According to a recent Pew Research Centre survey conducted in 23 nations, 64% of Indians favoured US President Joe Biden in 2023, as compared to 56% who had confidence in former President Donald Trump in 2019.
Biden has obtained much higher evaluations than his predecessor in Latin America, Africa, and Asia middle-income countries. There has been a significant increase in US favourability in the eight middle-income nations, which had not been surveyed since 2019, included in the current study.
Further, Biden has received largely positive reviews from the general populace globally. According to the report, 54% are confident in Biden, while 39% say they lack confidence in him.
Survey Reveals India’s Views on America
According to the survey, of the 27,285 adults between February and May, 59% viewed the US favourably.
Indians have participated in the survey since 2013, with the highest confidence rating of 74 per cent reached in 2015 during President Barack Obama’s tenure.
In India, 65% of respondents had favourable opinions about the US, compared to only 44% of respondents in Hungary. Furthermore, 64% of Indian respondents said they trusted Biden to do the right thing in international affairs — eight percentage points higher than for Donald Trump in 2019.
International public opinion is generally divided on how much the US considers the interests of other nations when making foreign policy decisions. Majorities in eight nations, including India, Israel, Kenya, Nigeria, Poland, Germany, Indonesia, and Brazil, believe that the US considers their interests when making international policy decisions.
Survey of over 27,000 respondents found that confidence for President Biden was higher than Trump's highest ratings in 21 of 23 countries surveyed by Pew Research Center.
— ThePrintIndia (@ThePrintIndia) June 27, 2023
Keshav Padmanabhan @Keshav_Paddu reports for ThePrinthttps://t.co/ofjzCVIa0w
The Indians surveyed believe that the US does not interfere much or not at all. It can also be noted that, in India, younger people are more likely than older people to believe that the US contributes to peace and stability.
Additionally, Indian believe the US is more politically stable than other wealthy nations. Contrasting opinions can be seen regarding religious views: India sees the US as being less religious.
According to the survey, 41% of Indians believe the US is less dangerous. However, a median of 39 % says the US is about as dangerous a place to live as other wealthy countries.
Across the Asia-Pacific region, nearly one-third of Japanese and Indians surveyed believe that the US is more tolerant, while 47% of Australians believe it is less so.
A median of 69% of those surveyed in the 23 nations rated American institutions favourably. Moreover, in Kenya, South Africa, Nigeria, India, Brazil, and Israel, at least half of those asked believe that colleges in the US are better than those in other wealthy nations.
In countries around the world, people are now more likely to name the U.S. as the world's leading economic power, rather than China, according to a new Pew Research Center report published Tuesday. https://t.co/B9weXvZ5ff
— Axios (@axios) June 28, 2023
Survey Shows US as World’s Leading Economic Power
According to the report, a median of 41% of individuals in 23 nations says that the US is the leading global economic power, while 33% named China. India is among the many countries that considers the US as having economic superiority over China.
Since 2020, the proportion of individuals considering the US as the world’s leading economy has increased significantly among US allies such as Germany, Japan, and France. Increases in favour of the US have also been noted in nations, such as Hungary, Poland, and Indonesia, since 2019.
However, in India, 58% believed that the US was the world’s largest economy in 2019, and the proportion of Indians who feel that the US is the dominating economy has decreased to 53% in 2023. During the same time, the proportion of those who think of China as being dominant has increased from 10% to 14%.
While China’s economy has grown after the country’s severe COVID lockdown rules were lifted, its growth rates have fallen well under pre-pandemic projections.
Overall Ratings of the US
The US’ actions in the global arena have frequently impacted its worldwide image. As the research shows, public opinion regarding US foreign policy is often complex, with people viewing both good and bad aspects of American dominance.
Among the nations surveyed, Poland, whose positive views of the US have improved significantly since Russia invaded Ukraine, gives the US the highest rating: 93% of Poles have a favourable impression of the US.
The survey over the past few years revealed a fall in America’s worldwide image during Donald Trump’s Presidency, and increased ratings following Biden’s victory.
Additionally, the survey covered several questions about social, political, and economic elements of America’s image, all of which can be interpreted as aspects of US “soft power.” It examines how politically stable, dangerous, democratic, religious, and tolerant the US is, and respondents generally agree that it is on par with other rich nations.
Respondents usually believe that America’s technology, entertainment, universities, and military are the best or above average compared to other rich nations. However, the US scores lower rankings for its standards of living, even though 51% think it is the best or better than average.
Biden’s current ratings in each nation are better than Trump’s, but lower than America’s peak during Obama’s presidency.