German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron are the world’s most popular leaders, according to a study of PEW Research Center conducted among 26,000 people in 25 countries. The overall confidence in Merkel (52%) and Macron (46%) is highest in North European countries, while in Eastern and Southern Europe there are scoring less. Overall, the European attitude towards US President Donald Trump is absolutely negative.
This reinforces the trend that the US image among its traditional allies has deteriorated even more after a year, within which US President Donald Trump has stepped up its aggressive rhetoric against countries such as Germany and Canada. Since the stepping into office in January last year, Trump decided to withdraw the US from several international agreements, including the climate change agreement and the JCPOA (Iran nuclear programme). At the same time, he met with authoritarian leaders like Putin and North Korean President Kim Jong-un, while criticising his neighbours and NATO allies
Only 6 percent of Mexicans, 7 percent of the Spanish, 9 percent of the French and 10 percent of the Germans expressed confidence in regard to Trump’s foreign policy. In 20 out of the 25 countries involved in the study, the majority did not trust the US President.
The most positive attitude towards the USA has been shown in traditionally close allies such as Israel, the Philippines and South Korea, with approval of at least 80 percent.
However, most people in the world still want the United States, not China, to be a global leader.
Apart from being asked whether the global forces are on a new rise, decline or without change, the respondents were asked the following question with regard to whether or not they would choose which of the following scenarios would be better for the world: the US is the leading force in the world or China is the leading force in the world? ” The results show that the US is the most preferred choice.
The USA has been mentioned before China in each of the countries surveyed, with the exception of three: Argentina, Tunisia and Russia, although in many countries a large number of volunteers say it would be good for the world if both share the first place.
Some of the US allies in Asia and elsewhere are particularly reluctant to prefer a future in which the US is the world’s leading force. Two thirds or more are sharing this opinion in Japan, the Philippines, Sweden, South Korea, Australia, Canada, the Netherlands, Poland and the United Kingdom.
