Pakistan among most negatively-viewed countries

[LahoreEstate]

Phone interviews of 13,575 citizens in 21 countries were conducted between Nov 21, 2008 and Feb 1 for the poll.

LONDON: Pakistan is perceived as one of the three countries with the most negative influence in the world, according to the BBC World Service radio's annual poll of 21 countries published Friday.
Germany maintained the most positive ratings, while Iran, followed by Pakistan and Israel, all maintained their previous position as the three worst.
Iran had the worst average ratings, with 55 per cent of all respondents — and 14 of the countries surveyed — saying it had a negative influence in the world.
Israel attracted the largest number of countries giving it negative ratings: 19 out of 21. The poll was conducted before the recent Gaza war.
On average, 51 per cent said the Jewish state had a negative influence while 21 per cent said positive. Negative views were strongest in Egypt (87 per cent), Turkey (70 per cent) and Indonesia (60 per cent).
Pakistan was the next worst, with 53 per cent negative and 17 per cent positive views. Eighteen countries came down on the negative side.
United States improves slightly
The poll, conducted since Barack Obama won the November 4 US presidential election, also revealed a slight improvement in views of the United States, although they remained largely negative.
Opinions of the United States' influence on the world improved in Canada, Egypt, Ghana, India, Italy and Japan, the survey found.
However, in 12 countries there was a predominantly negative view, twice as many as had a predominantly positive view.
Opinions in China and Russia grew more negative, while those in Europe showed little change.
On average, positive views of the United States rose from 35 per cent to 40 per cent, but are still outweighed by negative views, down four at 43 per cent.
China, Russia slip
In the 2008 poll, people leaned toward saying China and Russia were having positive influences in the world.
But positive opinions of China have slipped by six points to a worldwide average of 39 per cent, with 40 per cent (up seven) now holding a negative view.
In the last poll, respondents in 16 countries had a largely positive view of China, while five had a mainly negative view. Countries now are evenly split at 10 each in those camps.
Negative opinions of Russia's influence in the world are up eight points, meaning substantially more people have a negative view (42 per cent) than a positive view (30 per cent).
Americans and Europeans have both grown more negative toward Russia, while Russians have become more negative toward the United States and the European Union. Russians' views towards Germany and Britain also worsened.
The survey was conducted by pollsters GlobeScan, together with the Program on International Policy Attitudes at the University of Maryland.
‘Our poll results suggest that China has much to learn about winning hearts and minds in the world,’ said GlobeScan chairman Doug Miller. ‘As for Russia, the more it acts like the old Soviet Union, the less people outside its borders seem to like it.’
GlobeScan interviewed 13,575 citizens by telephone between November 21, 2008 and February 1. They were from Australia, Britain, Canada, Chile, China, Costa Rica, Egypt, El Salvador, France, Germany, Ghana, Guatemala, Honduras, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Nicaragua, Nigeria, Panama, Philippines, Russia, Spain, Turkey and the United States.

http://www.dawn.net/wps/wcm/connect/Dawn...ntries-szh