[jumplinks] Download the Full Release (PDF) 22 October 2012 – A new 21-nation poll for BBC World Service indicates that citizens around the world would strongly prefer to see Barack Obama re-elected as US President rather than his Republican challenger Mitt Romney. The poll of 21,797 people, conducted by GlobeScan/PIPA between July 3 and September 3, 2012, indicates that Obama is preferred to Romney in 20 of the 21 countries polled. Overall, an average of 50 per cent would prefer … “Global Poll: Obama Overwhelmingly Preferred to Romney”
The newly elected French President, François Hollande, has recently stated that China’s relationship to the EU is fundamentally adversarial. This is just the latest of many calls from Western officials trying to address a perceived unfairness in the world’s trade system, an unfairness for which they consider China mainly responsible.
Yet, despite this official “hostile” rhetoric, GlobeScan’s 2012 Country Ratings Poll finds that the global public’s opinion of China has improved significantly over the past year. The poll asked respondents to rate the influence of 16 countries and the European Union. On average, in 21 tracking countries, 50 per cent of respondents rate China’s influence in the world positively, while 31 per cent consider it to be negative—a substantial improvement since 2011, with positive views increasing by four points and negative views dropping by the same amount. China has now overtaken both the EU and the US on this measure. This improving trend is remarkable in Western countries—although in some of them negative perceptions continue to outnumber the positive. In Australia (61%), Canada (53%), the UK (57%), the US (42%), and Germany (42%), the proportion of positive views has never been higher since tracking began in 2005. Opinion has grown more positive in Spain and France as well.
A subsample of respondents was asked to say which of four possible areas was most influential in their judgment—foreign policy, the economy (including products and services), traditions and culture, or the way people are treated. Of those who think Chinese influence is positive, 51 per cent say this is because of China’s economy, products, and services. While China certainly triggers some feelings of apprehension—the economy is also the top reason (30%) cited by respondents who hold unfavourable views of China—these positive results suggest that publics increasingly acknowledge that China’s economic power has become vital to the world economy.
Finding from the 2012 GlobeScan/BBC Country Ratings Poll
For more information on this finding, please contact Sam Mountford (Read Bio)
[jumplinks] Download the Full Report (PDF) 10 May 2012 – Positive views of the European Union and European nations have declined sharply over the last year—so much so that Germany has been overtaken by Japan as the world’s most positively viewed major nation, a new 22-country global poll for BBC World Service suggests. The poll also finds that views of China have improved significantly over the last year, in both the developing and industrialised world, and that the country has now … “Views of Europe Slide Sharply in Global Poll, While Views of China Improve”
[jumplinks] Download the Full Report (PDF) 25 April 2012 – Perceptions of economic unfairness have become further entrenched around the world over the past three years, according to the results of a new 22-nation global poll for BBC World Service. The poll, conducted by GlobeScan among 11,740 people, shows that majorities in 17 of the 22 countries surveyed believe that economic benefits and burdens are not fairly shared in their country. The question was asked previously in 2009, when there … “Economic System Seen as Unfair: Global Poll”
[jumplinks] Download the release 12 March 2012 – The public around the world is divided on whether the Paralympics should be integrated into the Olympic Games or should remain a separate event, according to a new 19-nation global poll for BBC World Service. The results of the poll of 10,294 people, conducted by GlobeScan, show that similar numbers favour making the Paralympics part of the Olympics (47%) and keeping it as a separate event (43%). At present, the Paralympic Games … “Public Divided On Whether to Integrate Olympics and Paralympics: Global Poll”
[jumplinks] Download The Press Release (PDF) 22 February 2012 – Nearly two-thirds of those surveyed in a new 22-nation poll for BBC World Service think that the recent increase in overseas investment in Africa will prove to be a good thing for the continent, with African citizens among the most upbeat. The findings of the poll, conducted by GlobeScan among 21,558 people, show that most respondents are relaxed about foreign companies purchasing long-term rights to African natural resources and land, … “Increased Foreign Investment will be “Good for Africa”: Global Poll”
[jumplinks] Download The Press Release (PDF) 23 January 2012 – Citizens of developing nations overwhelmingly see mobile phones as critical to their country’s economic success and to their own quality of life, a new 22-nation poll by the BBC reveals. The poll, conducted by GlobeScan among 21,558 people, indicates that the countries most likely to rate mobile phones as “essential” or “very important” to their economy are all in the developing world. Nigerians almost unanimously regard them as central to the … “Mobile Phones Central to Developing Countries’ Economic Success, Quality of Life: Global Poll”
[jumplinks] Download the Press Release (PDF) 15 December 2011 – At the end of a year that has seen multiple revolutions in the Middle East, a new BBC global poll across 22 countries shows that a narrow majority thinks the Arab Spring protests were a good thing. The poll, conducted by GlobeScan among 21,558 people, reveals that 55% on average see the protests as “mostly positive,” with just over a quarter (28%) feeling they were “mostly negative”, and the rest undecided. … “Widespread Support for Arab Spring Protests: Global Poll”
[jumplinks] Download the Press Release (PDF) 15 December 2011 – Unemployment has joined corruption and poverty among the world’s most talked-about global issues, according to a new poll for the BBC across 23 countries. The 11,293 people surveyed for the annual World Speaks poll by GlobeScan between July and September were asked to say which of a range of global issues they had talked about with friends and family over the past month. On average across the countries polled, nearly a … “Unemployment Rises as “Most Talked-About” Problem: Global Poll”
[jumplinks] Download the Press Release (PDF) 25 November 2011 – Public opinion in many countries with nuclear power programmes has become more opposed to the technology since 2005, with most people believing conservation and renewable energy can meet future needs without nuclear power, a new multi-country poll for the BBC indicates. Most of those polled in countries with operational nuclear plants are opposed to building new reactors, saying either that their country should “use the nuclear power stations we already have, … “Opposition to Nuclear Energy Grows: Global Poll”