Anti-Americanism Reaches New Highes
Negative opinions of the U.S. reach record highs in new international survey.
June 27, 2007— -- Anti-American attitudes rise to a new high amongst people from both Muslim countries and some of the nation's oldest European allies, according to The Pew Global Attitude Project released Wednesday.
American doesn't stand alone as the target of thrown rotten tomatoes from the global village. In the extensive international opinion poll, all world powers registered a sinking sense of confidence, including leaders like Russia's Vladmir Putin and Venezuela's Hugo Chavez, as well as, nations like China, Russia and the U.S.
"Instead of showing a sense of optimism and can-do that has been evident in history since World War II, well, that seems to be moving away," said former U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, who co-chairs the report. "There's this kind of sense of nihilism now."
Though the numbers paint an overall pessimistic global take on the American image, Albright pointed to strong showings in Africa and non-Muslim parts of Asia.
"I am an optimist who worries a lot," Albright insisted
America is most likely to win a popularity contest in Africa where 74 percent of people express positive opinions of the U.S. followedn by Latin America (55 percent), Eastern Europe (48 percent), Asia (44 percent), Western Europe (43 percent), and Middle East (21 percent).
This is the sixth and largest installment of The Pew Global Attitudes Project. The survey encompasses 45,000 almost hour long interviews from 47 countries around the world over a two month period.
Polling analysis by ABC News overall affirms the survey as representative of Pew's high standard, but data for some of the major countries is too focused on urban areas, which don't represent a truly national opion, including China, India and Brazil, as well as Bolivia, Ivory Coast, Pakistan, South Africa and Venezuela.
Old Allies, New Disdain
Traditional allies Great Britain and Germany log new lows in favorable opinions of the U.S. this year after long slides downward since 2000. More than half of the populations of 'Old Europe' --
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