Voice of the People©
UNITED NATIONS’ DAY
KEY FINDINGS
One in three citizens around the world (35%) believe the European Union should increase its global influence if the world is to become a better place, according to a new Voice of the People© survey, released by Gallup International for the United Nations’ Day, October 24th. The survey, which interviewed over 57,000 people in 52 countries last Summer, also shows that Iran (39% decrease vs 14% increase) and to a lesser extent the United States (37% vs. 26%) are the countries which people want most to see a decrease in their global power.
Commenting on the results of the study, Meril James, Secretary General of Gallup International said: “Our Voice of the People© shows that significant proportions of world citizens trust the European Union and would welcome a deeper involvement of this global power in working towards the achievement of a better world. Also, it is interesting to find out that many people are still reluctant to the idea of a powerful China”.
Desire of increased global influence for different actors – Total Sample
For the world becomes a better place, do you believe that the global influence of the following major powers should increase, should decrease, or should remain about the same as now?
Source: Gallup International Association – Voice of the People© 2007
The results of the 2007 edition of Voice of the People© show that, from a list of different possible international actors offered to respondents, the European Union is the one whose influence is most desired by world citizens. When asked if the global influence of various major international powers should increase or decrease so that the world can become a better place, the EU receives the highest number of positive answers. More than a third of respondents (35%) declare that, in order to achieve this goal, EU’s participation should augment whilst 20% think it should decline; in Kosovo, 55% of citizens believe that the role of EU should increase.
Following, three in ten respondents believe India and South Africa should increase its level of influence (27% and 26%, respectively), whereas two in ten declare the opposite (20% and 18%). Almost a quarter of world citizens (23%) think Brazil should be more influential and 17% believe the contrary.
Russia and China generate more negative than positive opinions. Whilst 23% and 24% of respondents respectively would like their importance in international affairs to increase, 29% and 32% believe the world would benefit from a decline in their power. For instance, in Kosovo, majority of citizens (68%) believe that the influence of Russia should decline, whereas for China 47% share the same opinion.
The influence of Iran and the US are the most resisted by world citizens. Although 26% of respondents declare that the contribution of the US should augment, 37% think the opposite. In the case of Iran, 39% of opinions are against its influence and only 14% in favour.
Analysing the results by region, it is perhaps not surprising to find that respondents attitude towards an increase or decrease in the influence of those powers closest geographically to their own country greatly varies, depending on whether the behaviour of the big and powerful neighbour next door is perceived as benevolent and beneficial, or on the contrary, is viewed with suspicion because of traumatic experiences. Thus, four in ten African respondents (43%) would like to see a deeper involvement of South Africa whilst India’s influence is the most wanted in Asia Pacific (33%) - although it should be noted that China was not included in the survey due to the study not receiving authorization from the Government. The EU is the preferred option both in Western (51%) and in Eastern & Central Europe (36%, together with Russia-also 36%), while Brazil (29%) is the most mentioned in Latin America. The influence of the US is the most welcome in Africa (37%) and – somewhat surprisingly – in Russia (26%). However, the positive Russian attitude is not reciprocated in the US, where 34% of respondents would wish Russian power to decline.
Conversely, over half of all respondents in Canada (54%), Latin America (53%) and Western Europe (51%) are opposed to increasing US influence. The survey also shows that as regards USA, the most positive countries are Albania (71%), Kosovo (61%), and Panama (45%), and the US itself (45%). Conversely, the countries with the highest proportions of people declaring that US should have less influence are Bosnia-Herzegovina (80%), Luxembourg (74%), Greece (73%), Serbia (72%), and Finland (71%).
UK is the country in Western Europe with the lowest proportion of people calling for an increase in the influence of the EU. In this country, only 32% of respondents support this idea, whilst 24% think it should decrease. It is also interesting to find more negative than positive opinions towards the EU in Turkey and Croatia – two EU candidates – where 45% and 36% of citizens respectively think that this international actor should be less influential, against 9% and 26% who hold the opposite view. It is worth mentioning that Turkey is also amongst the countries with highest values of negative attitudes to the influence of both, the US (56% for the decrease, and barely 4% for an increase), as well as of Russia (43% decrease and 4% increase).
Within Europe, as in the other continents, there are significant differences, which are shown when data is analysed by grouping counties according to their historical backgrounds and current geopolitical situation. In this perspective, for instance, a significant divergence emerges between “Old” and “New” Europe regarding the US. While in “Old Europe“ (the core EU members prior to 2004) 51% respondents oppose an increase in US power, in “New Europe” (new EU members from Eastern Europe after 2004) the negative view is shared by some 37%. (More data illustrating the relevance of this approach is presented in the attached table.)
In Latin America, Argentina is the only country where negative opinions (25%) about the influence of Brazil exceed the positive ones (15%).
The only two countries where there are more positive than negative answers about an empowered Iran are Senegal (31%), and Hong Kong (28%). Luxembourg citizens are the most reluctant (72%), followed by 64% of Dutch and 57% of US citizens. Significant proportions of people in the Scandinavian countries (between four and six in ten) share this view. In Kosovo, only 9% of respondents believe that the influence of Iran should increase, while 35% believe that this influence should decline.
Finally, some of China’s neighbours are not happy with the idea of an increase of this power. Considerable proportions of citizens in India, Philippines (both 42%), Japan (39%) and South Korea (34%) think it would be best for the world if China had less influence. Nearly half of US respondents (45%) feel the same way. Conversely, three quarters of citizens in Hong Kong (75%) would like to have a more influential China.
EDITOR’S NOTES
The Voice of the People© Survey
Gallup International’s unique survey Voice of the People© interviews more than 57,000 people in 52 countries around the world, representing the views and attitudes of more than 1.2 billion global citizens. Fieldwork was conducted between June and August 2007.
Gallup International
Registered in Zurich as a verein (Association), Gallup International was established in 1947 by George H Gallup and his European colleagues. It currently has member agencies in 65 countries across the world, conducting market and opinion research in more than 100 countries.
For more information on individual countries, please visit the following web-sites:
www.gallup-international.com
www.voice-of-the-people.net
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