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On Israel’s 60th year of “independence,” the Jewish state is ranked one before last in terms of its global image, according to a comprehensive BBC poll.

According to the annual survey, conducted among 17,000 participants in 34 countries, Iran and Israel “enjoys” the most negative image.

As was the case a year ago, Iran and Israel receive the most negative ratings.

Iran

The two countries with positive views of Iran have seen the positive numbers grow. These include Egypt (62%, up from 51%) and UAE (38%, up from 29%). But in the UAE there was an equivalent increase in negative views.
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Among the countries polled for the first time this year, Israel (80%), Spain (77%), and Japan (65%) have the largest majorities seeing Iran’s influence in the world as negative.

Israel

Views of Israel’s influence in the world continue to be predominantly negative, although in some countries negative views are less widespread than a year ago. Out of all the countries polled in 2007 and 2008, the majority with a negative view of Israel has fallen somewhat (52%, down from 57%), while the number with a positive view of Israel has remained mostly stable (19%). Nineteen countries have a negative view, two lean to the positive (Kenya and Mexico), and three are divided.

Negative views of Israel have decreased significantly in five countries in Europe and Latin America. Majorities with negative views of Israel have fallen sharply in France (52%, down from 66%), Germany (64%, down from 77%) as well as in Brazil (57%, down from 72%) and Chile (43%, down from 57%). Russians also have less negative views than the previous year (29%, down from 40%).

In two countries, positive views of Israel have increased to become the most common view among these publics. In Kenya, a plurality of 45 per cent now says they see Israel’s influence as mainly positive, up from 38 per cent the previous year. In Mexico, a plurality now has a predominantly positive view of Israel (31% to 23% negative); a shift from the previous year when a plurality held a negative view (25% to 31%).

Two Muslim countries have shown some improvement. Negative views have gone down in the UAE (58%, down from 73%) and Turkey has seen growth in positive views from 2 to 11 per cent. But Israel’s influence is more widely seen as negative among the publics in Lebanon (94%, up from 85%) and Egypt (87%, up from 78%).

Negative views have also increased among Americans (39%, up from 33%), so that now views are nearly evenly divided (43% positive, 39% negative).

Positive views of Israel among Nigerians have declined (36%, down from 45%) while negative views have increased (38%, up from 31%). Canadians also have significantly less positive views than the previous year (15%, down from 27%).

Among countries polled for the first time this year, majorities have negative views of Israel in Spain (64%) and Japan (55%). Views tend to be negative among Central American publics as well (35%), while Ghanaians are divided (30% positive, 32% negative).

United States

Views of the United States continue to be largely negative, but with a modest improving trend. Among tracking countries the positive views of the US have risen on average 4 points from 31 per cent to 35 per cent, while negative views have dropped from 52 to 47 per cent.
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In three countries majority negative views have grown–Canada (56% to 62%), Lebanon (58% to 67%), Egypt (59% to 73%)–while in Nigeria majority positive views have slipped (72% to 66%).

Among new countries polled views are mixed. Japan leans negative (21% positive, 38% negative, with a large 41% not answering) while a majority of Spanish are negative (53%, positive 28%). However a large majority of Israelis are positive (68%), as are a majority of Ghanaians (65%) and Central Americans (57%).

While in 2007 Europe was the region with the most negative views of the US, these have moderated a bit and now the Middle East is the most clearly negative. Negative views have also softened in most Latin American and Asian countries.[Source: PIPA]

You can read the full report here: http://tinyurl.com/2sje2u

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