World views of the United States

PIPA Director testifies before Congress on world views of the United States

Steven Kull, Director of the Program on International Policy Attitudes (PIPA), testified Tuesday before the House Foreign Relations Committee’s Subcommittee on International Organizations, Human Rights, and Oversight about the low standing of the United States in global public opinion. Dr. Kull briefed the panel on the image of the U.S reported in a variety of public opinion studies conducted in countries around the world.

A recent poll conducted by PIPA and GlobeScan for the BBC World Service, reveals that a majority (51%) of people across the 26 countries says the U.S. is having a “mostly negative influence” in the world. The poll, now in its third consecutive year, showed the lowest positive evaluations of the United States recorded so far.

Kull pointed out, however, that recent poll findings on the United States’ image abroad are not all negative. “The good news is that there is an abundance of evidence that the unhappiness with the US is not a rejection of US values,” he said. “People around the world say that the problems they have with the U.S. concern its policies, not its values.”

The full testimony, as well as a detailed report on the poll findings, can be viewed at http://www.worldpublicopinion.org

ENDS

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