Among 42,000 respondents from 35 countries, including Thailand, views of the US were largely negative
KYODO — An average of 76% of adults surveyed in 35 countries, the West Bank and East Jerusalem, have no confidence in US President Donald Trump’s leadership of global affairs, with ratings for the United States negative in many places in Europe and Asia, an established research institute said Tuesday.
Pew Research Centre, which did not ask people in the United States, found that a majority in only five countries surveyed — the Philippines, Israel, Nigeria, Kenya and Ghana — rated Trump favourably.
Confidence in Trump was the highest in the Philippines at 68%, followed by Israel at 66%, while it was the lowest at 4% in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, 6% in Turkey, 11% in Sweden and Mexico, 12% in Pakistan and 13% in Malaysia.
Asked whether they consider the United States a very or somewhat “reliable partner,” steep declines were seen in most countries, including those of its longtime allies, since the nonpartisan Washington-based think tank asked the same question in 2022 when Trump’s predecessor Joe Biden was in office.
The survey, for example, found it plunged from 83% to 35% in Canada, from 83% to 39% in Germany, from 76% to 59% in Japan, from 43% to 19% in Malaysia and from 83% to 57% in South Korea.
Since returning to office for a second non-consecutive term in 2025, Trump has insisted that he has been highly successful in foreign affairs, earning the United States respect from the rest of the world.
But the survey’s results indicate that the reality is the other way around, at least as seen from people in other countries.
The institute said it had surveyed about 42,000 people across 35 countries, as well as the West Bank and East Jerusalem. The countries also included Australia, Brazil, Indonesia, Singapore, South Africa and Thailand.
It said interviews for the survey were conducted between Feb 8 and May 13, 2026.
Compared with Trump, French President Emmanuel Macron, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin all received higher marks.
US President Donald Trump arrives at Paris Orly airport, following the G7 (Group of Seven) Summit, in Orly, France, June 17, 2026. (Photo: Reuters)
Of the five other foreign leaders listed in the survey, only Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ranked lower than Trump. A median of 18% of the total respondents, excluding those in Israel, said they have confidence in Netanyahu to “do the right thing regarding world affairs.”
Regarding views of the United States, the survey found that opinions were largely negative in Europe and the Asia-Pacific region.
Among the Asia-Pacific countries surveyed, the United States scored its highest “unfavourable” rating in Pakistan at 81%, followed by Malaysia at 80%, Australia at 76% and Indonesia at 70%. In Japan, opinion was evenly divided at 50%.