2008 Change ranking*
Satisfied with % % % pts.
country direction 48 86 +38 #1
Economy is good 52 82 +30 #1
Rating their lives Global
2002 2008 Change ranking**
Satisfaction with... % %
Family life
Very 13 14 +1
Somewhat 69 67 -2
Total 82 81 -1 #29
Job***
Very 6 4 -2
Somewhat 57 60 +3
Total 63 64 +1 #34
Household income
Very 3 4 +1
Somewhat 48 54 +6
Total 51 58 +7 #32
*Based on the 24 countries in the 2008 Pew Global poll.
** Based on the 47 countries in the 2007 Pew Global poll.
***Based on respondents who are employed.
Pew Global Attitudes Project 13
Both China’s economic and military power have
alarmed countries around the world. In 25 of the 46 countries
other than China surveyed in 2007, majorities said China’s
economic prowess was a good thing. On balance, however,
publics in the United States and most of Europe found
China’s growing economic might worrisome. Japan viewed
it as “good” in 2007 but flipped to “bad” the following year.
No such ambivalence emerged on the military side.
Of the 23 countries other than China surveyed in 2008, only
in Pakistan, Nigeria, and Tanzania did majorities find
China’s growing military power to be good. In neighboring
Japan and South Korea, support for the rosy view of China’s
military prowess was measured in the single digits.
China also gets bad marks for its environmental
policies – although not as bad as America’s. In the eyes of
the world, America and China rank Nos. 1 and 2 in
contributing to the world’s environmental problems, with 16
of the 24 countries surveyed in 2008 naming the United
States and seven naming China. (In India, an equal share of
respondents picked each.)
SATISFACTION WITH LIFE, BUT NOT WITHOUT WORRIES
More people around the world say they are getting increased satisfaction from life than
say they are growing less satisfied. Respondents in the 47 countries of the 2007 survey were
asked if they thought their lives had gotten better or worse in the last five years. In 32 countries,
the more common answer was “better.”
Latin America was generally upbeat. In Europe, only Italy and Bulgaria were not. China
had the most favorable result: 62% of respondents said their lives had improved, and only 18%
said they had grown worse. (The sample in China was disproportionately urban.) The most
negative country was strife-torn Lebanon, where 58% said their lives had worsened and only
19% said they had become better.
Who Hurts the World’s
Environment the Most?
China U.S. Diff.
% %
U.S. 40 22 +18
Britain 40 36 +4
France 34 35 -1
Germany 39 34 +5
Spain 17 51 -34
Poland 23 26 -3
Russia 18 28 -10
Turkey 6 46 -40
Egypt 20 22 -2
Jordan 19 24 -5
Lebanon 18 36 -18
Australia 46 24 +22
China 9 26 -17
India 21 21 0
Indonesia 11 42 -31
Japan 67 17 +50
Pakistan 1 51 -50
S. Korea 64 19 +45
Argentina 7 54 -47
Brazil 11 44 -33
Mexico 13 38 -25
Nigeria 11 24 -13
S. Africa 16 11 +5
Tanzania 5 27 -22
Respondents were asked which country
is hurting the world’s environment the
most among the U.S., China, India,
Germany, Brazil, Japan and Russia.
2008 Pew Global Attitudes Project
Pew Global Attitudes Project 14
The Pew Global Attitudes survey also asked people in 2007 to rate satisfaction with their
current lives on a scale from 0 to 10. In 20 of the 35 countries for which comparable results were
available from 2002, the share of people who gave themselves a satisfaction rating of seven or
higher rose significantly; only in five countries did this category shrink. Americans and French
held even.
Personal contentment tended to rise the most in countries whose economies were
expanding most rapidly. Satisfaction rose significantly in five of the six Eastern European
countries and all six in Latin America. Among the 35 nations, Brazil recorded the largest gains,
advancing from 43% highly satisfied in 2002 to 63% in 2007.
Problems at Home…
Increasing satisfaction does not mean that people no
longer identify problems. As in nine of the other 46 countries
surveyed in 2007, Americans put illegal drugs at the top of their
list of problems. Just over three Americans in five said illegal
drugs were a “very big problem.”
In 11 countries, crime earned the same dubious honor.
Also prominent were the problems of corrupt leaders (at the top
of eight countries’ lists), pollution and HIV/AIDS and other
diseases (seven each) and terrorism (six). However, AIDS and
other diseases, a major concern in Latin America and Asia in
2002, lost relative prominence, and in 2007 were the most
frequently mentioned problem in only seven African nations.
…and World-Scale
Assessments of the greatest dangers to
the world have shifted in recent years. The
gap between rich and poor countries appeared
more menacing in 2007 than in 2002, as did
pollution and other environmental problems.
In 2002, AIDS was selected by 17 countries,
while the gap between rich and poor was the
choice of five countries and pollution of only
four.
In 2007, in contrast, the five had
become closely bunched. The growing gap between rich and poor was rated the greatest danger
Rating Country Problems
# of countries
where majority
sees problem*
%
Corrupt politicians 34
Crime 33
Illegal drugs 30
HIV/AIDS & disease 27
Pollution 26
Terrorism 15
Drinking water 13
Poor quality schools 12
Ethnic conflict 5
Immigration 2
* Number of countries out of 47
surveyed where a majority
consider each a “very big
problem.”
2007 Pew Global Attitudes Project
Shifts in Greatest Danger in 2007
2
4
17
16
14
20
11
4
2
1
Pollution/Environment
Rich/Poor Gap
Nuclear Weapons
AIDS & Disease
Ethnic Hatred
Is down Is up
Number of countries where concern about…
Pew Global Attitudes Project 15
(or tied for greatest) in 12 countries. AIDS led the list (or tied) in 16 countries, religious and
ethnic hatred in 12, and the spread of nuclear weapons in nine. Pollution was chosen as the
greatest menace or tied for that position in 19 countries while substantial majorities in 25 of 37
countries deemed global warming a “very serious” problem.
DON’T COUNT AMERICA OUT YET
The news from the Pew Global Attitudes
Project is not relentlessly negative for America.
For many people from all over the world,
America is still the land of opportunity.
Majorities or pluralities in 34 of the 46 foreign
countries that took part in the 2007 survey said
people who have emigrated to America have
found better lives.
America beckons even in countries where
majorities hold the United States in disfavor.
Only 15% of Moroccans viewed America
positively in the 2007 survey. But 52% thought
that their fellow Moroccans who had moved
across the Atlantic had improved their lives.
Most countries surveyed in 2008 give
America high marks for its respect for the
personal freedoms of its people. Admiration for
U.S. science and technology remains nearly
universal, and despite resistance to the spread of
U.S. ideas and customs in many parts of the
world, the appetite for American movies, music
and television shows remained strong in the 2007
poll. Also, the American people continue to
evoke far more positive reviews in many
countries than does their country.
Most important for America’s newly
elected president, the 2008 survey found signs in many countries that people are optimistic about
the future course of America’s approach to the larger world. Obama himself drew the most
favorable response of the major contenders for the U.S. presidency at the time of the survey
New U.S. President Will Change
U.S. Foreign Policy for the Better
68
67
67
66
65
64
59
54
53
48
47
45
42
40
37
32
31
30
29
25
20
20
19
29
21
19
21
19
29
15
36
33
37
39
37
41
39
40
42
31
31
43
31
67
24
37
1
1
10
7
6
1
21
1
3
7
9
5
9
12
18
14
27
33
13
37
7
24
36
France
Spain
Nigeria
S. Africa
Tanzania
Germany
India
Australia
Britain
Indonesia
Brazil
U.S.
S. Korea
China
Mexico
Russia
Poland
Lebanon
Turkey
Egypt
Japan
Pakistan
Jordan
Change for the better
Not change that much
Change for the worse
Based on respondents w ho say they have been
follow ing new s about the U.S. presidential race very or
somew hat closely.
Argentina not show n as it has too few cases to analyze.
2008 Pew Global Attidues Project
Pew Global Attitudes Project 16
(Obama and Sens. Hillary Clinton and John McCain), with confidence in his leadership
especially strong among U.S. allies in Western Europe and the Asia/Pacific region. And
majorities or pluralities in most countries thought that a new president would change the
country’s foreign policy for the better.
All Pew Global Attitudes Project reports are available at our website, www..
See the following page for more information about the Pew Global Attitudes Project.
Pew Global Attitudes Project 17
About the Pew Global Attitudes Project
The Pew Research Center’s Pew Global Attitudes Project is a series of worldwide public opinion surveys
encompassing a broad array of subjects ranging from people’s assessments of their own lives to their
views about the current state of the world and important issues of the day. The project is directed by
Andrew Kohut, president of the Pew Research Center, a nonpartisan “fact tank” in Washington, DC, that
provides information on the issues, attitudes, and trends shaping America and the world. The Pew Global
Attitudes Project is principally funded by The Pew Charitable Trusts.
Since its inception in 2001, the Pew Global
Attitudes Project has released 22 major reports, as
well as numerous commentaries and other releases,
on topics including attitudes toward the U.S. and
American foreign policy, globalization, terrorism,
and democratization.
Findings from the project are also analyzed in
America Against the World: How We Are Different
and Why We Are Disliked by Andrew Kohut and
Bruce Stokes, international economics columnist at
the National Journal. A paperback edition of the
book was released in May 2007.
Pew Global Attitudes Project team members
include Bruce Stokes; Mary McIntosh, president of
Princeton Survey Research Associates
International; and Wendy Sherman, principal at
The Albright Group LLC. Contributors to the Pew
Global Attitudes Project include Richard Wike,
Erin Carriere-Kretschmer, Kathleen Holzwart, Jodie T. Allen, Juliana Menasce Horowitz, Elizabeth
Mueller Gross, Carroll Doherty, Michael Dimock, and others of the Pew Research Center. This report
benefited greatly from the work of Joel Havemann, former editor and reporter at the Los Angeles Times,
who served as primary author of the essay.
The International Herald Tribune is the project’s international newspaper partner. The Pew Global
Attitudes Project team regularly consults with survey and policy experts, regional and academic experts,
journalists, and policymakers whose expertise provides tremendous guidance in shaping the surveys.
The Pew Global Attitudes Project’s co-chairs are on leave through 2008. The project is co-chaired by
former U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine K. Albright, currently principal, the Albright Group LLC, and
by former Senator John C. Danforth, currently partner, Bryan Cave LLP.
All of the project’s reports and commentaries are available at www.. The data are also
made available on our website within two years of publication.
For further information, please contact:
Richard Wike
Associate Director, Pew Global Attitudes Project
202.419.4400 / rwike@pewresearch.org
Pew Global Attitudes Project
Public Opinion Surveys
Survey Sample Interviews
Summer 2002 44 Nations 38,263
November 2002 6 Nations 6,056
March 2003 9 Nations 5,520
May 2003 21 Publics* 15,948
March 2004 9 Nations 7,765
May 2005 17 Nations 17,766
Spring 2006 15 Nations 16,710
Spring 2007 47 Publics* 45,239
Spring 2008 24 Nations 24,717
* Includes the Palestinian territories.