We’d all love if the world was one big, happy global family but now, possibly more than ever, that’s definitely not the case. The reason(s) behind other countries not liking us usually have nothing to do with us as individual people as much as how politics, economics, American ideals, habits, attitudes, etc. all play roles in international relationships.
On the other hand, there are some countries that love the U.S. and much of what it stands for.
Whatever the case, knowing which countries like the U.S. and/or Americans vs. those that harbor bad feelings about us might be an influence for some people as to whether or not they visit said country. As always, Your Mileage May Vary.
So with that in mind, here are the top five countries that currently have unfavorable views of Americans and the top five countries that do.
Note: Pew Research has been surveying multiple countries about their opinions of the U.S. since 2002 The social and political climate has changed significantly since then (gee, ya think?), so it’s interesting to see how their feelings have changed over the years. The most recent data they have is from 2021, and I’m including data from every 5 years previous to that as a comparison (we posted similar global feedback in 2019 and used other countries’ opinions from 2014, 2009 and 2004. This time it will be 2021, 2016, 2011 and 2006)
Also note: For various reasons, not all countries are surveyed every year. Some countries have never been surveyed, or weren’t surveyed in 2021 (in fact, MANY countries weren’t included in the survey this time around – they only included 17 [past years have had as many as 40 countries, or as few as 7 participate]), which obviously skews the survey results quite a bit.
Top 5 Countries That Don’t Like The U.S. (2021)
1. New Zealand (55% unfavorable)
Past opinions:
2016: Greece (58% unfavorable), 2011: Jordan (84%), 2006: Jordan (85%)
2. Australia (49% unfavorable)
Past Opinions:
2016: China (44% unfavorable), 2011: Palestinian Territory (80%), 2006: Turkey (76%)
3. Singapore (49% unfavorable)
Past Opinions:
2016: Germany (38% unfavorable), 2011: Egypt (79%), 2006: Spain (73%)
4. Sweden (42% unfavorable)
Past Opinions:
2016: Australia (35% unfavorable), 2011: Turkey (77%), 2006: Egypt (69%)
5. Belgium (39% unfavorable)
Past Opinions:
2016: Hungary (32% unfavorable), 2011: Pakistan (73%), 2006: Indonesia (67%)
Notes:
- Typically, Middle Eastern countries are the ones that dislike the U.S. the most. However no Middle Eastern countries were included in the 2021 (or 2020) survey.
- The country that was the most unfavorable to us, New Zealand, has never participated in this Pew study before, so we can’t compare it to past years. Australia, on the other hand, has participated a several times and their unfavorable opinion of us has varied from a high of 64% in 2020 to a low of 30% in 2013. Gee, what a difference a pandemic and politics can hypothetically make, huh?
Top 5 Countries That Like The U.S. (2021)
1. South Korea (77% favorable)
Past opinions:
2016: (United States, 83% favorable), 2011:Japan (85%) , 2006: United States (76%)
2. The United States (76% favorable)
Past opinions:
2016: (Poland 74% favorable), 2011:Kenya (83%) , 2006: Japan (63%)
3. Italy (74% favorable)
Past opinions:
2016: (Italy 74% favorable), 2011: United States (79%) , 2006: United Kingdom (56%)
4. Japan (71% favorable)
Past opinions:
2016: (Japan 72% favorable), 2011: France (75%) , 2006: China (47%)
5. France (65% favorable)
Past opinions:
2016: (Sweden 69% favorable), 2011: Lithuania (73%) , 2006: Russia (43%)
Notes:
- The United States’ view of the United States has been included in the survey since 2005. We tend to waver in the 70s and 80s. I’m so happy we have such high self-esteem LOLOL!
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