Obama more popular in Europe than at home
US: US President Barack Obama gets a more favorable rating in
western Europe and Asia than at home, but his standing in the Muslim
world is slipping, a global poll showed Thursday.
The Pew Research Center’s Global Attitudes Project found that overall
opinion of Obama remains broadly positive in most non-Muslim nations.
The survey of 24,000 people in 22 nations conducted April 7 to May 8
showed a largely favorable view of the United States for a second year,
in sharp contrast to perceptions of America under former president
George W. Bush.
When asked whether the US president would “do the right thing” in
world affairs, 87 percent in France, 90 percent in Germany and 84
percent in Britain expressed confidence in Obama.
Those figures were down slightly from last year, but compared with
Bush’s rating of 13, 14 and 16 percent respectively in the European
nations.
But among Americans, confidence in Obama slipped to 65 percent from
74 percent in 2009.
The poll showed Obama is more popular than French President Nicolas
Sarkozy and German Chancellor Angela Merkel in most of the 22 nations
polled, including their own. “Publics worldwide continue to have more
confidence in US President Barack Obama’s ability to handle world
affairs than in the abilities of key European leaders,” the Pew Research
Center poll said.
“Even German Chancellor Angela Merkel, whose leadership skills are
well-regarded by publics throughout much of Western Europe, does not
match Obama’s popularity.”
In many countries around the world, confidence in Obama is high, the
poll showed: 76 percent in Japan, 75 percent in South Korea, 73 percent
in India and 67 percent in Indonesia.
WASHINGTON, Friday, AFP |