Countries Disapproving of U.S. Leadership Triple in 2017

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- In President Donald Trump's first year in office, the number of countries and areas where majorities disapprove of U.S. leadership more than tripled from 15 in 2016 to a record 53 in 2017. While Gallup's Rating World Leaders: 2018 report finds disapproval of U.S. leadership in Pakistan and the Palestinian Territories remaining high year after year, many countries with typically warm relations with the U.S. rank among its toughest critics in 2017.

	Disapprove
	%
Norway	83
Austria	79
Canada	78
Iceland	77
Pakistan	76
Sweden	76
Chile	74
Netherlands	74
Finland	73
Belgium	73
Germany	72
Mexico	72
Palestinian Territories	72
New Zealand	71
Luxembourg	71
Among 134 countries and areas surveyed in 2017
Gallup World Poll

 

Globally, disapproval of U.S. leadership is highest in Norway (83%), a country that the president recently mentioned as a preferred source of migrants to the U.S. In 2017, more Norwegians disapproved of U.S. leadership than China's (66%) or even the leadership of Russia (78%), a country that Norway has generally considered its top security threat.

Among the 15 countries with the highest levels of disapproval in 2017 are Western nations and close allies, including Canada, Mexico, Finland, Norway, Sweden, Iceland, New Zealand, Belgium and the Netherlands. On the campaign trail, Trump first set off alarm bells among longtime European allies when he referred to NATO as "obsolete." While the president later affirmed that he no longer views NATO as obsolete, relations between the new U.S. administration and U.S. allies have continued to deteriorate as they disagree on issues such as the Paris climate accord, the Iran nuclear agreement and recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital.

Kosovo, Albania Top Approval List

Majorities in 27 countries and areas approved of U.S. leadership in 2017, down from 59 countries the previous year. Three Muslim-majority countries and areas top the list in 2017: Kosovo (75%), Albania (72%) and Guinea (71%). U.S. involvement in the Kosovo war in the late 1990s and support for Kosovan independence continue to undergird relations between the U.S. and both Kosovo and Albania.

Support for U.S. leadership remains consistently higher among African countries than those in other regions. Africa is home to 11 of the 15 countries most likely to approve of U.S. leadership in 2017. At least two in three adults give their approval in Guinea (71%), Togo (70%), Central African Republic (68%) and Ghana (66%).

	Approve
	%
Kosovo	75
Albania	72
Guinea	71
Togo	70
Central African Republic	68
Israel	67
Ghana	66
Congo (Kinshasa)	64
Gabon	63
Kenya	62
Liberia	61
Mauritius	59
Philippines	59
Sierra Leone	58
Chad	57
Among 134 countries and areas surveyed in 2017
Gallup World Poll

 

In Israel, approval of U.S. leadership has been relatively high since Gallup began asking about it in 2006 but experienced a significant jump in 2017, increasing from 53% to 67%. Polling in Israel was completed before the U.S. announcement to move its embassy to Jerusalem. However, Trump's campaign promise that he would recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and his agreement with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on the need to renegotiate the Iran nuclear deal may have found support among some Israelis.

Bottom Line

More countries disapprove of U.S. leadership than at any other time since Gallup began collecting these data. Where American diplomats may have found themselves "pushing on an open door" in many countries in recent years, a potential decline in U.S. soft power may make it more difficult for the U.S. to influence foreign governments to support policies and actions that may be unpopular with their citizens.

The presence of many Western and allied countries among those most disapproving of the U.S. is a practical concern. In the post-World War II era, the U.S. has leaned on its many powerful partners to assist it in affecting issues beyond its borders time and again. Large declines in the image of U.S. leadership among traditional allies could threaten the country's ability to mobilize its most reliable partners needed in the pursuit of its foreign policy objectives.

Download the Rating World Leaders: 2018 report.

Julie Ray contributed to this report.

Gallup Global Managing Partner Jon Clifton discussed the major findings from Gallup's global survey on U.S. leadership on C-SPAN. Watch now.