Opinions
Pew Research Center surveyed 25 different countries to determine how they see the United States. According to the survey, 43% of the countries surveyed have a very negative view of the United States. 72% of the surveyed countries feel that the US has a lack of consideration for the interests of other countries.
One of the things that the survey proves that people’s views are not based on the country’s poor academics and increasing waistband. They are, however, based on the attitudes that lead to those factors. Many countries have used phrases such as “self-indulgent” and “power-hungry” to describe Americans.
Japan Doesn’t Believe The US Has A Good Work Ethic
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Out of all the countries that were surveyed, Japan alone thought that America no longer plays the same role on the world stage as it did ten years ago. According to Japan Today, Japanese college students listed gun violence and weight as negative American traits.
To compound matters, only 25% of the Japanese public believes Americans work hard while 47% consider American’s to be selfish.
Tunisians Don’t Think Much Of America Either
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From all the Tunisians surveyed by the Pew Research Center, 64% think that the US is less suited to be a leading world power than China. One of the reasons for that is due to the film Innocence of Muslims which was uploaded to the internet by someone from the US.
The film wasn’t received well in Tunisia due to the anti-Islamic sentiments expressed in the film. Islam is the official religion of Tunisia and the film was described as “something that was clearly designed to offend Muslims,” by Vanity Fair.
US Mentality Alienates Danes
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CBS news interviewed a retired Danish bank employee that stated that to him “America” means: “Capitalism. Money rules everything. Overweight people, Donald Trump, elections, shootings.”
Sarah Madoff wrote a post on the Berkley Center’s website about her time studying in Denmark. According to here, there are more cyclists and less sexism than in America. Denmark has one of the highest female employment rates in the world. It is also much less common for employees to work late over holidays or working overtime. According to Sarah, this explains the Danish view that Americans are money-obsessed and overweight.
No Way Norway Moves To America
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The Migration Policy Institue, over the past 50 years, the number of Norwegians who move to America has been in steady decline. At the start of the 20th century, close to a million Norwegians had settled down in the US.
Norway has been listed as the world’s happiest country. Norway is noted as having the most political and press freedom while also being the most prosperous. The US in contrast is ranked between 14th and 45th based on the same criteria.
Walls Aren’t Mexico’s Only Concern
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In 2017 the Pew Research Center released a report that stated that 65% of Mexicans have a negative view of the US. This figure had doubled since 2015. Only 5% of the Mexican public believes in Trump’s action while 94% oppose his proposal to build a wall.
While 85% of Mexicans admit to being unhappy with how the country is run, it is clear that they don’t think that going to America is a better option.
US Is Seen As A Threat To Spain
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Another Pew Research Center survey revealed that 60% of Spain’s population disapproves of America. The reason for this is that the Spanish public considers America an increasingly bigger threat to their country due to their power and influence.
From 2013 to 2017 there was a 42% increase in the public view of America’s threat level. Already concerned by the Bush-ear, the election of Trump certainly hasn’t helped.
Turkey Feels Threatened By America
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The Pew Research center states, “U.S. power and influence ranks as the top threat in only one country– Turkey (72%).” That means that of all the things on Turkey’s list on concerns, the United States tops the list for 3/4ths of the population in Turkey.
Researchers also state that Turkey has maintained a negative view of America for decades, but it spiked to 83% in 2003 with the Iraq War. Today, only 19% of the Turkish population like America, possibly because they feel Americans enjoy abusing their power.
Cambodia Would Like A Little More Respect
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The Vietnam War involved the United States igniting a military campaign against the Khmer Rouge Regime. Though many Cambodians suffered from the bombings, it is generally understood that the action was necessary to take down Khmer. However, some Cambodians may still feel sensitive about the subject of Americans.
Conversely, the efforts to aid Cambodia over the years have generally earned Americans a pleasant image from Cambodia. Today, the biggest concern is disrespect from tourists towards cultural norms of Cambodia. An article on Odyssey states that though women must cover their shoulders and knees while at temple, many Americans still wear tank tops.
Austria Has Different Trade Interests
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According to Market Watch, Americans have been leery about Austria for trading with Iraq and North Korea. Disapproval of the United States’ relations with Russia dropped to 55% (nine percentage points) in just one year, from 2013 to 2014.
This may have something to do with the fact that Americans look down on Austria for allowing the leader of the Kurdistan Worker’s Party (a terrorist organization) to leave their country while he was wanted.
Iran And The United States Go Way Back
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Market Watch states that 61% of Iranians disapprove of Americans. Why? Back in 1979 Iranians took 66 Americans hostage for 444 days amid the Iranian Revolution. The revolution opposed the westernization of their government, which the United States was helping to accomplish.
Recently, the United States has also taken part in sanctioning Iran’s nuclear capabilities. Essentially, Americans are like the annoying parent trying to guide Iran in a direction they simply don’t want to go.
Pakistan Doesn’t Quite Trust America
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Pakistan ranks fourth on the anti-America list with a disapproval rating of 65% according to Market Watch. Considering the billions of dollars in US aid that have gone to Pakistan, these numbers seem counterintuitive. Efforts began in the early 2000s as a means to combat terrorism.
However, America’s mission into Pakistan where they captured Osama Bin Laden may have left a bad taste in the mouth of Pakistanis. Huff Post adds that the Pakistan media often portrays the United States negatively.
Russia Doesn’t Know How To Feel
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The Pew Research Center says that in 2018 only 26% of Russians had a positive image of the United States. Just a year prior that number was 41%. But before you start making assumptions about the events that occurred between 2017 and 2018, it’s worth noting that in 2015 on a mere 15% of Russians approved the United States.
It seems Russia’s varying levels of distaste for America fluctuate quite frequently. This might be politically fueled.
Russia’s distaste may explain this next country’s viewpoint.
Belarus Is Still Chilly From The Cold War
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A former Soviet Union country, Belarus has a nearly 70% disapproval rate of America and a 62% approval rate of Russia’s leadership. Given the poor opinion of Russia toward Americans, it makes sense that Belarus, who seems still devoted in some ways to Russia, would follow suit.
To top it off, Belarus has an inflation rate of 18% according to Market Watch. Researchers note that countries in weak economic standing often resent Americans, probably because we think anyone can be prosperous.
Palestinian Territories Don’t Feel The Love
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A whopping 72% disapproval rating is actually an improvement from 2013, when 80% of Palestinians topped the chart of countries who don’t approve the leadership of America. There’s been a travel advisory in place, warning Americans that it’s unsafe to travel to The West Bank and Gaza as of December 29, 2018.
The U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Consular Affairs warns that terrorism, civil unrest, and armed conflict are a few reasons Americans should stay away from Palestinian Territories. Especially as tourist destinations have increasingly become a target.
Chile Is On The Fence
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Despite America and Chile having strong ties, about half of Chileans see Americans in a negative light. This moderate viewpoint is backed in multiple Quora posts, where citizens of Chile commented on how they view Americans. Chilean citizen Alfredo Cofre writes that while Chileans view Americans as hardworking, there are some negative traits as well.
He says that Americans seem paranoid, ignorant, fat, “too armed for their own safety […] and frankly nowadays their choices are unspeakably poor.” So maybe the cons outweigh the pros a bit.
Germany Is Not Impressed
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A woman from Berlin told the Daily Mail that “Most people believe that Americans are dumb, mostly eat fast food and are very patriotic.” Germans, like many European countries, integrate English into the curriculum from primary school. This not only breeds bilingual Germans but means that they have to do the heavy lifting whenever a monolingual American pays a visit — which doesn’t make the Americans seem any smarter.
Germans also zero in on career-focused courses in high school, which makes the late adolescence of many Americans seem rather pathetic. According to the Pew Research Center, Germany’s favorable views of the US have dropped by nearly half since the end of the Obama administration.
Germany’s view of Americans about matches this next country’s.
Argentines Do Not Want To Hear That You’re American
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While Germany dropped to 30% favorable views of the United States, Argentina was right there with them at 32% according to The Pew Research Center. A major cause of this could be a small, but significant, slip of the tongue.
An American woman solicited advice on Trip Advisor about traveling to Argentina. Many of the respondents said the same thing: do NOT refer to yourself as American. If you’re confused as to why, you may be a part of the problem. You see, everyone from Argentina is American. They live in South America. By using this generalization rather than specifically stating your country of origin as the United States, Americans dig themselves into the ignorance ditch.
China Loves Playing “I’m Better Than You” With The US
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The Pew Research Center broke down a few facts about how China feels toward the United States. For one, only 44% of the Chinese ranked the United States positively in 2015. Two, 67% of the Chinese think China either has or will supersede America.
Three, more than half of the Chinese believe Americans are trying to hold them back from becoming more powerful than us. In short, China and America are two of the major players in the world, but deep down, China doesn’t think we’re all that.
Jordan Takes The Cake
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In its 2017 survey, the ew Research Center found that Jordan topped the list in their negative attitude towards Americans, with 82% of the population having unfavorable views. However, many respondents on Quora claim that Jordanians are very kind towards Americans.
To help explain this dilemma, a director at the University of Chicago wrote that Jordanians hate American policy, particularly because of their support of Israel, and envy the American standard of living. People in Jordan also put huge emphasis on family, where Americans put a higher value on work.
It wouldn’t be an accurate list if we didn’t include this next one.
North Korea Has A Museum To Display Their Hatred Of The US
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Given the fact that jeans are banned from North Korea for being symbolic of Americans, it should come as no surprise that North Korea is not okay with Americans by any stretch of the imagination. The Korean War may have ended to Americans, but to North Koreans it’s everlasting.
A North Korean child’s closest encounter with Americans is at the Sinchon Museum of American War Atrocities. The name says it all. At this shrine of anti-American propaganda, schoolchildren visit to remember their hatred for the United States.
Egypt Doesn’t Support The US’s Support
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When you aren’t fond of your country’s leader, anyone who supports them becomes your new enemy. That’s how some Egyptians felt after the U.S. backed one of their leaders. Offering help where it wasn’t wanted rubbed some the wrong way.
While that kind of support was not wanted, Egyptians did need the U.S. when it came to getting rid of a broken system. These tensions left 85% of Egyptians with a bad taste in their mouth when it comes to Americans, according to Pew Research.
Turkey Wanted Assistance
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According to The Conversation, nearly 4 million Syrian refugees live in Turkey. One hot topic in America is how to go about handling refugees in general. However, Turkey has no choice but to embrace the millions that arrived out of desperation.
Since the U.S. hasn’t been the most apt to lend a helping hand, there may be a bit of a grudge lingering from Turkish people. At least, that would explain their 73% disapproval rating of Americans.
Greece Would Rather Wallow In Peace
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While both Greece and America harbor mounds of debt, their mindsets are vastly different. Where Americans would rather maintain a hopeful outlook, much of Greece feels too realistic to live in such a la la land.
The idea that anyone can reach the top is not realistic when the country as a whole is drowning in debt. Eventually, it all catches up. Greeks have a 63% unfavorable rating while they wait for the other shoe to drop in America.
Lebanon Wants The U.S. To Show Them The Money
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There are multiple ways that the United States have offered assistance to different countries. One of the most popular ways is by offering financial assistance. However, Americans have to look out for themselves, too.
Congress decided to limit their annual aid to Lebanon shortly after the turn of the 21st century. This may have something to do with why about half of Lebanese individuals are not the biggest fans of Americans. In the end, you can only ever help so much.
Austria Is Still A Little Tainted
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WWII forced many countries to choose sides as they scrambled to keep their people safe while standing up for what they believe in. Unfortunately, this lead to several conflicts that still are in the process of being resolved.
Some Austrians have held on to the attacks made against them by the United States. Additionally, some feel that the United States has yet to embrace Germany in recent times. These remaining tensions may explain the 55% disapproval rating of the U.S. by Austrians.
Slovenia Is Not A Fan Of U.S. Leadership
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Some countries have entirely different views in terms of leadership and some simply do not approve of the leaders in America’s past and/or present. This is thought to be the reason behind the 54% negative feedback from Slovenians regarding Americans.
However, now that America has had a first lady who was from the country, things may change. Viewpoints are always evolving since times are changing, especially in America where the commander-in-chief is re-evaluated every four years.
Denmark Isn’t A Fan Of American’s “We’re Number One” Attitude
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While there may not be a ton of political undercurrents going on between Denmark and America at the moment, that doesn’t mean that there aren’t attitude differences that drive some Danes crazy.
In particular, we’re talking about the tendency some countries feel Americans have to view themselves as better than. This can be especially aggravating since the United States is such a young country in comparison to many other countries. Ultimately, Danes just want to be seen and treated as though they’re on the same level.
Brazil’s Slums Are Not For American Entertainment
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The movie City of God highlighted how poor conditions are in the slums of Brazil. However, that doesn’t suddenly give American tourists the right to pile in, take photos, and run back to their cozy homes in the U.S.
This is the perspective that some Brazilians feel strongly about. While it’s vital to spread awareness and to be constructive about tackling issues, there’s something off about viewing the struggle of others for no other reason than to get a picture or check a box.
India Is Not A Place For Americans To “Find Themselves”
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While Indians and Americans are generally in good standing, that doesn’t mean that Americans can use the country as their own personal spiritual revolution. In fact, some Indians take offense that Americans think they can “find themselves” in a country that isn’t theres.
India has a host of nuances and struggles just like any other country does. Rather than concerning themselves with that, some Americans would rather get wrapped up in the selfish desire to get lost somewhere. This inclination is annoying to some Indians.
Scots Are Sick Of The Accents
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There are several American stereotypes that have gained so much attention they’re hardly a surprise. A few examples of such assumptions are that Americans are fat and lazy. While Scots may or may not buy these beliefs, there is one thing they can’t stand.
That thing is American’s incessant need to do a terrible accent. While some Americans claim to be obsessed with a British accent, few know the difference between a British accent and a Scottish one. In the end, just stick to what you know.