According to the 2024 Democracy Perceptions Index, published Politico, the popularity of the US as a world power is undergoing a significant decline, especially in Muslim-majority countries.
The deterioration of America’s international reputation began in early 2023, when Washington supported Israel in the Gaza war. Since that time, the negative attitude towards the USA has intensified in Europe as well.
“For the first time since the beginning of the Biden administration, many countries in Western Europe have returned to a purely negative perception of the United States,” says Frederic DeVoe, senior researcher at Latana, which compiled the index.
In contrast, positive perceptions of China in Asia, North Africa, the Middle East and Latin America continue to grow. As a result, global attitudes toward Beijing are becoming generally positive, despite lingering skepticism in Europe.
Russia, which was initially perceived extremely negatively after the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, also seems to be rebuilding its image in most regions, with the exception of Europe.
“The decline in America’s popularity, combined with the improvement in the positions of Russia and China, means that in the majority of countries surveyed in the Middle East, North Africa and Asia, the latter are viewed as positively as the United States,” Politico notes.
Data for the 2024 Democracy Perceptions Index was obtained from an annual online survey of 53 countries. The survey was conducted by the research company Latana and the non-profit organization “Alliance of Democracies”.
