In 2007, then-President George W. Bush evoked confidence in a median of 21% of people in 20 nations surveyed by the Pew Global Attitudes Project. A poll In those same 20 nations in 2010, in contrast, finds that the median number of people in those countries who express confidence in President Barack Obama is 64%. Still, one of the most frequent criticisms of U.S. foreign policy remains that in its formulation it does not take into account the interests of other countries. This is the prevailing point of view in 15 of 21 countries outside of the U.S. Read More

Russell Heimlich  is a former web developer at Pew Research Center.