About six-in-ten Americans (62%) approve of the U.S. government’s drone campaign targeting extremist leaders and groups in nations such as Pakistan, Yemen and Somalia.

That puts opinion in the U.S. at odds with most of the other nations surveyed this year by the Pew Global Attitudes Project. The drone policy is unpopular in majority-Muslim nations, but also in Europe and other regions.

In 17 of 20 countries surveyed, more than half of those surveyed disapprove of the strikes . At least three-in-four hold this view in a diverse set of countries: Greece (90%), Egypt (89%), Jordan (85%), Turkey (81%), Spain (76%), Brazil (76%) and Japan (75%).

In the U.S., support is especially high among Republicans (74%), but most independents (60%) and Democrats (58%) also approve. Read More