Publics around the world express egalitarian views about gender roles in education and, to some extent, political leadership. Overwhelming majorities in the 47 countries surveyed say it is equally important for boys and girls to receive an education. Views about women in politics are more mixed – majorities in 35 of the 47 countries included […]
Opinion about Russia varies widely throughout the world, with some of the most striking differences evident among nations formerly tied to the Soviet Union. In Ukraine and Bulgaria, positive opinions of Russia surpass negative sentiments by wide margins. But the balance of opinion is decidedly negative in Poland. And while most people in the Czech […]
People around the world often mention neighboring nations as posing the greatest threats to their own countries. Proximity also is a factor in peoples’ views of their country’s most dependable allies. However, world powers often make the list – and the United States appears prominently on the lists of major allies and threats. In fact, […]
Iran’s image remains negative throughout much of the world, and has eroded significantly over the past year in several countries, including Turkey, Egypt and Indonesia. Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad continues to inspire little confidence internationally. However, the poll finds Shia Muslims in Lebanon holding overwhelmingly positive opinions of the Iranian president, reflecting a broad divide […]
Levels of personal satisfaction vary considerably across the world. People in the economically advanced countries of Western Europe, Canada and the United States are relatively happy with their lives. For example, when asked to place themselves on a “ladder of life,” where zero represents the worst possible life and 10 the best possible life, 72% […]
Overall, many publics are somewhat more satisfied with the state of their countries than they were five years ago. In the 35 nations where trends are available, the number of people satisfied has increased in 21, declined in nine, and remained basically unchanged in five. The greatest improvement is found in Bangladesh, where 75% currently […]
Over the last five years, America’s image has plummeted throughout much of the world, including sharp drops in favorability among traditional allies in Western Europe, as well as substantial declines in Latin America, the Middle East, and elsewhere. In the past year alone, positive views of the U.S. have declined in Pakistan, China, Egypt, and […]
As with views of the United States, attitudes toward China have grown more negative in recent years in most countries where trends are available. Yet the balance of opinion regarding China is decidedly favorable in 27 of the 47 nations surveyed, while opinion is more negative than positive in just five – most notably Japan […]
Throughout the world, new patterns have emerged in the way that people perceive the threats posed by pollution, AIDS and infectious diseases, nuclear proliferation, religious and ethnic hatred, and income inequality. In particular, worries about pollution and the environment have increased dramatically since 2002. Of the five global threats tested in the survey, pollution and […]
Around the world, confidence in President Bush as a world leader continues to erode. But Russian President Vladimir Putin fares no better when it comes to international public opinion. Aside from Russia itself, where Putin is increasingly popular, there are just a handful of countries where majorities express even some confidence in the Russian leader. […]
