What Other Countries Think of America
What Other Countries Think of America
If other countries were in Facebook relationships with the United States, they’d probably say, “it’s complicated.” As a global superpower with a strong military and economy, a country with a long history of social and political turmoil, and the creator of much of the world’s media and entertainment, opinions on the U.S. vary widely. Some countries view us as a force for good and others see us as a force for evil.
A recent Pew Research Center survey of 23 countries asked citizens in those countries for their opinions about the United States.
These were the 23 countries surveyed: Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Israel, Italy, Japan, Kenya, Mexico, the Netherlands, Nigeria, Poland, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, and the United Kingdom.
Here are their answers, along with our most ardent fans and biggest detractors.
You Like Us, You Really Like Us…
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Generally speaking, the world has a positive view of the United States. Fifty-nine percent of people have a favorable opinion of the United States, and 30% have an unfavorable opinion.
The same goes for President Biden: 54% have confidence in him, while 39% have no confidence.
…But We Meddle
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Eighty-two percent of people aptly said that the U.S. interferes in the affairs of other countries (only 15% said we don’t).
For the most part, they see that as positive: 61% say we contribute to peace and stability. But just over half feel neglected, saying that we don’t take countries like theirs into account.
Poland is a Simp
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Who knew that Poland was our biggest fan? Poles, apparently! A massive 93% of them have favorable views of the United States, and they also highly approve of Joe Biden. Both views have improved since Russia invaded neighboring Ukraine, and Poland is at an all-time high for believing the U.S. has its interests in mind.
Poland also has the highest percentages of people who believe the U.S. contributes to world peace, that we’re more tolerant than other wealthy countries, and that we’re politically stable. No one tell Poland about the Speaker of the House debacle.
Canada is Unimpressed
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Like a brainy big sister who wishes we’d stop goofing around, Canada tolerates us because we’re family. Canadians favor the U.S. and Joe Biden on about a 60/40 split, but almost two-thirds say we don’t have other countries’ interests in mind. Still, that’s an all-time low—during the George W. Bush years 86% of Canadians said we were out for ourselves.
Canada definitely has our number on political stability. Only 14% think we’re more politically stable than other wealthy countries.
Their biggest slam is on our standard of living. Only one in four people there think ours is the best, but people under 40 in Canada gave American entertainment the highest marks of any group, so maybe Netflix is winning them over.
Hungary is Hostile
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Hungary, run by authoritarian prime minister Viktor Orbán, gave the lowest scores of any country for approval of the U.S. or confidence in Joe Biden. Only 15% of Hungarians think the U.S. considers other countries when making decisions, and almost two-thirds say we don’t contribute to world peace. They do concede that we’re the world’s leading economic power.
Europeans & Australians Say America is Dangerous
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When asked whether the U.S. is more dangerous than other wealthy nations, Europeans and Australians say yes.
A greater number of Europeans think the U.S. is more dangerous than think it’s less dangerous. This was true in every European country surveyed: the United Kingdom, Spain, Germany, Hungary, the Netherlands, France, Italy, Sweden, Greece, and even starry-eyed Poland.
Asians, Africans, and Latin Americans are more likely to say the U.S. is safe, but Australians are the most concerned—almost two-thirds say the U.S. is more dangerous than other rich countries. Hey, at least we don’t have crocodiles!
Israel Stans Our Technology & Military
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Israel ranks second only to Poland when it comes to approval of the U.S., and they have the highest percentage of people who think the U.S. considers other countries when making decisions. They also have the most people who view the U.S. as more democratic than other wealthy nations.
Israelis give the United States high marks across the board for technological achievements, entertainment, universities, military, and standard of living, but an astonishing 95% of them say our technological achievements and military are the best in the world.
South Korea Says We’re the Boss
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When asked what country is the world’s leading economic power, South Koreans choose the United States by a whopping 83%.
Italy, Germany, Greece, Spain, Australia, and the Netherlands say it’s China instead. Brits and the French can’t decide—an equal number in both countries choose the U.S. or China.
All countries in Asia, Africa, and Latin America choose the U.S., just by lesser margins than South Korea.
Argentina Says “Keep Your Money”
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Pew asked eight “middle-income” countries if American investments benefit their economies, and seven gave a resounding YES. Those countries are Nigeria, Kenya, India, Mexico, Brazil, South Africa, and Indonesia.
More than half of Argentinians feel the opposite. They say that American money benefits their economy not too much or not at all. Argentina struggles with inflation, which may cause them to prefer no new investments.
That said, they’ve just elected a populist who wants to dollarize their currency. We’ll see how that changes their minds.
Mexico Says We Need Jesus
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When asked if the United States was more or less religious than other wealthy nations, almost half of Mexicans said we’re less religious. (Maybe they’ll pray for us). No other country comes close so many people saying that, but other countries that think we’re notably more secular are Greece, India, Indonesia, Israel, Nigeria, Brazil, and Argentina.
Conversely, many countries think we’re more religious than others, including Canada, Sweden, France, the UK, the Netherlands, Germany, and Australia.
LL Cool J (Lands Love Cool Joe)
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Every country except for Israel and Hungary have gained confidence in us since he took office, and Greece and Poland have reached all-time highs.
But they really love Obama. Most countries had the most confidence when he was in office: Germany, Japan, Sweden, the Netherlands, Spain, the UK, Canada, Italy, France, South Korea, Hungary, Mexico, Brazil, Nigeria, Kenya, South Africa, Indonesia, India, and Argentina all preferred Barack.
Israel had the most confidence in Bush, specifically right after 9/11. No country surveyed had the most confidence in Trump.
Tired of the Liberal Agenda in the US? Consider Moving to One of These Conservative Countries
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It’s a common refrain for Americans to say they’ll leave the country if their presidential candidate is bested by an opponent. Sometimes that’s followed with a promise to move to Canada specifically, but let’s face it—a republican who isn’t happy in the United States will be miserable in Canada.
These are top issues for republican voters:
➤ Tired of the Liberal Agenda in the US? Consider Moving to One of These Conservative Countries
Are Americans Terrible at Geography? Name These Countries
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It’s been a running joke for decades that Americans are bad at geography. Anyone who’s seen people try to name a country on Jimmy Kimmel Live! knows how few average people can identify countries on a map, but we’re not much better at naming states, either.
We’ll make it easier here and ask you to name the country by a famous landmark. Give yourself one point for each country you can name. At the end, we’ll tell you if you’re a geography whiz or… an average American.
➤ Are Americans Terrible at Geography? Name These Countries
Jen is the co-founder of Expatsi, a company that helps Americans move abroad. She created the Expatsi Test, an assessment that recommends countries for aspiring emigrants based on lifestyle data. Jen has an MBA from Emory University with concentrations in marketing and innovation. She's written for BusinessWeek, Health, Cooking Light, and Southern Living. Prior to Expatsi, she created Freshfully and Bottle & Bone—two businesses in the local food space—and spoke at TEDx on being brave. She's moving to Mexico in 2024, along with her husband and co-founder Brett, pitbull mix Squiggy, and three rotten cats. How can she help you move abroad?
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Jen is the co-founder of Expatsi, a company that helps Americans move abroad. She created the Expatsi Test, an assessment that recommends countries for aspiring emigrants based on lifestyle data. Jen has an MBA from Emory University with concentrations in marketing and innovation. She's written for BusinessWeek, Health, Cooking Light, and Southern Living. Prior to Expatsi, she created Freshfully and Bottle & Bone—two businesses in the local food space—and spoke at TEDx on being brave. She's moving to Mexico in 2024, along with her husband and co-founder Brett, pitbull mix Squiggy, and three rotten cats. How can she help you move abroad?