May 31, 2011

UN Gets More Approval Than Disapproval Worldwide

U.S. among countries with highest disapproval
by Timothy B. Gravelle and Julie Ray
http://www.gallup.com/poll/147854/Gets-Approval-Disapproval-Worldwide.aspx?utm_source=alert&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=syndication&utm_content=plaintextlink&utm_term=Iraq

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- The leadership of the United Nations has more fans than
critics worldwide, netting more approval than disapproval in 106 out of 126
countries Gallup surveyed from 2007 to 2010. A median of 44% approved of the
U.N., while 17% disapproved and 33% didn't have an opinion.

Sub-Saharan African countries dominate the list of countries where approval
of the U.N.'s leadership is highest. The U.N. has conducted missions in many
of these countries -- such as Sierra Leone, where approval is the highest in
the world at 86% -- or still maintains a presence, which helps partly
explain higher awareness of the international body and approval of its
leadership.

UN Unpopular in Middle East and North Africa, U.S.

Residents of countries in the Middle East and North Africa -- and the
U.S. -- were among the U.N.'s small group of harsher critics. Majorities
disapproved in Qatar (61%), the Palestinian Territories (60%), Algeria
(57%), Jordan (55%), and Lebanon (53%). Nearly half of residents disapproved
in the United States, Israel, Iraq, and Turkey.

Countries with high disapproval of UN leadership

Approve%/Disaprove%

Qatar 15/61
Palestinian Territories 30/60
Algeria 36/57
Jordan 13/55
Lebanon 37/53
Tunisia 49/51
United States 42/48
Israel 33/47
Turkey 20/46
Iraq 32/46

It is important to note that these disapproval figures pre-date the recent
Palestinian push for U.N. recognition of its statehood this September. If
the U.N. General Assembly passes a resolution recognizing Palestinian
statehood, the United States may veto this at the U.N. Security Council
level. Should this occur, it may affect U.N. approval ratings among Arab
nations.

Leadership Has Low Visibility in Some Countries

Although the U.N. is a global body, its leadership remains a great unknown
in many parts of the world. Latin American and Caribbean countries -- with
the exception of Haiti -- abound on the list of countries where high
percentages had no opinion of the U.N. About two-thirds or more in Trinidad
and Tobago (90%), Paraguay (83%), Uruguay (66%), and Mexico (65%) did not
express an opinion.

This low awareness may be somewhat surprising given that 192 countries are
members of the United Nations, but the U.N.'s low visibility in the daily
lives of many worldwide and generally low education levels in some
developing countries may partly explain it.

Explaining Perceptions of UN Leadership

Worldwide, approval of U.N. leadership is strongly related to approval of
the five nations that are permanent members of the Security Council -- the
U.S., the United Kingdom, France, Russia, and China. This makes sense, given
the central position of the Security Council in the U.N. system and the
major role these five permanent members play. At the country level, approval
of U.N. leadership is also positively related to U.N. development grants per
capita and U.N. contributions to peacekeeping operations. This suggests that
those countries with more interaction with the U.N. -- either in what they
get or give -- have higher approval of the U.N.

Implications

While the world's residents are more likely to approve than disapprove of
the U.N.'s leadership, knowledge and approval vary from country to country.
These differences in public support and public knowledge should be taken
into account in ongoing policy discussions about the reform of the U.N.
system, its legitimacy as an actor in global affairs, and its
accountability.

Survey Methods

Results are based on face-to-face and telephone interviews with
approximately 1,000 adults in each country, aged 15 and older, conducted
between 2007, 2008, 2009, and 2010 in 126 countries. For results based on
the total samples, one can say with 95% confidence that the maximum margin
of sampling error ranges from ±2.1 percentage points to ±5.7 percentage
points. The margin of error reflects the influence of data weighting. In
addition to sampling error, question wording and practical difficulties in
conducting surveys can introduce error or bias into the findings of public
opinion polls.