Home  Regional News United Nations Secretary-General among top global leaders
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United Nations Secretary-General among top global leaders |
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Tuesday, 30 June 2009 |
College Park, MD— US President Barack Obama has the confidence of
many publics around the world - inspiring far more confidence than any
other world political leader according to a new poll of 20 nations
by WorldPublicOpinion.org
A year ago, President Bush was one of the least trusted leaders in
the world.
WorldPublicOpinion.org conducted the poll of 19,224 respondents in
nations that comprise 62 percent of the world's population. This
includes most of the largest nations—China, India, the United
States, Indonesia, Nigeria, Pakistan, and Russia—as well as Mexico,
Germany, Great Britain, France, Poland, Azerbaijan, Ukraine, Kenya,
Egypt, Turkey, Iraq, the Palestinian territories, and South Korea.
Publics were also polled in Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan. The
margins of error range from 3 to 4 percent.
WorldPublicOpinion.org, a collaborative research project involving
research centers from around the world, is managed by the Program on
International Policy Attitudes (PIPA) at the University of Maryland.
The survey was conducted between April 4 and June 12, 2009, prior to
Obama’s speech in Cairo but subsequent to his Ankara speech.
An average of 61 percent express a lot or some confidence in Obama
to do the right thing in world affairs, across the nineteen nations
polled (excluding the US). Thirty-one percent say they have not too
much or no confidence at all. In 13 nations, a majority or plurality
has confidence in Obama; in five nations they do not; one nation is
divided. A majority of the American public (70%) also expresses
confidence in Obama in world affairs.
No other leader has the confidence of more than an average of 40
percent across the publics polled. For most leaders, more express a
lack of confidence than express confidence.
“At this moment Obama occupies a unique position in the eyes of the
world,” observes Stephen J. Weber of WorldPublicOpinion.org. “His
communication skills and the change he represents create an open
door for him to engage people around the world.”
President Ahmadinejad has the confidence of an average of only 28
percent across the 20 nations, while 49 percent do not have
confidence in the Iranian leader. Fourteen nations have a negative
view, led by the US (84%) Germany (81%), France (79%), and South
Korea (67%). The public in six nations express confidence in
Ahmadinejad led by two majority-Muslim nations:Pakistan (75%) and
the Palestinian territories (57%). However, other majority-Muslim
nations express a lack of confidence, including Iraq (56%),
Azerbaijan (59%), Egypt (57%), and Turkey (48%). Indians also lean
positive (42 to 30%) about Ahmadinejad.
Russian Prime Minister Putin has the confidence of publics in five
nations (the lowest of any leader tested), but in 14 the public has
little confidence. On average across 19 nations other than Russia,
34 percent of the public expresses confidence and 50 percent do not.
Critics of Putin include France (78% little confidence), Poland
(76%), Germany (72%), and the US (69%) as well as all of the nations
of the Middle East that were polled. However, Mr. Putin does elicit
confidence in the world’s two largest nations, China (64%) and India
(65%). The public in Ukraine, where the current West-leaning
President Yushchenko has had tense relations with the Kremlin, also
has confidence in Putin (57 %); notably, more Ukrainians express
confidence Putin than in President Obama (35%). Russians themselves
have confidence in their Prime Minister by a very large majority (82%).
Public confidence in President Hu Jintao of China presents a mixed
picture around the globe. In most nations in the West—including
Europe, the US and Mexico—President Hu receives low confidence
scores. Low scores are also common in the Middle East including in
Turkey, the Palestinian territories, and Iraq. However, in Asia, the
publics in most nations express confidence in the Chinese leader
such as in Pakistan (80%), India (50%) and in South Korea (by a
narrow margin, 51% to 47%). Overall, seven nations express
confidence in President Hu, 10 lack confidence, and two divided. On
average across the nations polled, excluding China, 32 percent have
confidence in him and 44 percent do not. There are also large
majorities reporting confidence in President Hu in separate surveys
that were conducted in Taiwan (60%), Hong Kong (94%), and Macau
(92%). “In his own backyard, President Hu seems to be using soft
power very effectively,” notes Stephen Weber.
Among the national leaders studied in this poll, Chancellor Merkel
has the second-highest rating – on average 40 percent express
confidence in her, while 38 percent do not. Nine nations have
positive views, but eight show little confidence, and two are
divided. Most nations in Asia, sub-Saharan Africa, and Europe report
confidence in Merkel, but most majority-Muslim nations do not.
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon receives the second-highest rating
behind Obama. On average his ratings lean positive (40% to 35%) and
11 nations express confidence, seven do not, and two are divided.
Views are especially positive in Asia and Africa. Only in the US and
in some nations in the Middle East ( Egypt, the Palestinian
territories, and Turkey) does a majority express low confidence.
President Sarkozy of France has somewhat lower confidence ratings
than his European compatriots, but has shown the most improvement–
from 30 percent confidence in 2008 to 34 percent in 2009 across 14
trended nations. During the second half of 2008, France occupied the
Presidency of the European Union. This platform may have helped his
confidence ratings increase in the US, Great Britain, Ukraine,
Nigeria, and India. There is, nonetheless, a robust 45 percent of
the public polled that does not have confidence in him.
The Chinese public, however, expresses sharply lower confidence in
Sarkozy in 2009 (23%) than in 2008 (42%). This fall in confidence
was not evident for other Western leaders. The protests in France in
April 2008 related to the Olympic torch and Tibet policy, and Mr.
Sarkozy’s threat to boycott the Beijing Olympics seems to have
soured the Chinese public.
Prime Minister Brown has a profile similar to Chancellor Merkel,
though with slightly lower scores overall. His global confidence
average is 36 percent positive and 45 percent negative, and eight
nations express confidence in him. Ten nations do not express
confidence, notably all majority-Muslim nations polled except
Azerbaijan, as well as France, Poland, Russia and Mexico.
www.worldpublicopinion.org
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