U.S. Image Declines Internationally as Most Say Country Has Handled Coronavirus Badly: Ratings for Trump remain poor Since Donald Trump took office as president, and the image of the United States has suffered across many regions of the globe. As a new 13-nation Pew Research Center survey illustrates, America’s reputation has declined further over the past year among many key allies and partners. In several countries, the share of the public with a favorable view of the U.S. is as low as it has been at any point since the Center began polling on this topic nearly two decades ago.
In some country markets, ratings for U.S. are at record low.
Percentage who have a favorable view of the U.S.
Note: 2000 trend is from 1999 or 2000 and provided by U.S. Department of State:
Source: Pew Research Center, Summer 2020 Global Attitudes Survey
According to the report, “just 41 percent in the UK express a favorable opinion of the U.S., the lowest percentage registered in any Pew Research Center survey there. In France, only 31 percent see the U.S. positively, matching the grim ratings from March 2003, at the height of U.S.-France tensions over the Iraq War. Germans give the U.S. particularly low marks on the survey: 26% rate the U.S. favorably, similar to the 25% in the same March 2003 poll.”
The report continues, “Part of the decline over the past year is linked to how the U.S. had handled the coronavirus pandemic. Across the 13 nations surveyed, a median of just 15% say the U.S. has done a good job of dealing with the outbreak. In contrast, most say the World Health Organization (WHO) and European Union have done a good job, and in nearly all nations people give their own country positive marks for dealing with the crisis (the U.S. and UK are notable exceptions). Relatively few think China has handled the pandemic well, although it still receives considerably better reviews than the U.S. response.”
All publics surveyed rank the U.S. coronavirus response lowest.
Percentage who say ( ) has done a good job dealing with the coronavirus outbreak
Note: In Australia and Canada, the question was asked about “COVID-19.” In Japan, it was asked about “the novel coronavirus,” and in South Korea, it was asked about “Corona 19.”
Source: Pew Research Center, Summer 2020 Global Attitudes Survey
Said the report: “Ratings for U.S. President Donald Trump have been low in these nations throughout his presidency, and that trend continues this year. Trump’s most negative assessment is in Belgium, where only 9 percent say they have confidence in the U.S. president to do the right thing in world affairs. His highest rating is in Japan; still, just one-quarter of Japanese express confidence in Trump.”
Poor ratings for the U.S. and Trump
Percentage who have ( ) …
Source: Summer 2020 Global Attitudes Survey.
A note on methodology: The Pew Report focuses on public opinion of the United States in 13 countries in North America, Europe and the Asia-Pacific region. Views of the U.S. and its president are examined in the context of long-term trend data. The report also examines how people in other countries perceive America’s handling of the coronavirus outbreak and how those perceptions compare to ratings for their own country, the World Health Organization, the European Union and China. For this report, we use data from nationally representative surveys of 13,273 adults from June 10 to Aug. 3, 2020, in 13 advanced economies. All surveys were conducted over the phone with adults in Canada, Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, the UK, Australia, Japan and South Korea.
Click here for a complete copy of the Pew Report.
