World Survey Says Negative Views of U.S. Are Rising

December 5, 2002
By ADAM CLYMER
www.nytimes.com

WASHINGTON, Dec. 4 - While people in most non-Muslim
countries continue to view the United States favorably,
negative opinions have increased in most nations over the
past two years, according to public opinion surveys in 44
countries.

The surveys of 38,000 people conducted by the Pew Research
Center for the People and the Press indicated that,
although there is widespread support for the United
States-led campaign against terrorism since the Sept. 11
attacks, it was tempered by large minorities or even
majorities in many countries who say the Bush
administration is ignoring their nations' interests.

Moreover, followup polls last month in four countries -
Britain, France, Germany and Russia - found substantial
percentages of people saying they thought that the main
reason the United States would go to war with Iraq would be
"because the U.S. wants to control Iraqi oil." That view
was held by 44 percent in Britain, 54 percent in Germany,
75 percent in France and 76 percent in Russia. A parallel
survey in the United States found 22 percent agreeing with
the war-for-oil theory.

While polling could not be conducted in some important
countries, like Saudi Arabia, and sensitive questions could
not be asked in others, like China, the combined surveys
appeared to be the largest simultaneous effort to gauge
world opinion ever conducted, said Andrew Kohut, director
of the Pew Center.

"The main lesson," Mr. Kohut said, "is that while there is
a reserve of good will toward the United States, the most
powerful country in the world has an increasing number of
detractors." He said the post-cold-war reality was "how old
friends who need us less, like us less," especially in
Europe, while "the Russians have a better opinion of us."

Favorable views of the United States declined in the past
two years in Britain from 83 to 75 percent and in Germany
from 78 to 61 percent, while they increased in Russia from
37 to 61 percent. There were also striking increases in
favorable opinions in Uzbekistan, from 56 to 85 percent,
and in Nigeria, from 46 to 77 percent.

The United States-led campaign against terrorism was
opposed by most people surveyed in several nations with
Muslim majorities. The percentages opposed were 79 percent
in Egypt, 85 percent in Jordan, 64 percent in Indonesia, 56
percent in Lebanon, 64 percent in Senegal, 58 percent in
Turkey and 64 percent in Indonesia. Pluralities took that
view in Pakistan - 45 percent - and Bangladesh - 46
percent.

The only other non-Muslim countries surveyed where
majorities opposed the effort against terrorism were
Argentina and South Korea. Argentina, in the midst of an
economic crisis when the survey was taken earlier this
fall, was critical of the United States on several other
measures. In South Korea, Mr. Kohut said, relations with
North Korea, a point on which the Seoul government and the
Bush administration differ, may have been a factor. But
throughout Europe, at least two-thirds of the public backed
the policy, and in the predominately Muslim Central Asian
nation of Uzbekistan, where the presence of American troops
helps the economy, 91 percent supported it.

The findings on Turkey, where the Pentagon wants to use air
bases and ports in case of war with Iraq, were singled out
as important by Mr. Kohut and Madeleine K. Albright, the
former secretary of state and a consultant on the project.

In Turkey, favorable views of the United States have
dropped from 52 to 30 percent in the past two years. Only
30 percent said they supported the campaign against
terrorism and 74 percent said the United States did not pay
either much or any attention to Turkey's interests when
setting policy. This week, Turkey's foreign minister, Yasar
Yakis, cited public opinion in explaining to American
officials why his country could not accept large numbers of
American ground troops for a war with Iraq. Dr. Albright
said this showed the difficulties in weighing "what we're
asking countries to do in terms of leadership versus what
people want us to do."

A delicate issue raised in the surveys was suicide bombing.
In 14 countries in Africa, Asia and the Middle East,
respondents were asked if they believed that "suicide
bombing and other forms of violence against civilian
targets are justified in order to defend Islam from its
enemies."

Majorities said it was often or sometimes justified in
Lebanon (73 percent) and Ivory Coast (56 percent). More
than 40 percent found it justified it in Bangladesh,
Nigeria and Jordan. More than 25 percent said it was
justifiable in Pakistan, Indonesia, Ghana, Mali, Senegal
and Uganda.

But in many countries the question was not asked. Mr. Kohut
said that in Egypt, for example, "A question about suicide
bombing is not only impolitic, it could get you thrown in
jail."

He said in order to do any polling at all in China and
Vietnam, certain questions had to be omitted. "In Saudi
Arabia," he said, "you have to get permission to do a poll,
and we didn't get permission."

Although in some countries the polling was conducted by
telephone, most people were interviewed face to face. In
most countries, the survey involved national population
samples, but others were done only in urban areas. They
took place between July and October. The margins of error
varied, from as low as plus or minus two percentage points
to as much as plus or minus four percentage points.

http://www.nytimes.com/2002/12/05/international/05SURV.html?ex=1040116496&ei=1&en=d41b2699145a81f2