---
title: "Nations Call US Biggest Threat to Environment"
description: "That's the number of countries, among the 37 nations  where data are available from the 2007 Pew Global Attitudes survey, in which a majority or clear plurality name the U.S. as the country that is \"hurting the world's environment the most.\""
date: "2007-06-28"
authors:
  - name: "Russell Heimlich"
    job_title: "Former web developer"
    link: "https://www.pewresearch.org/staff/russell-heimlich/"
url: "https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2007/06/28/nations-call-us-biggest-threat-to-environment/"
---

# Nations Call US Biggest Threat to Environment

In 34 of the 37 countries where data from the Pew 2007 Global Attitudes survey are available, the United States is named by a majority or a clear plurality as the country that is “hurting the world’s environment the most”–even a third of Americans rate their own country as the world’s biggest polluter, more than point to any other single country. (Respondents were asked to name a country from a list that included India, Germany, China, Brazil, Japan, United States and Russia.) In seven countries, majorities identify the U.S. as the world’s top polluter, including 61% in both Bangladesh and Turkey. In only three countries did respondents place more blame on a country other than the U.S. In South Korea, 56% place the most responsibility for environmental problems on China, while in India, 29% say their own country is hurting the world’s environment the most. In both cases, the United States is second on the list of countries most to blame. [Read More](https://www.pewresearch.org/pubs/524/global-unease-with-major-world-powers-and-leaders)