Approval of America is down worldwide under Donald Trump

As the Trump administration embarks on a new course in foreign policy within its first year in office, roughly two-thirds of Americans report believing that the United States is less respected by other countries than it has been in the past, according to a recent Pew Research Centre poll of US adults. The public has long held this view, including majorities when Barack Obama and George W. Bush held office.

Concern about the US image abroad may have some basis in fact. Results from the centre’s 37-nation spring survey within months of Donald Trump’s ascendancy found that, globally, a median of 49 per cent had a favourable opinion of the US, down from 64 per cent at the end of the Obama administration. Today’s resurgent doubts about the US can be traced, in part, to the lack of public confidence in Trump and popular opposition to his stand on issues like climate change, free trade and immigration. History suggests anti-Americanism can have consequences for US foreign policy objectives, though it’s too soon – yet – to judge the impact of souring views of Uncle Sam.

The decline in US favourability has occurred in most regions of the world. Views of the nation are down 36 percentage points in Mexico, 30 points in Ghana and 22 points in Canada.

Across Europe there have been large shifts in public views of the US: favourable opinion is down 28 points in Spain, 26 points in the Netherlands and 22 points in Germany. Clear majorities in those nations now hold unfavourable views. And, despite the “special relationship” between the US and the United Kingdom, only 50 per cent of the British view the US favourably, down 11 points from 2016.