American Trends Panel Wave 105

Most think social media has made it easier to manipulate and divide people, but they also say it informs and raises awareness.

Despite the many depressing stories dominating the international news cycle, there is also a note of positivity among survey respondents in views of the UN, the benefits of international cooperation for solving problems and the importance of common values for bringing nations together.

A median of 68% across 19 countries think their country has done a good job dealing with the coronavirus outbreak, with majorities saying this in every country surveyed except Japan. However, most also believe the pandemic has created greater divisions in their societies and exposed weaknesses in their political systems – and these view are especially common in the U.S.

As President Joe Biden embarks on his first visit to Israel as president, he does so against an amicable backdrop: A majority of adults in both Israel and the United States have favorable views of the other country and the current state of bilateral relations, though Americans’ views on Israel differ sharply by party and age.

Most say U.S. is reliable partner, and ratings for Biden are mostly positive – although down significantly from last year.

Older Americans, those with more education and men tend to score better on our 12-question quiz about international knowledge. Republicans and Democrats have roughly the same levels of international knowledge, while conservative Republicans and liberal Democrats tend to score better than their more moderate counterparts.

Americans see China as a growing superpower – and increasingly say it is the world’s leading economy.

Attitudes toward NATO have grown more positive: 67% express a favorable opinion of the organization, up from 61% in 2021.