皮尤发布针对23国民调：超八成受访者认为美国干预他国事务
美国民调机构皮尤研究中心27日发布一份调查报告。调查内容涉及对美国的总体看法、对拜登的评价以及对美中谁是全球最大经济体的看法等。
美国媒体28日援引上述报告称，在接受调查的23个国家中，中间值为41%的民众认为美国是世界第一经济强国。其中，韩国是最看好美国经济的国家，83%的受访民众称美国的经济实力全球第一。其他比较看好美国经济的国家还有日本、以色列、波兰等。中间值为33%的受访者认为世界第一经济强国的地位属于中国，持该观点比例最高的国家是意大利，达到55%。包括希腊、西班牙、荷兰、德国在内的一些欧洲国家也认为中国的经济实力强于美国，50%的澳大利亚民众同样这么看。
关于美国在国际事务中扮演的角色，受访的23个国家中，绝大多数民众都认为美国会干预他国事务，中间值为82%的人认为美国干预或过多干预他国事务。在受访的所有欧洲国家里，这一比例几乎全部高于80%。就算是在持这种看法比例最低的南非和印度尼西亚，也有63%的受访者这么认为。还有50%的人认为美国不大考虑或根本不考虑他们的利益。
中国社科院美国问题专家吕祥28日告诉《环球时报》记者，从皮尤关于全球最大经济体的调查可以看出，民众回答普遍带有期望性。作为美国老牌盟友，日韩等国自然期望美国始终保持世界第一强国的地位。意大利、西班牙、希腊、德国等国家认为中国才是全球最大经济体，则反映了他们期待中国在全球经济中能发挥更大作用，使世界经济更加平稳。从另一个方面来说，也证明了这些欧洲国家在与中国的交往中切实感受到经济方面获益。至于绝大多数民众都认为美国干涉他国事务，这早已是公开的事实。
In the third year of his presidency, U.S. President Joe Biden receives mostly positive reviews from publics around the world. Across 23 countries in a new Pew Research Center survey, a median of 54% express confidence in Biden, while 39% say they lack confidence in him.
Similarly, overall views of the United States are largely positive: A median of 59% give the U.S. a favorable rating, including around seven-in-ten or more in Poland, Israel, South Korea, Nigeria, Japan and Kenya. Hungary is the only country surveyed where fewer than half see the U.S. favorably.
America’s actions on the world stage have often shaped its global image, and as the survey highlights, public opinion about U.S. foreign policy is often complex, with people seeing both positive and negative sides to American power. Overwhelmingly, people believe the U.S. interferes in the affairs of other countries – a median of 82% say it does this a great deal or fair amount – but most also believe the U.S. contributes to peace and stability around the world.
International public opinion is essentially divided over how much the U.S. considers the interests of other countries when it is making foreign policy decisions. However, in roughly half of the nations surveyed, the share of the public that thinks the U.S. does consider other countries is higher than it has ever been since Pew Research Center started asking this question more than two decades ago.
The survey also explores other aspects of American power, including elements of U.S. soft power. America’s technology, universities, military and entertainment are all seen as being the best or above average when compared with other wealthy nations, although the U.S. receives mixed reviews for its standard of living.
Perceptions of American economic power have increased in several countries over the past few years, and respondents tend to name the U.S., rather than China, as the world’s leading economic power. However, in a number of European countries, as well as Australia, China is considered the top global economy.
These findings come from a new Pew Research Center survey conducted from Feb. 20 to May 22, 2023, among 27,285 people in 23 countries, many of which are key U.S. allies. Below are some of the other findings regarding America’s overall image, ratings of Biden, views of U.S. foreign policy, American soft power and American economic power.
Overall ratings for the U.S.
Among the countries surveyed, Poland, where positive views of the U.S. have increased substantially since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, gives the U.S. its highest rating: 93% of Poles express a favorable opinion. The U.S. gets its lowest marks in another central European country: Hungary, where just 44% of adults offer a positive view, down from 55% in 2022.
Elsewhere, views of the U.S. have mostly remained stable since last year, although favorable ratings have declined somewhat in Sweden, South Korea, Canada and Germany.
The current study includes eight middle-income nations that Pew Research Center has not surveyed since 2019, before the outbreak of COVID-19, due to the challenges of conducting face-to-face interviews during the pandemic. In all eight countries, there has been a significant increase in U.S. favorability since 2019. This is similar to the pattern found in Pew Research Center surveys over the past several years, which documented a decline in America’s global image during Donald Trump’s presidency and a rebound in ratings for the U.S. following the election of Joe Biden.
Attitudes toward Biden
As with ratings for the U.S. overall, Biden gets his highest marks in Poland, where 83% voice confidence in his leadership of world affairs. Roughly seven-in-ten or more also express confidence in Biden in Sweden, Kenya, Nigeria, Israel, the Netherlands and Germany. Majorities in about half of the countries polled give Biden positive ratings, although opinion of Biden is, on balance, more negative than positive in NATO allies Italy, Greece, France and Spain. And he gets his lowest ratings in Hungary.
In middle-income nations in Latin America, Africa and Asia, Biden receives significantly higher marks than his predecessor. For instance, 44% of Brazilians have confidence in Biden, compared with 28% for Trump in 2019. And in some countries where Trump was relatively popular, ratings for Biden are higher. For example, 71% of Nigerians say they have confidence in Biden, up from 58% for Trump four years ago. And 64% of Indians give Biden positive marks, compared with the 56% voicing confidence for Trump in 2019.
America’s role on the world stage
Since 2002, we have periodically included a question asking respondents whether they believe the U.S. takes into account the interests of countries like theirs when making foreign policy decisions. And typically we’ve found that people do not think the U.S. considers their interests.
Views are divided in the current survey, with a median of 49% across 23 countries saying the U.S. takes into account their interests a great deal or fair amount, and 50% saying it considers their interests not very much or not at all.
However, in many nations, the share of the public that thinks the U.S. listens to countries like theirs has been on the rise, and in 12 countries, it is at the highest point we’ve seen in any of our surveys. For instance, in Poland, Germany and the United Kingdom – three key NATO allies of the U.S. – the share saying the U.S. considers their interests is larger now than at any point over the past two decades.
In addition to the question on whether the U.S. considers other countries’ interests, the survey included two other questions about America’s role in global politics. First, we asked about how much the U.S. interferes in the affairs of other countries. Second, we asked about how much the U.S. contributes to peace and stability around the world.
Looking at the two questions together highlights the complex views people often hold about the U.S. and the ways in which people see both positive and negative aspects to the role America plays on the world stage.
A median of 50% across the 23 nations surveyed say both that the U.S. interferes a great deal or fair amount in the affairs of other countries and that it contributes a great deal or fair amount to peace and stability around the world.
About one-in-three believe the U.S. interferes but does not contribute to global peace and stability. Half or more have this position in Greece, Hungary and Italy.
Relatively few believe the U.S. does not meddle in the politics of other nations.
American soft power
The survey included a number of questions on social, political and economic aspects of America’s image – things that are often considered a part of U.S. “soft power.”
For instance, when asked how politically stable, dangerous, democratic, religious and tolerant the U.S. is, respondents generally say it is about the same as other affluent nations. But a sizable number believe the U.S. is more politically stable, including half or more in Poland, Nigeria and Israel. Still, four-in-ten or more see the U.S. as less stable in Australia, Sweden and the Netherlands.
While on the negative side, many think it is a less tolerant and more dangerous place to live compared with other wealthy countries. Nearly two-thirds of Australians believe the U.S. is a more dangerous place to live, and at least half hold this view in the UK, Spain and Germany.
Respondents generally think America’s technology, entertainment, universities and military are the best or above average when compared with other affluent nations.
The U.S. receives lower marks for its standard of living, although 51% say it is the best or better than average.
As a separate analysis shows, only 44% of Americans think the United States’ standard of living is the best or above average. Americans are also less likely than others around the world to praise their technological achievements and universities.
Younger adults are especially likely to embrace U.S. popular culture. In 18 nations, adults ages 18 to 39 are more likely than older adults to say American movies, music and television are the best or above average.
For instance, 84% of Greeks under 40 say American entertainment is the best or better than average, compared with 62% of those ages 40 and older.
While young people are more positive than older adults about American entertainment, they express greater concerns about safety in the U.S.
In 12 nations, those under 40 are particularly likely to say the U.S. is a more dangerous place to live than other wealthy nations. In the Netherlands, for example, 61% of 18- to 39-year-olds say the U.S. is more dangerous, while just 34% of those 40 and older agree.
U.S. economic power
The global economy has experienced a number of severe shocks in recent years, with many nations suffering recessions after the outbreak of COVID-19, followed by high inflation as the world emerged from the pandemic. There has also been a shift over the past few years in perceptions of global economic power. In several countries, people have become more likely to name the U.S., rather than China, as the world’s top economy.
Overall, a median of 41% across the 23 nations polled believe the U.S. is the world’s leading economic power, while 33% name China. The share who say the U.S. is the world’s leading economic power has increased significantly since 2020 in Germany, Sweden, Japan, France, Canada and the Netherlands.
It has also increased in Indonesia, Hungary, Poland and Nigeria since 2019, the last time the question was asked in those countries.
The survey also includes a question in middle-income nations about American investment in their countries. Across eight nations, a median of 68% say U.S. investment has benefited their countries’ economies a great deal or a fair amount. Assessments are especially positive in Nigeria, Kenya, India and Mexico, where seven-in-ten or more hold this view. Argentina is the only nation polled where a majority believe U.S. investment has been bad for their country.
Spotlight: America’s image improves in Mexico
Since we last surveyed Mexico in 2019, there has been a sharp turnaround in Mexican attitudes toward the U.S. During Trump’s presidency, ratings for the U.S. declined significantly in many nations across the globe, including Mexico, where Trump and his policies – especially his proposal to build a wall on the border with Mexico – were extremely unpopular. In 2017, 2018 and 2019, the share of the Mexican public that expressed confidence in Trump was in the single digits and the lowest rating for Trump each year in our annual cross-national survey was in Mexico.
Today, Biden’s ratings in Mexico are not especially high – 43% have confidence in him – but they are considerably higher than Trump’s were, and they are in line with the assessments Barack Obama received when he was in the White House. Similarly, overall ratings for the U.S. have rebounded to roughly where they were during Obama’s second term.
Spotlight: Differing views of the U.S. in central Europe
In recent years, Poland and Hungary have featured prominently in discussions about the rise of populism in Europe. Both countries have governments controlled by right-wing populist parties – Law and Justice (PiS) in Poland and Fidesz in Hungary – both have had tensions with the European Union over domestic policies and both have experienced a deterioration in the quality of their democracy according to research organizations such as International IDEA, the Economist Intelligence Unit and Freedom House.
However, the two countries look very different when it comes to public opinion about international affairs, including views about the U.S. Poles have generally had relatively favorable attitudes about the U.S. in our surveys over the past two decades, but since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Polish attitudes have become even more positive. And in the current survey, Poles are consistently at or near the top of the list, in terms of expressing positive views about the U.S.
Hungarians, in contrast, are consistently at the bottom. They give Biden his lowest rating, and Hungary is the only country where fewer than half have a favorable opinion of the U.S. They are the least likely to think the U.S. considers their interests when making foreign policy and the most likely to believe the U.S. does not contribute to peace and stability around the world. Often, these negative views are especially common among supporters of Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s Fidesz party.
Road map to the report
The chapters that follow discuss these findings and others in more detail:
- Chapter 1 looks at overall opinion of the U.S. across the countries surveyed, including how perceptions have shifted over the years
- Chapter 2 examines confidence in U.S. President Joe Biden to do the right thing in world affairs and how ratings of Biden compare with those of former presidents Donald Trump and Barack Obama
- Chapter 3 considers the negative and positive roles the U.S. plays in international affairs
- Chapter 4 explores perceptions of American soft power, summarizing how people across 23 countries rate the U.S. compared with other wealthy nations
- Chapter 5 reviews global public opinion about which country is the world’s leading economic power.
1. Overall opinion of the U.S.
Views of the U.S. are much more positive than negative across the countries we surveyed. A 23-nation median of 59% have a favorable view of the U.S., while only 30% have an unfavorable view.
Opinion of the U.S. is especially positive in Poland and Israel, where the shares who rate the U.S. favorably are the highest they have been since we first started surveying in those countries. Poland’s views of the U.S. improved dramatically last year after the start of the war in Ukraine and remain high this year.
Hungary is the only country surveyed this year where views of the U.S. are on balance negative: 51% of Hungarians have an unfavorable opinion of the U.S., compared with 44% who have a positive opinion. Hungary is also the only country where assessments of the U.S. are at a record low.
In many other countries that have data from both 2022 and 2023, views of the U.S. have stayed relatively consistent since last year, though ratings have dropped somewhat in Germany, Canada, South Korea and Sweden.
In countries where we have not surveyed since 2019, views of the U.S. have improved. In general, they follow the same pattern as we saw in our 2021 survey: Many countries gave the U.S. record low ratings during former president Donald Trump’s administration and the start of the coronavirus pandemic, then saw a marked improvement after Biden took office. For example, 63% of Mexicans now rate the U.S. positively, compared with a low of 30% in 2017, Trump’s first year as president.
In 17 countries, including Canada, Australia, South Korea, Israel and nations in Europe and Latin America, we asked people to place themselves on an ideological scale ranging from left to right. People on the political right generally have more positive views of the U.S. than those on the political left. The exception, again, is Hungary: Hungarians on the right of the political spectrum – particularly those who have a favorable view of the ruling Fidesz party – are less likely to view the U.S. positively.
2. Confidence in Biden to handle world affairs
On balance, Biden gets positive reviews on the survey, although there are notable differences across countries. A median of 54% say they trust Biden to do the right thing in international affairs and 39% say they do not.
As with views of the U.S., Poland and Hungary stand out for their stark disagreement about the U.S. president, representing the highest and lowest ratings in the survey, respectively. More than eight-in-ten Poles have confidence in Biden when it comes to international affairs. Just 19% of Hungarians agree. And while the share who have confidence in the U.S. president is at an all-time high in Poland, it is at a record low in Hungary, dropping 12 percentage points since 2022.
Hungary is not the only NATO ally with limited trust in Biden. Roughly half or more in Spain, France, Greece and Italy – all NATO member states – say they do not have confidence in Biden to do the right thing regarding world affairs.
Ratings of Biden have not changed much since last year in most of the other countries surveyed, with a few exceptions. Israelis offer a somewhat more positive rating of the U.S. president now compared with 2022. But fewer people in France and South Korea trust Biden now compared with the previous year.
In the countries that we have not surveyed since 2019, this is the first measure of confidence in Biden as the president. In each country, current ratings for Biden are higher than those for Trump, but lower than their peak during Obama’s presidency.
In Mexico, for example, ratings of the U.S. president were highest in the first year of Obama’s presidency, when 55% of Mexicans had confidence in him. But ratings plummeted to a record low of only 5% when Trump took office. Now, 43% of Mexicans have confidence in Biden: Fewer than half, but a much larger share than during Trump’s presidency.
This overall pattern matches the data we see in many other countries we survey. Notably, confidence in Biden in world affairs decreased in many places after his first year in office, but remains higher than Trump’s highest confidence rating in every country except Hungary and Israel.
Adults ages 40 and older have more confidence in Biden’s handling of world affairs than adults under 40 in Germany, Greece, Canada, Sweden, France, the Netherlands, Australia, Japan and South Korea.
3. The United States’ role in world affairs
To assess how people perceive America’s role on the world stage, we asked respondents to what extent they feel the U.S.:
- Considers the interests of countries like theirs when making international policy decisions;
- Interferes in other countries’ affairs; and
- Contributes to peace and stability around the world.
Does the U.S. consider other countries’ interests?
A median of 50% across the 23 countries surveyed say the U.S. does not take their country’s interests into account in making international policy decisions, while a median of 49% say the U.S. does take interests into account at least a fair amount.
Majorities in 11 countries say the U.S. does not take their interests into account, and this sentiment is particularly strong in Europe. For example, eight-in-ten of those in Hungary and Spain say the U.S. does not consider their interests, and roughly seven-in-ten in France and Sweden say the same.
In Japan, Mexico and the UK, views are split: Roughly half say the U.S. takes their interests into account and nearly equal shares say it does not.
Majorities in eight countries – Israel, India, Kenya, Nigeria, Poland, Germany, Indonesia and Brazil – believe the U.S. does take their interests into account when making international policy decisions. Israel, where the highest share holds very favorable views of the U.S. (51%), stands out on this measure: 80% say the U.S. considers their interests, although this is down 6 percentage points from 2018.
In many countries, the share who say the U.S. considers their interests on policy decisions at least a fair amount has increased significantly since the question was last asked. Shifts are particularly large in countries where this question was last asked in 2018, during Trump’s presidency. For instance, 38% of Poles surveyed in 2018 said the U.S. took their interests into account; this year, two-thirds say the same.
Significant increases from 2018 are also found in Brazil, Mexico, Indonesia, Argentina, Nigeria and Kenya.
There have also been significant increases in several countries where this question was last asked in 2021, including Australia, Sweden, the UK, Germany and South Korea.
Greeks, however, have grown more pessimistic on this measure. One-third say the U.S. takes their interests into account, down 20 percentage points from the 53% who said the same in 2021.
Does the U.S. interfere in other countries?
A median of 82% across all countries surveyed say the U.S. interferes a great deal or a fair amount in the affairs of other nations, while 15% say it does not interfere much or at all. Majorities agree with this sentiment in every country surveyed, including about nine-in-ten or more in Italy, Greece, South Korea, Israel, Japan, Spain and Sweden.
In six countries – including five European nations – half or more believe the U.S. interferes a great deal.
No more than 30% in any country surveyed say the U.S. does not interfere much or at all. The highest share says this in South Africa. About a quarter or more in Kenya, India, Mexico, Argentina and Nigeria believe the U.S. does not interfere much or at all.
In 16 countries, men are more likely than women to say the U.S. interferes in the affairs of other countries a great deal. For example, 46% of men hold this opinion in the Netherlands, compared with 27% of women.
Does the U.S. contribute to peace and stability?
Across the 23 countries surveyed, a median of 61% say the U.S. contributes to peace and stability around the world, compared with 38% who say it does not.
Majorities in 16 countries say the U.S. contributes to world peace at least a fair amount, including 85% in Poland.
However, the sense that the U.S. does not contribute to peace and stability is more widespread in Europe compared with other regions, and about six-in-ten express this opinion in Hungary and Greece.
In most of the other countries surveyed, solid majorities say the U.S. does contribute to peace and stability. Argentines and Mexicans are exceptions: 59% in Argentina say the U.S. does not contribute these things to the world, while opinion in Mexico is mixed.
In Canada, Australia and several European countries, adults ages 40 and older are more likely than those ages 18 to 39 to say the U.S. contributes to world peace and stability. In Sweden, for example, those 40 and older are 23 percentage points more likely to say the U.S. contributes to peace than those ages 18 to 39.
However, in India, South Korea and Brazil, the opposite pattern is present: Younger people are more likely than their older counterparts to say the U.S. contributes to peace and stability.
4. Views of American soft power
Many people in 23 countries around the world view American technological achievements, entertainment, universities and military as the best in the world or above average among wealthy nations. Yet, people generally see the U.S. as similar to other wealthy nations on five societal measures tested in the survey: political stability, safety, democracy, religiosity and tolerance.
Even though roughly four-in-ten say the U.S. is about as politically stable as other wealthy countries, one-in-three see the U.S. as more politically stable, while a median of just 17% believe the U.S. is less politically stable.
A similar pattern is present on the question of safety. A median of 39% think the U.S. is about as dangerous as comparable nations. However, a larger share says it is more dangerous than says it is less dangerous.
Many believe the U.S. aligns with other countries on democracy: A median of 44% say the U.S. is about as democratic as others, 27% believe it is more democratic and 22% believe it is less democratic. Roughly four-in-ten (41%) say the U.S. is about as religious as other wealthy countries, while 23% say the U.S. is more religious and 26% believe it is less religious.
A median of just under four-in-ten believe the U.S. is about as tolerant as other affluent nations, but a median of 31% say the country is less tolerant rather than more tolerant (21%).
How politically stable is the U.S.?
While the most common view is that the U.S. is about as politically stable as other wealthy nations, among those who think American political stability differs from the norm, large shares believe the U.S. is more politically stable than other prosperous countries. About half or more hold this view in Poland, Nigeria, Israel and Kenya.
Europeans hold mixed views on this issue. The share who say the U.S. is more stable ranges from just 8% in Sweden to 58% in Poland (the highest share to express this view in the survey).
Opinion in the Asia-Pacific region is also somewhat mixed. About four-in-ten in South Korea say the U.S. is more politically stable, as do about a third in India, Indonesia and Japan. Yet 44% of Australians believe the U.S. is less stable than similar countries. About four-in-ten say the U.S. is lessstable in Canada, the Netherlands and Sweden as well.
In some nations, people who place themselves on the ideological left are more likely than those on the ideological right to say the U.S. is less stable politically than other wealthy countries. For instance, 59% of Swedes on the left express this view, compared with 37% on the right. This pattern is also present in Australia, the UK, Canada, France, the Netherlands, Spain and South Korea.
How dangerous is the U.S.?
While a median of 39% say the U.S. is about as dangerous a place to live as other wealthy countries, those who believe differently are inclined to say it is more dangerous. For example, 47% of Canadians think the U.S. is a more dangerous place than comparable countries, while 11% say it is less dangerous.
Europeans are especially likely to believe the U.S. is unsafe. About half or more say the U.S. is more dangerous in Germany, Hungary, Spain and the UK.
A large majority – 65% – of Australians say the U.S. is more dangerous, while just 5% say it is less dangerous.
However, views are somewhat more mixed in the other Asia-Pacific nations surveyed. About a third in South Korea and 41% in India believe the U.S. is a less dangerous place.
Nigerians are particularly likely to say the U.S. is a less dangerous place to live than other wealthy nations.
In some nations, adults ages 18 to 39 are especially likely to say the U.S. is a more dangerous place to live than other wealthy nations. This is particularly the case in Europe. For example, 61% of younger people in the Netherlands say the U.S. is more dangerous, while just 34% of older people agree.
How democratic is the U.S.?
A median of 44% across the 23 nations polled believe the U.S. is about as democratic as other wealthy nations, while 27% say the U.S. is more democratic and 22% say it is less.
About half of Canadians think the U.S. is about as democratic as comparable countries. Slightly more say it is less democratic than say it is more democratic.
In Europe, Poles are particularly favorable toward the U.S. on this measure. Almost six-in-ten say the U.S. is more democratic than other affluent states, the highest share measured in the region. Elsewhere, no more than about a quarter believe the U.S. to be more democratic. And in Sweden and the Netherlands, about a third or more say the U.S. is less democratic.
Outside of Europe, assessments of U.S. democracy relative to other countries are generally positive, though Australians on balance say the U.S. is less democratic, and views in India are mixed.
About half or more in Kenya, Nigeria and Israel say the U.S. is more democratic than similar countries. And in South Africa, about four-in-ten say the same. Among those in Latin America, Brazilians are more inclined to see the U.S. as more democratic than comparable nations, while opinion is divided in Mexico and Argentina.
How religious is the U.S.?
About four-in-ten of those surveyed – a median of 41% – believe the U.S. to be about as religious a place to live as other wealthy countries, while 26% say it is a less religious place, and 23% say it is a more religious place.
Notably, the U.S. generally stands out on religiosity compared with similarly advanced economies. In a recent survey, Americans have the highest share among the higher-income countries surveyed saying religion is important to them.
About a third of Canadians say the U.S. is more religious, while 21% say it is less.
Swedes are particularly prone to see the U.S. as more religious: 59% hold this view, the highest share across all countries polled. And about a third or more in France, the UK and the Netherlands see the U.S. as more religious. However, 36% of Greeks believe the U.S. is less religious than comparable countries, while just 17% say it is more religious.
Views in the Asia-Pacific region are mixed: About four-in-ten in India and Indonesia say the U.S. is less religious than other wealthy nations. However, in Australia, 43% believe the U.S. is a more religious place.
In Israel, those who think the U.S. differs from other wealthy countries are more inclined to say is it a less religious country than to say it is more religious.
Just under a third of South Africans say the U.S. is less religious when measured against similar places, while 36% in Kenya and 38% in Nigeria say the same. Among Latin American countries, publics tend to say the U.S. is less religious.
In several countries, those who place themselves on the ideological left are more likely than those on the right to say the U.S. is a more religious place to live than other wealthy nations. In Australia, for example, 66% of those on the left hold this view, compared with only 36% of those on the right. This pattern holds across several European countries, such as the Netherlands, the UK and Spain, as well as Canada. However, in Israel, those on the right are more likely than those on the left to say the U.S. is more religious.
How tolerant is the U.S.?
A median of 39% across 23 countries say the U.S. is about as tolerant a place to live as other wealthy nations. Those who say the U.S. differs from other wealthy nations tend to say it is a less tolerant place (a median of 31% hold this view). A median of 21% say the U.S. is a more tolerant place, with Poles especially likely to express this opinion.
In many European countries, about four-in-ten or more believe the U.S. is instead less tolerant than other prosperous countries, including 51% in the Netherlands.
Across the Asia-Pacific region, roughly a third in Japan and India say the U.S. is more tolerant, while 47% of Australians say it is less.
Pluralities in Nigeria, Kenya and South Africa say the U.S. is a more tolerant place to live compared with similar places, while in Latin America, public opinion leans toward the view that the U.S. is less tolerant.
In nine countries, people on the ideological left are more likely than those on the right to say the U.S. is a less tolerant place. For example, those on the left in Australia are more than twice as likely as those on the right to say the U.S. is less tolerant (65% vs. 31%, respectively). Double-digit differences are also present in Canada, most European countries surveyed and South Korea.
Ratings of American institutions, products and standard of living
We asked respondents to rate a variety of American products (such as technology, movies, music and TV) and institutions (such as the military and universities), as well as its standard of living. Generally, people consider them above average compared with other wealthy nations (in some countries, the data for this question comes from a 2021 survey – see table below).
Some countries surveyed have generally high assessments of U.S. soft power across the board. Roughly 80% or more of Israelis, Nigerians and Poles say the U.S. is the best or above average on every question asked. Ratings in Kenya and South Africa are consistently high for the different aspects of American society we measured.
On the other end of the spectrum, and despite generally positive ratings of the U.S. overall, Germans tend to have the least positive ratings of American institutions and products.
People most commonly rate American technological achievements as above average (a median of 72% across the 23 countries polled). A median of 20% say American technological achievements are average. Only 4% believe they are below average or the worst, compared with other wealthy nations.
Roughly half or more in every country, and a median of 71%, say American movies, television and music are above average. Adults under 40 are more likely than those ages 40 and older to see American entertainment as exceptional in most of the countries surveyed. Yet even among people ages 40 and older, most say American television, movies and music are above average.
Meanwhile, a median of 19% say U.S. popular culture is average and 5% say it is below average or the worst. India, home to Bollywood, stands out for having the highest share of adults who consider American movies, television and music below average or the worst (20%). The share who hold this view in most other countries is in the single digits.
A median of 69% across the 23 countries surveyed rate American universities highly. And in Kenya, South Africa, Nigeria, India, Brazil and Israel, at least half say colleges in the U.S. are the best compared with other wealthy nations.
Again, a median of 20% say colleges in the U.S. are average and 5% say they are below average or the worst compared with other wealthy nations.
Majorities in every country surveyed, with a median of 68%, rate the U.S. military as above average or the best. People in Israel, Sweden, Nigeria and Kenya are especially likely to rate the U.S. military highly, compared with other aspects of American society. A large majority of Poles agree, though the military falls just below ratings of American technology in Poland. Very few rate the U.S. military as average (a median of 18%) or below average (a median of 6%) across the countries surveyed.
Compared with American institutions and products, fewer say the standard of living in the U.S. is better than average. Just around half hold this view across the countries surveyed. And in nearly every country, the U.S. standard of living receives lower ratings than the other four aspects of America’s image we asked about.
There is some variability in responses to this question, though. In Nigeria, Israel, Poland and Kenya, 75% or more say the standard of living in the U.S. is above average or the best when compared with other wealthy nations. Yet around 20% or less agree in Australia, Germany, Sweden and the Netherlands.
Across all 23 countries surveyed, a median of 35% say the standard of living in the U.S. is average and 13% say it is below average or the worst.
5. Perceptions of global economic power
Across the 23 countries surveyed, a median of 41% say the U.S. is the world’s leading economic power as opposed to China, Japan or countries in the EU. This view is especially common in South Korea, Japan, Israel, Poland, India, Hungary and Sweden, where half or more name the U.S. as the top economy.
A median of 33% believe China is the leading global economic power. Italy is the only nation in the study where a majority expresses this view, although half of Australians and 48% in Greece and Spain agree.
The share who say the U.S. is the world’s top economy has grown 17 percentage points in Germany since this question was last asked in 2020. Double-digit increases were also observed in Sweden and Japan, with smaller increases in France, Canada, the Netherlands and South Korea. Among countries where this question was last asked in 2019, double-digit increases are observed in Indonesia, Hungary and Poland.
However, there is agreement that the U.S. and China are the two global economic powers. Either the U.S. or China were the top choice in all countries surveyed as opposed to Japan or the EU.
Middle-income countries largely see benefits to U.S. investment, except Argentina
Out of the eight middle-income countries in the survey, as designated by the World Bank, majorities in seven say their economies have benefited from U.S. investment. Seven-in-ten or more in Nigeria, Kenya, India and Mexico see American investment as a net positive for their domestic economies. Kenyans (45%) and Nigerians (43%) are the most likely to say their economy has benefited a great deal.
Argentina, on the other hand, is the only nation where a majority of respondents believe American investment has not been good for their country.
Acknowledgments
This report is a collaborative effort based on the input and analysis of the following individuals.
Richard Wike, Director, Global Attitudes Research
Janell Fetterolf, Senior Researcher
Moira Fagan, Research Associate
Sarah Austin, Research Assistant
Jordan Lippert, Research Assistant
Dorene Asare-Marfo, Panel Manager
Peter Bell, Design Director
Janakee Chavda, Assistant Digital Producer
Laura Clancy, Research Assistant
Sneha Gubbala, Research Assistant
Christine Huang, Research Analyst
Hannah Klein, Communications Manager
Gar Meng Leong, Communications Associate
Clark Letterman, Senior Survey Manager
Carolyn Lau, International Research Methodologist
John Carlo Mandapat, Information Graphics Designer
Gracie Martinez, Senior Administrative Coordinator
Patrick Moynihan, Associate Director, International Research Methods
Reem Nadeem, Associate Digital Producer
Jacob Poushter, Associate Director, Global Attitudes Research
Laura Silver, Associate Director, Global Attitudes Research
Sofi Sinozich, International Research Methodologist
Methodology
About Pew Research Center’s Spring 2023 Global Attitudes Survey
Results for the survey are based on telephone, face-to-face and online interviews conducted under the direction of Gallup, Kantar Public, Langer Research Associates and Social Research Centre. The results are based on national samples, unless otherwise noted. More details about our international survey methodology and country-specific sample designs are available here. Results for the U.S. survey are based on data from the American Trends Panel.
