People around the world have a favorable opinion of the United States, but the superpower received the lowest ratings in Turkey and Tunisia, according to an international survey conducted by the US think tank Pew Research Center. The survey, which also asked about opinions of President Joe Biden and his predecessor and potential presidential rival Donald Trump, found that Turks also do not like the two.
Views of the United States are more positive across the 34 countries surveyed, with a median of 54% having a favorable opinion of the U.S., according to the Pew Research Center. Poland has the most favorable view of the U.S. at 86%, followed by Ghana and Kenya at 78%.
About 80 percent of Turks have a negative view of the United States, according to the Pew Research Center, which noted that this view has “remained consistent” since it began polling in Turkey in 2002.
Turkey and the United States have had their ups and downs since the Ottoman Empire, but enjoyed a golden age in the post-World War II period. The NATO alliance and post-war U.S. aid to Turkey helped the Turkish government avoid a major economic hit and strengthened the relationship, but even then there were many who were skeptical of the superpower. The government continued to strengthen the relationship, especially economically, but Turkey's perception of U.S. support for Turkey's 1980 coup (and the subsequent decades of growing left-wing protests against the United States) damaged Turkey's view of the United States.
At the national level, Turkey sees the United States as a safe haven for members of the Gülenist terrorist group (FETÖ), which was behind the 2016 coup attempt in Turkey. The group's leader, Fethullah Gülen, lives in Pennsylvania, and the Turkish government has tried, so far unsuccessfully, to extradite him. Turkey also resents U.S. support for the Syrian branch of the terrorist group PKK, which has killed thousands in Turkey since the 1980s.
When the incumbent Justice and Development Party (AK Party) first came to power in 2002, 30% had a favorable view of the US, but that plummeted to 12% the following year, before hitting a high of 29% in 2015.
The survey found that Turks believe that President Joe Biden “is not doing the right thing regarding world affairs.” The percentage is at a record high of 87 percent, the highest among the countries surveyed after Tunisia. The think tank noted that trust in Biden is at its lowest since he took office in 2021. Under Biden, Turkey-US relations have deteriorated as the White House has angered Turkey over what Ankara sees as unfounded accusations against its “backward” democratic record. Support for the PKK has fueled tensions, and the US has been reluctant to supply F-16 fighter jets that Turkey is seeking to procure. The two countries have tried to resolve their differences, especially on the fighter jet issue, but disagreements remain.
Turkish people do not trust former President Donald Trump, who is seeking a second term in the upcoming elections. Nearly all Turks, 86%, do not believe that Trump will do the right thing regarding world affairs. Trump's outspoken foreign policy and moves to limit his country's “expansionist” policies initially endeared the populist leader to the Turkish people, but he seems to have also fallen out of favor when it became clear that he was not much different from his predecessor, Barack Obama, in fighting the FETÖ and the PKK.
Pew Research also asked Turkish citizens how Biden fared in dealing with individual international issues, ranging from economic issues and climate change to the rise of China, Russia and Ukraine, and the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. Biden again received low marks, especially in his handling of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. Only 8% of Turks approved of Biden's handling of the conflict. Turkey is a strong supporter of the Palestinians, although Turkey-Israel relations have deteriorated in the past due to Israel's oppression of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, a conflict that came at a time when hopes for a revival of Turkish-Israeli relations were rising. Ankara has repeatedly criticized the Biden administration for its unconditional support for the Netanyahu government, which it accuses of indiscriminately massacring thousands of innocent Palestinians. Since the start of a new round of hostilities in the conflict in October 2023, the United States has been the target of criticism for protests against Israel in Turkey.
In the eyes of Turks, Biden and Trump rank less trustworthy than French President Emmanuel Macron, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping, who Turks view most favorably in terms of “doing the right thing regarding world affairs” compared to other leaders.
Turkish citizens also have a negative view of American democracy. About 52% of those interviewed agreed that the United States has never been a good example for other countries in terms of democracy, while another 28% said that the United States used to be a good example but not in recent years. This is a view that is largely shared by people in other countries, with roughly one in five saying that American democracy has never been a good example, according to the Pew Research Center.
