WASHINGTON — America's battered image abroad has improved slightly over the last year, boosted in Europe, Russia and the Middle East by U.S. aid to tsunami victims and the Bush administration's focus on promoting democracy, according to a new poll.
However, Muslims and Europeans continued to hold mostly unfavorable opinions of the United States, and large majorities in most nations do not believe U.S. foreign policy takes their interests into account, the 16-nation survey by the Pew Research Center found.
"Anti-Americanism is entrenched in many countries in the world, especially in Europe," said Andrew Kohut, director of the Pew Global Attitudes Project. "But we have seen some progress," he added, notably in India and Indonesia, where the U.S. image improved dramatically following widely hailed American aid after the Indian Ocean tsunami in December.
The survey shows that "it's possible for the United States to make progress," Kohut said, although he said anti-Americanism remained a major problem.
In France, for example, 62% of those surveyed had a favorable view of the U.S. five years ago. That dropped to 37% in 2004 but edged up to 43% this year, the survey found.
Attitudes toward the U.S. also improved slightly over the 2004 findings in Germany, Spain, Russia and Pakistan. But the U.S. image improved dramatically in Jordan and Lebanon, where pressure from President Bush contributed to Syria's decision to withdraw its troops.
In India, where economic and political relations with America are improving, U.S. favorability jumped from 54% in 2002 to 71% in 2005. And in Indonesia, the U.S. favorability rating jumped from 15% in 2003 to 38% in 2005, even though 47% of those surveyed said they were less favorably inclined toward the U.S. as a result of its calls for more global democracy.
China was rated favorably more often than the United States in Britain, France, Germany, Spain, the Netherlands and Russia, the poll found. In Canada, 58% of respondents said they had a favorable view of China, and 59% said they had a favorable view of the U.S.
The Pew survey interviewed 16,766 people in 16 nations for its ninth annual survey. Its findings have been closely watched, including by the administration, particularly since U.S. approval ratings crashed on the eve of the Iraq war.
