# Democracy in Disarray

- Link: https://instituteforglobalaffairs.org/2021/05/modeling-democracy-democracy-in-disarray/
- Published: 2021-05-18T18:43:01-04:00

How the World Sees the US and Its Example

[Download Report (PDF)](http://egfound.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/2021_06_Modeling-Democracy.pdf)

International Public Opinion: [2019](https://instituteforglobalaffairs.org/2019/03/democracy-attraction/)
| [2020](https://instituteforglobalaffairs.org/2020/03/modeling-democracy/) | 2021
| [2022](https://instituteforglobalaffairs.org/2022/06/modeling-democracy-democracys-promise/#full-report)
| [2023](https://instituteforglobalaffairs.org/2023/06/modeling-democracy-caught-in-the-middle/)
| [2024](https://instituteforglobalaffairs.org/2024/05/modeling-democracy-the-new-atlanticism/#full-report)
| [2025](https://instituteforglobalaffairs.org/2024/06/modeling-democracy-the-new-atlanticism/)

### In The News

[[ [](https://www.wsj.com/opinion/the-u-s-shouldnt-interfere-while-putin-loses-in-ukraine-russia-invasion-military-overreach-security-united-nations-11646085681) [⌊abc
news⌉](https://abcnews.go.com/International/escalating-tensions-china-taiwan/story?id=80605351) [](https
://responsiblestatecraft.org/2021/07/28/great-power-competition-dont-expect-berlin-to-be-on-board/) [](https
://www.gzeromedia.com/the-graphic-truth-how-do-chinese-people-view-america) [](https
://www.politico.com/newsletters/global-translations/2021/05/28/who-needs-paris-493046) [](https
://www.justsecurity.org/76226/want-to-compete-with-china-deliver-on-climate-security-for-the-indo-pacific/) [](https
://www.axios.com/newsletters/axios-world-0dcf4b58-3dd8-4d08-98e0-3ad17c6b53cf.html?chunk=6&utm_term=emshare#story6) [](https
://mailchi.mp/rethinkmedia.org/drone-roundup-how-to-survive-americas-kill-list-us-admits-to-killing-another-78-civilians-in-raqqa-2500001) [](https
://responsiblestatecraft.org/2021/05/18/new-study-world-likes-american-culture-opposes-us-military-adventurism/) [](https
://www.politico.com/newsletters/morning-defense/2021/05/19/senate-coalesces-around-china-bill-795396) [](https
://www.chicagotribune.com/2021/05/19/op-ed-what-the-world-thinks-of-america-and-why-it-matters/) [](https
://www.newsweek.com/china-strengthens-ties-mideast-africa-us-influence-declines-1678922)

## Contents

[Executive Summary](https://instituteforglobalaffairs.org/2021/05/modeling-democracy-democracy-in-disarray/#exec-sum)
|  [Introduction](https://instituteforglobalaffairs.org/2021/05/modeling-democracy-democracy-in-disarray/#introduction)
|   [Specific Findings](https://instituteforglobalaffairs.org/2021/05/modeling-democracy-democracy-in-disarray/#findings)
|  [Conclusion](https://instituteforglobalaffairs.org/2021/05/modeling-democracy-democracy-in-disarray/#conclusion)
|  [Methodology](https://instituteforglobalaffairs.org/2021/05/modeling-democracy-democracy-in-disarray/#method)

_Some names and references have changed since the publication of this report, including
references to the Eurasia Group Foundation (EGF), the former name of the Institute
for Global Affairs._

## Executive Summary

President Biden and his administration attempt to reaffirm America’s international
leadership at a moment when America’s democracy and global standing are tested in
new and profound ways: an insurrection in January made the country’s political polarization
clear; countries with stronger central governments gained an early diplomatic advantage
over the United States through rapid exports of COVID-19 vaccines; and mass protests
in the wake of high-profile acts of police violence have brought worldwide attention
to long-simmering racial injustice. 

As President Biden aims to shore up democratic institutions at home, he also recommits
the United States to engagement abroad: he has rejoined the Paris Climate Agreement
and the World Health Organization, embarked on a global summit of democracies to
address the rise of authoritarianism, and begun to more actively manage the global
health crisis. 

Seeking to understand what the world thinks about U.S. democracy and its global 
influence, we at the Eurasia Group Foundation have conducted our third annual international
survey to investigate the attitudes and opinions of people from around the globe.

We asked more than five thousand people in ten geographically diverse countries 
detailed questions about America’s role in the world, U.S.-style democracy, and 
their own values and political beliefs. The following observations are included 
among the study’s findings:

 * Generally, the United States continues to enjoy the goodwill of people from across
   the globe (respondents were 85% more likely to have a favorable rather than an
   unfavorable view of the U.S.);
 * Sources of American soft power significantly drive pro-American sentiment around
   the world. People who have a connection to their country’s diaspora in the United
   States or consume American news or cultural products are three times as likely
   to have a pro-American attitudes than those with no association;
 * For the first year in the past three years, a preference for a different American
   president did not significantly contribute to anti-American sentiment. (The survey
   was fielded in early March 2021, two months after the presidential transition
   from Donald Trump to Joe Biden.);
 * People in countries which are treaty allies of the United States tend to have
   less favorable attitudes of the democracy than people elsewhere. Russians and
   Chinese are more likely than Germans or Japanese to like American ideas of democracy;
 * American interventionism fuels anti-Americanism; people who think a more restrained
   U.S. foreign policy would make American democracy more attractive are the most
   likely to have an unfavorable view of the U.S.;
 * Disapproval of America’s continuation of the war in Afghanistan was a significant
   driver of anti-American sentiment. Respondents who wanted the U.S. to withdraw
   troops “as soon as possible” were on average about 2.4 times more likely to have
   an unfavorable view of the U.S.;
 * Of respondents who disliked American democracy, pluralities in nine out of ten
   countries chose as the main reason for their dislike: “the U.S. idea of democracy
   is hypocritical – ordinary voters don’t actually have power;”
 * Positive perceptions of America’s global influence are in decline (the number
   of respondents who gave a “very positive” appraisal of U.S. influence decreased
   by 20% between 2019 and 2021);
 * A large majority of respondents (81%) continue to prefer American to Chinese 
   global leadership, though this is primarily driven by economic self-interest 
   rather than support for democratic values;
 * People who thought the U.S. handled the coronavirus pandemic poorly were 27% 
   more likely to prefer a China-led world order than people who thought it handled
   it well.

This report’s main findings — that hard power hinders rather than helps the promotion
of American democracy, and that soft power sows support for the U.S. internationally—
comes as the Biden administration’s foreign policy takes shape. If the president
follows through on pursuing a more humble foreign policy, people around the world
may look upon American-style democracy as a model for their own governments. 

But, if the Biden administration struggles to prioritize fixing American democracy
at home, and pursues hard over soft power in America’s quest to shore up its global
influence, anti-American sentiment could replace feelings of goodwill.  With this
in mind, turn to the Specific Findings section for a review of international trends,
and a more detailed country-by-country analysis.

![](http://egfound.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/1-Exec-summary-figure-A-world-
map-01.png)

![](http://egfound.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/Intro-table-Modeling-Democracy-
3-759x1024.png)

[Back to Table of Contents](https://instituteforglobalaffairs.org/2021/05/modeling-democracy-democracy-in-disarray/#contents)

## Introduction

At the outset of the Biden administration, Secretary of State Antony Blinken declared
the United States will begin to pursue a more humble foreign policy, one which balances“
humility with confidence.” By most accounts, the United States appears to be pursuing
that path. In his first days as president, President Biden recommitted to diplomatic
engagement, rejoined the Paris Climate Agreement and the World Health Organization
and — recognizing the limits of American military might to engineer political outcomes—
promised to end the “forever wars.” In February, the president initiated a Global
Posture Review to recalibrate America’s global military commitments and, in April,
he announced a plan to completely withdraw troops from Afghanistan.

But a truly humble foreign policy goes beyond decisions about what the United States
does (or doesn’t do) in the world, to how it approaches such decisions. Critical
to this is attention to and respect for the opinions of others. What better way 
to know the opinions of people outside the United States than to ask them? 

For the third year in a row, we at the Eurasia Group Foundation have sought to better
understand how people in a variety of countries view the United States and its form
of government. Though we also asked other questions, a primary focus on the U.S.
could be critiqued as merely tilting in the direction of empathy — a survey version
of “Enough about me, what do YOU think about me?”

Nevertheless, we believe this endeavor is worthwhile. Efforts to change “hearts 
and minds” and conduct public diplomacy rarely measure their impact in meaningful
ways. Our annual survey of international attitudes certainly has policy implications.
It was designed with the premise that listening and understanding, especially in
the context of a humble foreign policy, is intrinsically as well as instrumentally
valuable. 

This year’s report arrives on the eve of the Copenhagen Democracy Summit, which 
precedes a global summit for democracy the Biden administration is planning for 
later this year. The U.S.-hosted summit will aim to show the universal appeal of
democratic governance. But by including countries which have flirted with autocracy,
it brings into stark relief how the democratic model may accommodate more illiberal
tendencies. It also reveals how “democracy” is interpreted in such varied ways. 
As our survey findings below demonstrate, majorities in all of the ten countries
we surveyed — including China and Russia — believed their government to be “democratic.”

President Biden seems attentive to the lure of competing models. Speaking to reporters
moments before his joint address to Congress on April 28, he said, “They’re going
to write about this point in history… about whether or not democracy can function
in the 21st century. [This is] not a joke… things are moving so damn rapidly… Can
you get consensus in the timeframe that can compete with autocracy?”^(1)The acknowledgement
that other forms of government might offer advantages over democracy is, in Washington,
a rare expression of humility indeed. 

EGF’s international survey was informed, in part, by conversations we had with colleagues
at other mission-driven research organizations who thought there was a need to better
understand foreign opinion of American democracy. We took some inspiration from 
the Pew Global Attitudes Project and borrowed their question about “American ideas
of democracy” — though we added follow-up questions based on the responses to this
question, and ran a number of multivariate regressions to identify relationships
between opinions of specific U.S. policies and opinions of American democracy (and
of the U.S.) overall. 

This year we added questions to understand what people thought about their own country’s
government, America’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic, and whether they support
America’s continued military presence in Afghanistan (asked a month before President
Biden’s decision to withdraw all U.S. troops by September 2021).

We found a significant relationship between U.S. soft power (e.g., connection to
a country’s diaspora in the U.S. and consumption of American media) and pro-American
sentiment. We also found resentment over U.S. hard power (e.g., belief that the 
U.S. should end its decades-long war in Afghanistan or that a more restrained U.
S. foreign policy would most make American democracy more attractive) contributed
significantly to anti-American sentiment. 

Policymakers might heed these results when considering how to address an immigration
system widely considered dysfunctional, and in conducting the review of America’s
globe-spanning network of military bases in an era when the primary threats to the
United States and its democracy are arguably non-military. 

With the United States leaving Afghanistan and recalibrating its involvement in 
the Middle East, one of the primary foreign policy concerns is the increasing geopolitical
influence of China. We gave respondents a binary choice between the U.S. or China
as a preferred global leader, and asked follow-up questions to understand their 
choice. President Biden challenges the U.S. to be more mindful of the “power of 
its example” and not simply the “example of its power.” So, it’s interesting to 
note the answer option _most popular _among those who prefer China’s leadership 
and _least popular _among those who prefer America’s global leadership was that 
the chosen country “sets a good example for national development.”

As with any survey, ours is an imperfect tool of understanding the complicated opinions,
attitudes, and beliefs of others. Surveys are susceptible to various types of bias,
effects, and cultural variation. Even though responses are anonymous, some might
feel drawn to responses they perceive to be socially desirable.^(2) In some countries,
it might be customary to register a neutral response if a strong opinion is not 
held, whereas in other countries, respondents might shy away from a neutral response,
feeling an imagined pressure to register an opinion. 

Nevertheless, given the loose talk in Washington about how the world views American
leadership, we thought it wise to inject some empiricism into discussions about 
the international influence of the United States — and its form of government. A
clear-eyed look at our data requires the kind of “humility and confidence” for which
Secretary Blinken calls. And if, at this pivotal moment for democracy, America truly
wants to be understood by the rest of the world, it should seek to understand the
world first.

[Back to Table of Contents](https://instituteforglobalaffairs.org/2021/05/modeling-democracy-democracy-in-disarray/#contents)

## Specific Findings

[Brazil](https://instituteforglobalaffairs.org/2021/05/modeling-democracy-democracy-in-disarray/#brazil)
|  [China](https://instituteforglobalaffairs.org/2021/05/modeling-democracy-democracy-in-disarray/#china)
|   [Egypt](https://instituteforglobalaffairs.org/2021/05/modeling-democracy-democracy-in-disarray/#egypt)
|   [Germany](https://instituteforglobalaffairs.org/2021/05/modeling-democracy-democracy-in-disarray/#germany)
|   [India](https://instituteforglobalaffairs.org/2021/05/modeling-democracy-democracy-in-disarray/#india)
| [Japan](https://instituteforglobalaffairs.org/2021/05/modeling-democracy-democracy-in-disarray/#japan)
|   [Mexico](https://instituteforglobalaffairs.org/2021/05/modeling-democracy-democracy-in-disarray/#mexico)
|   [ Nigeria ](https://instituteforglobalaffairs.org/2021/05/modeling-democracy-democracy-in-disarray/#nigeria)
|   [ Poland ](https://instituteforglobalaffairs.org/2021/05/modeling-democracy-democracy-in-disarray/#poland)
|   [ Russia ](https://instituteforglobalaffairs.org/2021/05/modeling-democracy-democracy-in-disarray/#russia)

### International Trends

The United States continues to enjoy, in general, the goodwill of people from all
over the globe. Of the respondents in ten diverse countries we surveyed, half had
a favorable opinion of the U.S., and of those who didn’t, more registered a neutral
rather than a negative opinion. This breakdown also applies to the responses given
to a question assessing whether people wanted their country’s system of government
to be more or less (or neither more nor less) like that of the United States. 

We sought to understand how certain experiences with the United States might relate
to these attitudes. People who, in the past five years, have either traveled to 
the United States or have a friend or family member living there are significantly
more likely to have a positive opinion of the U.S. People who consumed American 
movies, music, or news are also slightly more likely to have a positive opinion 
of the U.S. In contrast, of respondents who have none of these connections, only
18% held positive views of the United States. These results certainly have implications
for immigration policy and the strength of American soft power, because we found
having little to no association with the U.S., its people, or cultural products 
is a driver of anti-U.S. sentiment. 

![](http://egfound.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/45-do-you-have-a-favorable-or-
unfavorable-opinion-of-the-US-and-American-ppl-01.png)

Interestingly, sentiment toward “American ideas of democracy” is warmer in countries
which aren’t treaty allies, and in several cases, where geopolitical tensions run
high (see graph on page 10). Russians, Chinese, and Egyptians are more likely than
Germans or Japanese to have a favorable opinion of the America’s democratic ideas.
Majorities in four out of ten countries liked “American ideas of democracy,” but
none of these is a treaty ally. Pluralities in both Germany and Japan, two of America’s
most important allies, had neutral opinions of these ideas and, as seen above, of
the United States in general. 

We examined whether opinion of the war in Afghanistan influenced attitudes toward
the United States. Those who believe “U.S. troops should leave as soon as possible”
were on average about 2.4 times more likely to have an unfavorable view of the U.
S. The primary rationale among those who think U.S. troops should leave the country
was: “Afghanistan needs to stand on its own. The U.S. should not be policing other
countries.” This data, collected before President Biden’s announcement in April 
of the plan to withdraw U.S. troops, seems to suggest Biden’s termination of America’s
longest war might create goodwill among certain populations.  

![](http://egfound.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/15-In-the-next-twenty-years-how-
would-you-like-to-see-your-countrys-relationship-toward-the-U.S.-change-01-1024x273.
png)

Perceptions of American democracy’s shortcomings also contribute to attitudes toward
the United States. Respondents were asked what would make America’s style of democracy
more attractive and provided ten answer options. The two most significant drivers
of anti-American sentiment were wishing “the foreign policy of the U.S. was more
restrained” and “there was less corruption in politics.” There is also a strong 
correlation between people who wish “the gap between the incomes of rich and poor
people was smaller” in the U.S. and unfavorable attitudes.

![](http://egfound.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/3-Americas-style-of-democracy-
01.png)

Internationally, support for American ideas of democracy remains consistent with
past years, although negative attitudes decreased slightly (by 3%) between 2019 
and 2020. As with previous years, more than twice as many people like as dislike
American ideas of democracy. Among a set of possible reasons provided, the top choice
for liking American ideas of democracy is the protection of individual liberties.

![](http://egfound.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/5-How-do-you-feel-about-American-
ideas-of-democracy-new.png)

![](http://egfound.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/6-Contributions-to-liking-American-
ideas-of-democracy-new.png)

Plurality populations in nine out of ten countries we surveyed—allies, partners,
and adversaries alike—said their main reason for disliking American democracy was
that “the U.S. idea of democracy is hypocritical – ordinary voters don’t actually
have power.” The outlier was Japan where, among the third of the population which
disliked American democracy, the main rationale was that the opinions of political
minorities are disregarded. 

This year, we polled the level to which respondents felt their own country was democratic.
Given the Biden administration convening a democracy summit (along with calls by
former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to create an “alliance of democracies” and
by British Prime Minister Boris Johnson to create a “D-10”) it is notable that majorities
in every country we surveyed, including China and Russia, believed their country
was at least “somewhat democratic.” Majorities in only two countries considered 
their country “very democratic” — Germany and India. 

![](http://egfound.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/7-In-the-past-twenty-years-do-
you-consider-U.S.-influence-in-your-region-country-as-positive-or-negative-new.png)

Respondents were also asked about the recent impact of American leadership and influence.
Nearly half of the people in the ten countries surveyed believe the U.S. has had
a positive influence in their region or country during the past twenty years. However,
positive perceptions have steadily declined. The number of respondents who gave 
a “very positive” appraisal of U.S. influence has declined by nearly 20% since 2019,
while the number of respondents who made a negative appraisal has increased. 

![](http://egfound.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/8-Has-the-following-had-an-overall-
positive-or-negative-influence-on-your-country-new.png)

Of the ten countries surveyed, three—Germany, Japan, and Poland—are U.S. treaty 
allies who host more than 110,000 active duty servicemembers.^(3) One might assume,
therefore, that people in these countries would think “the U.S. military’s involvement”
in their region would have promoted stability. 

And yet, pluralities in Germany and Japan had either no opinion or didn’t know, 
while most of the remaining respondents only “somewhat” agreed. Perhaps more worrying
for U.S. force planners and diplomats alike, pluralities in Germany, Japan, and 
Poland said U.S. influence had made “little or no difference” in their region over
the past 20 years. These results suggest the return on investment of U.S. troop 
commitments may not be as great as U.S. foreign policymakers would believe.

Internationally, a strong majority of people continue to prefer American to Chinese
leadership (majorities in all countries we surveyed, except China and Russia). Among
those who do prefer Chinese to American leadership, the top rationale is “China 
sets a good example for national development for my country” followed by “China 
does not interfere in the politics of my country.” Last year, the most popular rationale
was “China values economic and political stability over individual freedom.” The
data from last year were collected before the Chinese and American responses to 
the COVID-19 pandemic had been widely assessed, and it’s possible the new emphasis
on China as a “good example” could result from a perception that the Chinese government
responded swiftly and effectively to the outbreak there.

![](http://egfound.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/9-Having-__-as-the-worlds-leading-
power-would-be-better-for-the-world-new.png)

The top rationale for preferring an American-led world order is “the United States
is the largest economy in the world and is a trustworthy economic partner,” followed
by “my country has a history of working closely with the U.S.” These answer options,
which spoke to the national interests of the respondents’ home countries, were more
popular than answer options focused on human rights and democracy, individual freedoms,
and the U.S. as a good example for national development. The majority of respondents
in seven out of ten countries chose economic cooperation as the driving factor. 
Only one country, Nigeria, chose the promotion of democracy and human rights, and
only two chose individual freedoms (Egypt and Germany). 

![](http://egfound.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/10-Having-the-United-States-as-
the-world’s-leading-power-would-be-better-for-my-country-because-new.png)

Additionally, discontent with both American military adventurism and America’s response
to the COVID-19 pandemic appears to be a boon to China’s soft power and public diplomacy.
People who thought the U.S. handled the coronavirus pandemic poorly were 27% more
likely to prefer a China-led world order than people who thought it handled it well.
tAnd, respondents who think a more restrained U.S. foreign policy would most make
American democracy more attractive in their country were significantly more likely
to register a preference for Chinese over American global leadership. 

![](http://egfound.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/11-Which-statement-comes-closer-
to-your-views-even-if-neither-is-exactly-right-new.png)

Nevertheless, people in our ten-country sample continue to register a general preference
for democratic government. Asked to rank the top three countries with the best form
of government, respondents answered in descending order of preference: the U.S.,
Germany, the United Kingdom, Canada, and Japan. Of course the inclusion of some 
of these countries in our sample likely contributed to their overall popularity.

We asked four questions which intended to gauge the preference for liberal values
in the face of more communitarian concerns. As with last year, among our full international
sample, slight majorities prefer making decisions based on the political majority,
and protecting national unity and the social order, over the enforcement of civil
liberties. 

We examined how people around the world view the United States and its style of 
government, how they compare America’s global influence with China’s, which governments
they most admire, how they want their own government to negotiate certain liberties,
and how they feel about their country’s relationship with the U.S. Respondents were
asked whether they’d like to see their government become more or less like that 
of the U.S., and whether they want to see their country’s relationship become more
or less supportive of the U.S. Half of respondents would like to see their system
of government become somewhat more or much more like that of the U.S., roughly the
same amount who want their country to be more supportive of the U.S. 

![](http://egfound.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/12-In-the-next-20-years-would-
you-like-to-see-your-system-new.png)

![](http://egfound.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/15-In-the-next-twenty-years-how-
would-you-like-to-see-your-countrys-relationship-toward-the-U.S.-change-01-1024x273.
png)

### Country-specific research

![](https://egfound.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/brazil-banner-2-1024x330.jpg)

## Brazil

A majority of Brazilians continue to hold favorable opinions of the U.S., with a
ten percent uptick from last year. Support for American-style democracy also remains
high; nearly two-thirds of Brazilians like American ideas of democracy. Among those
who view American ideas of democracy favorably, the two most popular reasons given
were: “the protection of individual liberties is important” and “laws are better
when politicians must be responsive to voters.” As in previous years, nearly 75%
of respondents believe their government should be more, rather than less, like that
of the U.S. 

![](http://egfound.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/14-Brazil-Do-you-have-a-favorable-
or-unfavorable-opinion-of-the-U.S.-new.png)

Probing further into what would make American-style democracy more attractive to
Brazilians, the most frequently selected answers were: decreasing income inequality,
treating minority groups more fairly, tackling corruption in politics, and combating
climate change. This is unsurprising given Brazilians rank respect for individual
and civil liberties, and laws that apply equally to citizens, highly on the list
of democracy’s most important components. 

How do Brazilians view America’s role in the world? When asked if U.S. influence
has made the world a better or worse place in the past twenty years, two-thirds 
chose better. Similarly, the majority of Brazilians believe U.S. influence in and
around Brazil has been positive, although slightly more respondents were critical
of U.S. influence in Brazil than U.S. influence globally. 

Not all types of American influence are given equal weight, however. American economic
influence, for instance, is viewed much more positively than the presence of the
U.S. government within Brazil. The types of American influence viewed most positively
were “the import of American consumer products,” “investment by private American
companies,” and “economic aid from the U.S. to support development.” 

![](http://egfound.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/15-Brazil-Has-the-following-had-
an-overall-positive-or-negative-influence-on-your-country-new.png)

Overall, people in Brazil look upon American influence favorably. Majorities believe
the U.S. (70%), its democracy (70%), and free market economy (71%) set a positive
example for the world. Support for hard power appears weaker, however. Only 42% 
of respondents believe U.S. military involvement in their region has effectively
promoted stability. 

Despite concerns within the U.S. about China’s rising influence in South America
and elsewhere, 81% of Brazilians believe the U.S. as the world’s superpower, rather
than China, would be better for their country. This represents an increase from 
last year (75.5% selected the U.S. in 2020). The most popular rationales for choosing
the U.S were: “the United States is the largest economy in the world and is a trustworthy
economic partner” and “my country has a history of working closely with the United
States.” 

![](http://egfound.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/16-Brazil-Having-_____-as-the-
world’s-leading-power-would-be-better-for-the-world.-new.png)

![](https://egfound.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/China-banner-1024x330.jpg)

## China

Given the ratcheted-up rhetoric between Chinese and American leaders, it is unsurprising
that Chinese respondents continue to hold largely unfavorable views of the United
States. With 20% claiming neutrality, 45% of Chinese respondents held unfavorable
views towards the U.S., compared with 34% who had favorable views. The percentage
of Chinese who feel “very unfavorably” towards the United States has more than doubled
since we began this survey in 2019, spiking from 9% to 23%. When asked about the
American people, the views of Chinese respondents improved slightly. More respondents
felt positively than negatively towards Americans (36% vs. 29%). Yet the number 
of those who feel “very unfavorably” towards Americans quadrupled from 3% in 2019
to 12% today.

![](http://egfound.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/17-China-Do-you-have-a-favorable-
or-unfavorable-opinion-of-the-U.S.-new.png)

More respondents reported liking American ideas of democracy than did not (34% vs.
27%). When asked to choose a rationale for why people like American ideas of democracy,
the most popular answers were “everyone, including political minorities, is treated
equally by the state” and “the protection of individual liberties (e.g., freedom
of speech and religion) is important.” For the 51% percent of Chinese respondents
who reported disliking American ideas of democracy, the primary rationale was: “
the U.S. idea of democracy is hypocritical – ordinary voters don’t actually have
power.” When asked whether they wanted China to become more like an American style
democracy in the next 20 years, 30% did and 35% did not.

While more respondents like rather than dislike American ideas of democracy, the
opposite is true when it comes to their opinion of U.S. foreign policy. For example,
far more Chinese believe the U.S. has made the world worse over the last 20 years
than better.Notably, almost as many respondents said U.S. influence has made the
world “somewhat better” as said it had made the world “somewhat worse” — suggesting
that people without strong opinions are roughly divided. However, far more believe
U.S. influence has had a negative impact _in their region_ than believe it has had
a positive impact.

Only a quarter of Chinese respondents want their country to have a more supportive
posture toward the United States. The rest were fairly evenly split between desiring
a more oppositional relationship and being content with the status quo. 

This suggests that, underneath the party-line posturing, the Chinese people do not
have a strong appetite for conflict with the United States. That said, roughly 70%
of Chinese respondents believe the presence of U.S. bases encircling their country
inhibits their independence — a greater percentage of the population than of any
other country in our survey. And, China had the second-highest percentage of respondents(
after Russia) who said a more restrained foreign policy would make American-style
democracy more attractive in their country.

![](https://egfound.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Egypt-banner-2-1024x330.jpg)

## Egypt

Like previous years, Egyptian opinion of the United States is mixed as just around
40% of Egyptians have a favorable opinion of the U.S. Survey respondents have a 
slightly more positive opinion of the American people (52%), and of American ideas
of democracy (57%). This could be attributed to the fact that Egyptians interact
with the U.S. less than other countries do.  Regardless, nearly 60% of Egyptians
want their system of government to be somewhat or much more like that of the U.S.

![](http://egfound.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/20-Egypt-Do-you-have-a-favorable-
or-unfavorable-opinion-of-the-U-new.png)

Why? Among those who like American ideas of democracy, the two most popular reasons
were: “the protection of individual liberties (e.g. freedom of speech and religion)
is important” and “everyone, including political minorities, is treated equally 
by the state.” This makes sense given Egyptians rank “laws apply equally to citizens”
and “respect for individual and civil liberties” high on the list of democracy’s
most important components. Like last year, nearly two-thirds (60%) of Egyptians 
believe American democracy sets a positive example for the world, although that 
percentage decreased by 10% this past year. 

![](http://egfound.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/21-Egypt-America’s-democracy-sets-
a-positive-example-for-the-world-new.png)

Among those who held a more negative view of the U.S. and its democratic form of
government, the most popular reason was: “the U.S. idea of democracy is hypocritical–
ordinary voters don’t actually have power” and “when the majority rule, the opinions
of political minorities are disregarded.” When asked what would make American-style
democracy more attractive, the top three answers were: decreasing income inequality,
increasing the number of immigrants and refugees allowed to enter the U.S., and 
treating minority groups more fairly. Interestingly, this finding differed slightly
from the responses given in 2020. The rationale “if the foreign policy of the U.
S. was more restrained” was replaced with “treating minority groups more fairly.”

However, the treatment of minority groups and refugees is not the only concern Egyptians
have with the U.S.  They are increasingly critical of U.S. foreign policy. Nearly
4 out of 10 respondents think the U.S. has made the world a worse place compared
to 36% who think the U.S. has made the world a better place (26% are neutral). Similarly,
more respondents view U.S. influence in and around Egypt negatively compared to 
those who view it positively. And, slightly more people want Egypt to be more opposed
to than more supportive of the U.S. 

American foreign policy of all types is scrutinized more heavily in Egypt than in
the other countries surveyed. Forty-two percent disagree that the U.S. military’s
involvement in their region has effectively promoted stability compared to 35% who
agree that it has. And, a majority of Egyptians believe the presence of U.S. military
bases in or around Egypt threatens their independence. 

The critical opinion Egyptians have of the U.S. correlates with their increasing
interest in China (over the U.S.) as a global superpower. The rationale for why 
some in Egypt favor China over the U.S. is: “China does not interfere in the politics
of my country” and “China can provide my country with economic investment or assistance.”

![](https://egfound.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/germany-banner-1-1024x330.jpg)

## Germany

Overall, people in Germany continue to have a tepid opinion of the United States,
with a plurality expressing a neutral sentiment. This is, however, a positive change
from previous years, where more Germans expressed unfavorable than neutral or favorable
opinions of the U.S. This past year, “somewhat favorable” attitudes increased by
10 percentage points while “somewhat unfavorable” opinions decreased by a similar
amount. This change is likely attributable to the election of Joe Biden, as Donald
Trump was particularly unpopular among German respondents last year.  

![](http://egfound.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/26-do-you-have-a-favorable-or-
unfavorable-opinion-of-the-US-01.png)

Positive opinions of the American people also increased. Though, those warmer feelings
do not seem to extend as strongly to American democracy. While favorable attitudes
of American ideas of democracy improved between 2020 and 2021, still, fewer than
one quarter of Germans approve of American democracy (42% express a neutral opinion).
Of the one-third of respondents who disapprove of American ideas of democracy, the
primary reason, was American democracy is “hypocritical” in that voters do not have
any real power. Additionally, when asked what people in Germany do not like about
U.S. elections, a majority cited “the role of money in politics.” Nearly 50% of 
respondents disagree with the statement that America’s democracy sets a positive
example for the world. 

It may be that more Germans approve of the American people than they do of American
democracy because they are so confident in their own democracy. Among the ten countries
surveyed, only India is more confident in its status as a democracy than Germany.
Nearly 9 out of 10 German respondents indicated Germany is democratic . This likely
contributes to the continued coalescence of neutrality of German public opinion 
on the question of whether they wanted their government to “become more or less 
like that of the U.S. over the next twenty years.”

![](http://egfound.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/27-How-democratic-is-your-countrys-
system-of-government-01.png)

Although Germans remain skeptical of American democracy, they presented slightly
more positive views about the U.S., its people, and its version of democracy than
in previous years. How do they feel about U.S.-German relations? While, 47% of Germans
wish for the relationship between Germany and the U.S. to remain the same over the
next 20 years, the percentage of people who want their country to be somewhat more
opposed to the U.S. decreased by almost 12 percentage points this year, and the 
percentage of people want Germany to be more supportive of the U.S. increased by
7 percentage points.  

What do people in Germany think about America’s global influence? Respondents this
year continued to doubt whether the United States has made the world a better place:
about 40% think the U.S. has made “little or no difference” in the world, while 
27% think the United States has made the world “somewhat worse.” Though, Germans
are slightly more positive this year about American influence in their region. Given
the significance of America’s relationship with Germany as a leader of the European
Union, it is surprising that Germans remain so ambivalent about America’s foreign
role. A plurality of Germans selected “No opinion / I don’t know” when presented
with the statement: “the U.S. military’s involvement in my region of the world has
effectively promoted stability.”

Given the fears of China’s rising influence in Europe, and in Germany in particular,
Germans overwhelmingly support a U.S.-led world order than one led by China, despite
their skepticism of American foreign policy. Nearly 9 in 10 German respondents believe
having the U.S. as the world’s leading power would be better for Germany.

![](https://egfound.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/india-banner-1024x330.jpg)

## India

Of the ten countries we surveyed, Indians hold the U.S. in the highest regard, with
45% holding “very favorable” views of the country. Indians also hold the most positive
views about the American people. Consistent with this affection is the finding that
two-thirds would like to see their government become more like that of the U.S. 
When asked which attributes of American democracy they find most compelling, the
first choice was the protection of religion, and second was equal treatment of all
people.

![](http://egfound.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/30-Do-you-have-a-favorable-or-
unfavorable-opinion-of-the-U.S.-01.png)

The vast majority of Indian respondents – over 90% – prefer U.S. global leadership
to Chinese global leadership, thinking it better for both the world and their region.
The primary rationales were that the U.S. is a trustworthy economic partner and 
that India has a history of working cooperatively with the U.S. 

It is not surprising, then, that Indians view American influence as a positive force
in the world.  Seventy-one percent of respondents said U.S. influence has made the
world better and almost 75% believe it has made their region better.

India remains vexing for U.S. defense planners who would like to deepen the relationship.
On the one hand, India values military cooperation with the United States. More 
than 75% of respondents believe U.S.-India military collaboration is positive, with
40% indicating it is “very positive.” On the other hand, Indians are averse to anything
that would compromise their independence. This bears out through two survey questions.
Most believe the presence of U.S. military bases in or around India threatens its
independence, an attitude that complicates any attempt by U.S. defense planners 
to place bases in India.

Indian public opinion which endorses the normative goodness of U.S. power does not
necessarily indicate a desire for their country to wholly align with American interests.
While a quarter of respondents said they would like their country to be much more
supportive of the U.S., almost as many (23%) report they would prefer the relationship
to stay the same. As the founder of the Cold War’s Non-Alignment Movement, India
combines an affinity for the U.S. with a desire for independence.

Nearly three-quarters of Indian respondents believe the U.S. has a duty to protect
vulnerable populations using military intervention. Seventy-one percent indicated
U.S. military involvement in the region has promoted stability. And, polled before
President Biden announced the upcoming withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan, a 
majority of respondents (57%) expressed a desire for the U.S. to keep troops there
until the situation stabilizes. The rationale might be one of self preservation.
With Taliban tactics like sticky bombs affixed to vehicles in Kashmir,^(4) India
shares America’s vulnerability to violent extremism, and their survey responses 
may reflect the hope that a continued U.S. presence will keep more violence from
bleeding over their borders.

![](https://egfound.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/japan-banner-1-1024x330.jpg)

## Japan

The United States and Japan have been treaty allies since 1960. A 60-year-long relationship
perhaps should result in some warmth of feeling. And yet, only three in ten Japanese
respondents have a favorable view of the United States, and most expressed a neutral
position. When asked about their view of Americans, barely 25% held a favorable 
opinion of the American people, while 13% responded unfavorably and 63% remained
neutral.

Over the past 20 years, U.S. influence has made the world a worse place according
to 40% of Japanese respondents, and about 32% believe the U.S. has made the world
a better place. When asked to evaluate U.S. influence on their region, the Japanese
respondents yielded slightly more positive assessments. Still, only 38% believe 
the U.S. has had a positive impact. 

However, about as many believe U.S. influence has had no impact, and 26% believe
it has made things worse. This is a surprising result from a treaty ally that hosts
tens of thousands of U.S. forces and is the cornerstone of America’s foreign policy
in Asia – so much so that, between 2016 and 2019 alone, the United States spent 
about $21 billion to keep its forces there.^(5)

When asked how they wished their relationship with the United States might change,
the Japanese did not register strong preferences: 51% said they wished the relationship
would stay the same. However, more wished Japan would become more opposed (26%) 
than those who wished Japan were more supportive of the U.S. (23%).  

A large number of Japanese respondents hold neutral opinions of specific vectors
of U.S. influence, including the presence of U.S. embassies and diplomats, economic
aid, private investment, military collaboration with the U.S., and U.S. weapons 
sales. Many Japanese are even neutral on whether U.S. military involvement in Asia
has “effectively promoted stability” (31%). However, more respondents hold negative
opinions of U.S. weapons sales (35%) than positive opinions (28%). This result coincides
with reports that the Japanese government is re-evaluating the amount of U.S. weaponry
it buys, which accounts for almost ten percent of its defense budget.^(6) The budget
for foreign military sales grew as a result of previous Japanese administrations’
attempts to strengthen the U.S.-Japan relationship, so a re-evaluation of sales 
might correspond to a re-evaluation of the relationship as a whole.

Given Japan’s long-standing adversarial posture toward China, a great majority of
Japanese chose the United States over China when asked who should assume global 
leadership. Twice as many Japanese respondents chose the U.S. because it is a trustworthy
economic partner than because of American respect for individual freedoms, suggesting
this preference for American leadership is driven more by economic interests than
values. 

Japan’s concerns about climate change drives its view of American democracy. The
passage of laws to combat climate change was chosen most frequently as that which
would make American democracy more attractive. Only 42% of Japanese reported American
democracy sets a positive example for the world. When asked what aspect of American
democracy the U.S. government demonstrates best, a majority chose “respect for individual
and civil liberties.” Interestingly, this was the aspect of democracy that most 
Japanese respondents thought Americans valued most for themselves.

![](https://egfound.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/mexico-banner-1024x330.jpg)

## Mexico

Last year, Mexico did not have a particularly favorable opinion of the United States
and its style of democracy, and came closer to favoring a China-led world older.
That changed this year. Favorable opinions of the U.S. increased between 2020 and
2021, and unfavorable views decreased. 

![](https://egfound.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Mexico-36-Do-you-have-a-favorable-
or-unfavorable-opinion-of-the-U.S.-01-1.png)

Last year, Mexicans selected Canada and Germany as the countries with the best system
of government. This year, the U.S. replaced Germany in the survey rankings. When
asked this year how people in Mexico felt about American ideas of democracy, results
for those who either “somewhat like” or “strongly like” those ideas increased 6 
percentage points from 36% to 42%. The main reason given for liking American ideas
of democracy was: “the protection of individual liberties (e.g. freedom of speech
and religion) is important.” The number of people in Mexico who want to see their
system of government become more like that of the U.S. also increased this past 
year. 

This likely stems from Mexico’s dissatisfaction with Donald Trump as president, 
whereas more positive feelings of the U.S. could be associated with the election
of Joe Biden. Last year, when asked what would make America’s style of democracy
more attractive, the fourth most popular answer option was “a different person was
president.” This year, “a different person was president” ranks among the two least
popular responses among a list of ten answer options of what would make U.S-style
democracy more attractive. 

Those who expressed less favorable views toward American democracy selected one 
reason most frequently: “the U.S. idea of democracy is hypocritical – ordinary voters
don’t actually have power.” When asked to rank the top three choices of what would
make America’s style of democracy more attractive, the two most popular choices 
were: if “minority groups were treated more fairly,” and if “more immigrants and
refugees were allowed to enter the U.S.” This likely speaks to Mexicans’ particular
sensitivity to stories of police violence and the heightened visibility of what 
many see as dysfunctional immigration policies.   

How do people in Mexico view U.S. foreign policy? Like favorable opinions of the
U.S., favorable opinions of America’s global role increased this past year too. 
Since last year, positive views of U.S. influence in Mexico increased by 10 percentage
points. Similarly, positive views of U.S. influence around the world increased by
about 8 percentage points.. Respondents in Mexico also want their country’s relationship
to be more supportive of the U.S. compared to last year.

![](https://egfound.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Mexico-37-In-the-past-twenty-
years-do-you-think-the-U.S.-has-used-its-influence-to-make-the-world-a-better-or-
worse-place-01-4.png)

Last year, Mexicans were torn about whether China or the U.S. would be better as
the world’s leading power. The percentage of people who prefer China over the U.
S., however, decreased by seven percentage points. The top reason selected for why
they favor the U.S. over China is: “the United States is the largest economy in 
the world and is a trustworthy economic partner.” The most frequent rationales selected
by respondents who favor China chose: “China sets a good example for national development
for my country,” and “China can provide my country with economic investment or assistance.”

![](https://egfound.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Mexico-38-Having-____-as-the-
worlds-leading-power-would-be-better-for-the-world-copy-01.png)

![](https://egfound.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/nigeria-banner-1-1024x330.jpg)

## Nigeria

Nigerian opinion of the U.S. and American democracy remains high for the third year
in a row. Of the Nigerians surveyed, 70% have a somewhat favorable or very favorable
opinion of the U.S. (with 40% having a very favorable opinion). Less than 10% have
an unfavorable opinion of the U.S. 

![](http://egfound.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/39-Do-you-have-a-favorable-or-
unfavorable-opinion-of-the-U.S.-01.png)

People in Nigeria have an even greater appreciation for American-style democracy.
Over 80% of respondents reported they either somewhat like or strongly like American
ideas of democracy. When asked what contributes to their support of American-style
democracy, the most popular answer choice among Nigerians was: “the protection of
individual liberties (e.g. freedom of speech and religion).” 

![](http://egfound.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/39-Nigeria-How-do-you-feel-about-
American-ideas-of-democracy-new.png)

A strong majority of Nigerians also want to see their system of government resemble
that of the U.S. Nearly 90% of respondents want their government to either be somewhat
more or much more like that of the U.S. For Nigerians, the most important components
of democracy are “laws apply equally to all citizens,” “citizens can freely vote
and run for office,” and “respect for individual and civil liberties,” and they 
find the U.S. displays these characteristics. 

America’s global influence is also viewed positively by the majority of people in
Nigeria. Majorities believe American democracy and free market economy set a positive
example for the world (82% and 79% respectively). This makes sense given majorities
also indicate globalization has benefited them, their towns, and their country. 

![](https://egfound.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Nigeria-41-Globalization-has-
benefitted-01.png)

Majorities also think the U.S. military’s involvement effectively promotes stability,
and bears a responsibility to protect vulnerable groups of people even if it requires
armed intervention. And, Nigerian respondents don’t believe the presence of U.S.
military bases threatens their independence. 

Given the continued positive opinion of the U.S., American-style democracy, and 
U.S. foreign policy among Nigerians, it is unsurprising that support for a China-
led world order decreased this past year, and support for a U.S.-led world order
increased. Support for China leading on the global stage decreased by 10 percentage
points. Why? A plurality of respondents who support the U.S. over China selected:“
the U.S. promotes democracy and human rights around the world,” and “the U.S. values
individual freedoms more than other countries do.”

![](https://egfound.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/poland-banner-1-1024x330.jpg)

## Poland

The number of Poles surveyed who had a favorable opinion of the United States decreased
for the second year in a row. Though Poles have a more favorable view of the U.S.
than most other countries surveyed, favorability of the U.S. among Poles has dropped
by 15 percentage points since 2019. Still, Poles are almost four times as likely
to have a favorable opinion of the U.S. than an unfavorable one.  This cooling trend
was also found for Poles who were asked about their views toward the American people.

![](https://egfound.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Poland-42-do-you-have-a-favorable-
or-unfavorable-opinion-of-the-US-01-1-1024x449.png)

This cooling effect is even more clearly reflected in Poles’ attitudes towards American-
style democracy. A plurality of Poles (48%) either “somewhat like” or “strongly 
like” American ideas of democracy. But, since 2019, the number of Poles surveyed
who support American ideas of democracy has dropped from 72% to 48% in 2021, a drastic
decrease. 

There is no clear explanation for why favorability of American style democracy has
declined. A plurality of Poles disapprove of the role of money in American politics,
and among those who held a negative view of the U.S. and its democratic form of 
government, the most popular reason was: “the U.S. idea of democracy is hypocritical–
ordinary voters don’t actually have power.” When asked what would make American-
style democracy more attractive, the top three answers were: decreasing income inequality,
tackling corruption in politics., and combating climate change.  

![](https://egfound.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Poland-43-Which-of-the-following-
most-contributes-to-your-dislike-of-American-ideas-of-democracy-01-1.png)

Unlike its neighbor Germany, Poland does not have a conception of itself as a strong
democracy: only 19% of Poles describe their country as being “very democratic.” 
A plurality of Poles (48%) describe Poland as being “somewhat democratic” and a 
quarter describe their country as being “not democratic.” While Poles grow less 
fond of the U.S. and its style of democracy, a majority still want their government
to become more like that of the U.S. over the next 20 years, however the number 
of Poles who support this position has declined. American-style democracy is still
worth emulating for many Poles, even as their government advocates for illiberal
policies. It’s possible recent events have eroded Polish faith in the United States
as a good model for its own system, especially since the majority of Poles support
more liberal policies.

![](https://egfound.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Poland-44-Which-statement-comes-
closer-to-your-views-even-if-neither-is-exactly-right-01-2-1024x621.png)

Polish views of the United States as a worthy ally—while still present—also declined.
In previous surveys roughly two-thirds of Poles reported the United States has used
its influence within Eastern and Central Europe positively. This year, over a third
believe the United States has made little or no difference in the region. Still,
45% of Poles surveyed want their country to be more supportive of the United States
over the next 20 years. Still, this result is a vote of confidence in the relationship.
Only 16% of Poles want their country to be more opposed to the United States. While
more Poles surveyed this year selected China as their preferred “world leader” than
last year, nearly nine out of ten prefer the United States. 

![](https://egfound.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/russia-banner-1024x330.jpg)

## Russia

Russian respondents were asked to rank the top three countries with the best form
of government, and the most popular choices (in order) were: Russia, Germany, China,
and Japan. Only then came the United Kingdom, Canada, and the United States. When
asked whether they had a favorable or unfavorable opinion of the U.S., slightly 
more respondents this year had a favorable opinion of the U.S., though the results
remain mixed. Nearly half of Russians reported having a favorable opinion of the
American people. Far fewer express a negative opinion of American people than of
the United States overall. 

![](http://egfound.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/45-do-you-have-a-favorable-or-
unfavorable-opinion-of-the-US-and-American-ppl-01.png)

As with last year, more Russians like American style democracy than dislike it, 
but a plurality of Russians expressed a neutral opinion (44%). Russians who report
an unfavorable opinion of American democracy indicate as their primary rationale:“
the U.S. idea of democracy is hypocritical – ordinary voters don’t actually have
power.” Among those who like American ideas of democracy, the most popular reason
was: “the protection of individual liberties (e.g. freedom of speech and religion)
is important” and “with check on power (e.g. independent media and courts) nobody
gets too powerful.”

When asked what would make America’s style of democracy more attractive, the most
popular answer option was not if “the gap between the incomes of rich and poor people
was smaller” or if “there was less corruption in politics,” as was indicated for
the overall international sample. For Russians, the most popular answer was: if “
the foreign policy of the U.S. was more restrained.” 

Do these feelings preclude Russians from wanting their country to be more democratic,
like the United states.? An equal number of respondents want the Russian government
to be “more” and “neither more or less” like that of the U.S. over the next two 
decades. The percentage of those who selected “much less” dropped by 6% compared
to last year,  with an increase of 6% to “neither more nor less”. 

![](https://egfound.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Russia-46-In-the-next-twenty-
years-would-you-like-to-see-your-system-of-government-01.png)

There is a preference within Russia for the state to take the interests of political
minorities into account—nearly half versus fewer than a third who think the government
should rule in the interests of the political majority. Russians are more unified
however in seeing a government role in restricting immigration based on religion,
restricting media, and restricting protests. There has been a small swing in favor
of protests (+2.33%), which might be attributed to the country-wide protests earlier
this year against opposition leader Alexie Navalny’s detention.  

![](https://egfound.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Russia-47-Which-statement-comes-
closer-to-your-views-even-if-neither-is-exactly-right-01-2.png)

Russians more widely diverge in their views of how they would like the relationship
between Russia and the United States to change in the coming years. Nearly 4 out
of 10 Russians surveyed want their country to be either “somewhat more supportive”
or “much more supportive” of the United States. A plurality (35%) of Russians, however,
would like the relationship to stay the same, and 28% of Russians would like their
country to be either “somewhat” or “much more opposed” to the U.S. 

This aligns with Russian perceptions of U.S. foreign policy, which have remained
negative, but stable: a majority of Russians believe the United States has used 
its influence to make the world “somewhat” or “much worse.” However, not all types
of American influence are given equal weight. “Investment by private American companies
and investors” and “the import of American consumer products” are viewed positively
by a majority of Russians, while other types of American influence like the “importation
of Western education models” and “the presence of the U.S. government to support
the development of my country” are viewed negatively.

[Back to Table of Contents](https://instituteforglobalaffairs.org/2021/05/modeling-democracy-democracy-in-disarray/#contents)

## Conclusion

As journalists and pundits anticipate a global summit for democracy later this year
and the Biden administration reasserts American leadership in a world becoming inexorably
less unipolar, it has never been a better time to take stock. Our survey, like any
survey, is an imperfect instrument for understanding the complicated and dynamic
views of various populations. And though we now have three years of data and can
begin to observe trends over time, each of those datasets is but a snapshot. 

After taking this around-the-world tour of public opinion and beliefs, it becomes
clear that views about the United States and its form of government vary. The values
central to American ideas of democracy, which are often held out as universal, are
apprehended through the values and beliefs shared within — not simply among — countries.

Notably, many of the countries in our sample with the most experience of democracy
are the least enthusiastic about it. This should not necessarily be a cause for 
pessimism, as people in countries who yearn for more democratic freedoms might idealize
the form of government they want to emulate, while those of us who live in democracies
have a better view of its imperfections. 

Perceptions of the United States vary significantly between countries. A significant
number of Russians, Brazilians, and Germans think American democracy would be more
attractive if there were less economic disparity between the rich and poor in the
United States. This reason isn’t as prevalent for Mexicans or the Japanese. Japanese
and Chinese respondents thought the reputation of American democracy would improve
if politicians were more respectful of each other, but Brazilians and Mexicans were
less concerned with this. 

Mexicans and Nigerians believed improved treatment of minorities would make American
democracy more alluring for their countries. But Russians and Japanese respondents
were much less likely to think that. While there was a lot of diversity of opinion
within countries, a very strong plurality of Russians and Chinese believed American
democracy would be more attractive if American foreign policy were more restrained.

It is worth reiterating that countries with whom the United States has treaty alliances
are among the least bullish on America’s ideas of democracy. Japan and Germany are
particularly downbeat. 

This report supplies reasons for both optimism and pessimism. Unlike the previous
two years, a desire that “a different person was president” is not driving anti-
American sentiment. Although the number of respondents who believe the United States
has a very positive influence in their region has declined for a second year in 
a row (and nearly 20% between 2019 and 2021), the United States topped the list 
of countries ranked as having the best form of government and was followed immediately
by four other democracies: Germany, the United Kingdom, Canada, and Japan. 

Still, critically important geopolitical partners are less than enthusiastic about
American democracy, while people in countries characterized as competitors are surprisingly
supportive. German and Japanese respondents are less likely to like American ideas
of democracy than Chinese and Russian respondents. As world leaders proclaim the
virtues and value of democracy at this international summit, it’s important to scrutinize
whether and how these views are shared among their constituents. 

American democracy finds itself at a pivotal moment. After a violent mob of protestors
and insurrectionists overran the United States Capitol, instigated in part by an
outgoing American president who openly (and falsely) questioned the legitimacy of
the election results, a new American president argues for the need to rehabilitate
democracy at home and champion it abroad. We hope this report can inform, in however
modest a way, how the administration might satisfy that need.

[Back to Table of Contents](https://instituteforglobalaffairs.org/2021/05/modeling-democracy-democracy-in-disarray/#contents)

## Methodology

This survey was developed and commissioned by EGF. The survey instrument was written
by Mark Hannah with the help of two research assistants^(7) in 2019 and was updated
for 2021 by Caroline Gray, Mark Hannah, and Caroline Baxter. The survey was distributed
online by Qualtrics, a large, commercial survey company to a geographically and 
demographically diverse sample of 5,187 adults. This included a sample of approximately
730 respondents in China and India, and 470 respondents in each of the other eight
countries. The survey was distributed between March 3 and March 19, 2021. Our survey
partner created quotas to ensure gender and age balance. The representativeness 
of this sample and margin of error, of course, vary with the population size of 
each country. For example, our results from China and India have a larger margin
of error than those from Germany or Egypt. 

We commissioned professional translators to translate the survey into the dominant
language in each country and offered our survey respondents the option to complete
the survey in that language or English. This year, a second professional translator
reviewed the translations for each dominant language, except for Japanese. We did
not translate the survey into other regional languages and dialects (e.g., Bengali
in India or Cantonese in China). 

For all survey questions that had the answer option “I don’t know,” the answer option
was changed to “No opinion / I don’t know” this year in order to create a values-
based, as opposed to knowledge-based, answer option. 

Answer choices for all non-demographic multiple- and rank choice-type questions 
were randomized. Establishing statistical significance in the associations between
questions, we used a multivariate regression using several control variables. Whenever
reference is made in this report to a “significant” or “statistically significant”
relationship, significance is established beyond the 1% level. We welcome questions
about the details of our model from other researchers. 

The question about “American ideas of democracy” was taken from a Pew Global Attitudes
Project survey in consultation with a senior member of the research staff there.
Depending on the user’s response to that question, we used a skip logic function
to pose a follow-up question seeking reasons for “liking” or “disliking” American
ideas of democracy. This same skip logic function was used for the question “Having
____ as the world’s leading power would be better for my country.” Depending on 
the user’s response to that question, we sought reasons for selecting either “China”
or “The United States.”

## About the Authors

**[Mark Hannah](https://egfound.org/about/our-team)** is a senior fellow at EGF.
He teaches at New York University and taught previously at The New School and Queens
College. He is a term member of the Council on Foreign Relations and a political
partner at the Truman National Security Project. He studied at the University of
Pennsylvania (B.A.), Columbia University (M.S.), and the University of Southern 
California (Ph.D.).

**[Caroline Gray](https://egfound.org/by-author/caroline-gray/)** is a research 
associate at EGF. She previously worked on the policy team of the Truman National
Security Project in Washington, DC, and interned with the Brookings Institution 
in New Delhi. She studied international affairs and political economy at Lewis &
Clark College (B.A.) in Portland, Oregon.

[Back to Table of Contents](https://instituteforglobalaffairs.org/2021/05/modeling-democracy-democracy-in-disarray/#contents)

## Endnotes

 1. Brian Stelter, Twitter Post. April 28, 2021, 11:15 A.M. Retrieved from: [https://twitter.com/brianstelterstatus/1387470612952752134?s=11](https://twitter.com/brianstelterstatus/1387470612952752134?s=11).
 2. [https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/psychology/social-desirability-bias](https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/psychology/social-desirability-bias)
 3. “DOD Personnel, Workforce Reports and Publications,” Defense Manpower and Data 
    Center, Department of Defense, [https://dwp.dmdc.osd.mil/dwp/app/dod-data-reports/workforce-reports](https://dwp.dmdc.osd.mil/dwp/app/dod-data-reports/workforce-reports).
 4. Fayaz Bukhari and Devjyot Ghosal, “Arrival of ‘sticky bombs’ in Indian Kashmir 
    sets off alarm bells.” Reuters,  February 28, 2021. Retrieved from: [https://www.reuters.com/article/india-kashmir-explosives/arrival-of-sticky-bombs-in-indian-kashmir-sets-off-alarm-bells-idUSKCN2AS09R](https://www.reuters.com/article/india-kashmir-explosives/arrival-of-sticky-bombs-in-indian-kashmir-sets-off-alarm-bells-idUSKCN2AS09R).
 5. Government Accountability Office, “Burden Sharing: Benefits and Costs Associated
    with the U.S.       Military Presence in South Korea and Japan.” GAO-21-270, March
    17, 2021. Retrieved from:       [https://www.gao.gov/products/gao-21-270/](https://www.gao.gov/products/gao-21-270/).
 6. Tom Corben, “Japan Rethinks Its Approach to Arms Deals With the United States.”
    The Diplomat,            August 19, 2020. Retrieved from: [https://thediplomat.com/2020/08/japan-rethinks-its-approach-to-arms-deals-with-the-united-states/](https://thediplomat.com/2020/08/japan-rethinks-its-approach-to-arms-deals-with-the-united-states/).
 7. The authors acknowledge the skillful assistance of EGF’s staff, talented interns,
    research assistants, and consultants in the development and execution of this survey
    and report. EGF research fellow Caroline Baxter was instrumental in the writing
    and analysis of this report. From Central European University, Adam Pontius valuably
    assisted with research, writing, and data analysis, and Lucas Robinson from London
    School of Economics contributed skillful writing assistance. Consultant Steve Maroti
    expertly assisted with data analysis. Former EGF interns, Keenan Ashbrook and Cartland
    Zhou, supported the development of the original survey instrument in the summer
    of 2018.