World Leaders

Overview As the global economy begins to rebound from the great recession, people around the world remain deeply concerned with the way things are going in their countries. Less than a third of the publics in most nations say they are satisfied with national conditions, as overwhelming numbers say their economies are in bad shape. […]

President Barack Obama’s popularity has transformed America’s image in Indonesia. However, the world’s largest predominantly Muslim country is an outlier in the Muslim world, where opinions of the U.S. remain mostly negative.

In a briefing for a congressional subcommittee, Andrew Kohut describes the rise of anti-Americanism over the last decade, its sharp decline after Obama’s election and the reasons why this improving trend may be fragile.

While overall ratings for the U.S. have improved throughout much of the world, in Turkey they remain dismal. Still, there are modest signs of a potential for improvement.

Opinion of Obama is largely positive in Japan, China and South Korea, but improvements in U.S. image are modest compared with much of the world

The Peace Prize award is another sign of the president’s international appeal; his election lifted America’s image around the globe

Pakistani public opinion has turned against al Qaeda and the Taliban, and no fewer than 69% of those polled express worry that extremists will take control of the nation. Ratings for President Asif Ali Zardari have also plummeted, as Pakistanis see their country in crisis.

Only Modest Changes in U.S. Image in Predominantly Muslim Countries

The image of the United States has improved markedly in most parts of the world reflecting global confidence in Barack Obama. In many countries, opinions of the U.S. are now about as positive as they were at the beginning of the decade before George W. Bush took office.

EVENT TRANSCRIPT At a briefing for journalists at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. on July 23, 2009, Pew Research Center President Andrew Kohut, joined by Pew Global Attitudes Project co-chairs former U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine K. Albright and former Sen. John C. Danforth, described the major findings from the latest Pew Global […]