Survey: America Viewed Less Favorably by People in Canada, the U.K

After this week's NATO summit in Brussels concludes, President Donald Trump will extend his European tour by heading to the United Kingdom, where he will meet Queen Elizabeth II and Prime Minister Theresa May in his first official visit to that nation. The stop is already causing unrest among thousands of people expected to protest against Trump -- a stark reminder that, as far as some of the United States' closest allies are concerned, the U.S. is headed on a downward path.

According to the U.S. News 2018 Best Countries survey, America's closest allies -- the British and Canadians -- have a lower opinion of the U.S. than the rest of the world. People surveyed in the U.K. and Canada said America is more unequal, less trustworthy, has less-transparent government practices and cares less about human rights compared to the responses from people elsewhere in the world.

The full survey ranks 80 countries using perception data gather from more than 21,000 people on attributes such as strong international and military alliances, gender and income equality, political stability and having a well-developed public health care system. In the U.K., 1,165 people were surveyed, while 898 people were polled in Canada.

Like the rest of the world, British and Canadian survey respondents view the U.S. as the world's most powerful country. Among certain key attributes, however, differences emerge. Among some of the survey's findings:

-- Overall: The U.S. ranks eighth among 80 nations overall. Both British and Canadian survey respondents place America two spots lower, at No. 10.

-- Income equality: The U.S. ranks 17th, according to the full global survey. Canadians rank the U.S. 66th, while British respondents placed America at No. 46.

-- Gender equality: The full survey ranks the U.S. 14th, while British and Canadian survey respondents both ranked the U.S. at No. 17.

-- Trustworthy: Overall, the U.S. ranked 25th out of 80 nations. The British ranked the U.S. at No. 30, while Canadian survey respondents placed the U.S. 39th.

-- Transparent government practices: Overall, the U.S. finishes 18th. Canadians, however, ranked the U.S. at No. 24, British survey respondents rank America at No. 21.

The substantial differences in opinions are deeply connected to subjective impressions of a country's intentions, say experts, as citizens around the world actually know little about each nation's policies, and judge countries mainly by the individuals associated with that nation.

"These perceptions that people have have been changed both by the policies that the countries are following and also by the style the president has," says Robert Jervis, professor of international and public affairs at the School of International and Public Affairs at Columbia University.

Perceptions have widely varied throughout history, as well as due to the perceived contrast in ideologies in U.S. leaders, Jervis says.

"When Kennedy replaced Eisenhower in 1961, America's standing in most parts of the world went up significantly because Kennedy seemed to embody forward-looking energy, dealing with the problems of a younger generation," says Jervis. "Looking back there were also a lot of bad things about Kennedy and the American foreign policy didn't really change that much." Likewise, the world's view of the Bush administration was influenced by the U.S.-led war in Iraq, he adds. "But when Obama came in there was another boost in the numbers although really American policy hadn't changed that much."

Other surveys also show that America's closest allies are taking a dimmer view of the U.S. in recent years. According to the nonpartisan Pew Research Center, 50 percent of people surveyed in the U.K. in 2017 had a favorable view of the U.S., compared to 61 percent in 2016, 69 percent in 2009 and 75 percent in 2002, the year following the 9/11 terrorist attacks in the U.S. In Canada, just 43 percent of the Pew survey respondents had a favorable view of the U.S. in 2017. That contrasts to 68 percent in 2015 and 72 percent in 2002. Another 2017 poll by Gallup shows only 20 percent of surveyed Canadians approve of U.S. leadership, a level close to the approval ratings in 2008, at the dawn of the financial crisis.

Experts say it is important to analyze these perceptions, in particular the economic ones, through the lens of the respondents and their experiences in their own countries.

"The U.S. is a much more capitalist economy than Canada and anybody in Europe," says Dina Smeltz, senior fellow on public opinion and foreign policy at the Chicago Council on Global Affairs. "We have different economic systems, so income inequality, for instance, is indeed larger here."

National pride also comes into play whenever people are asked to share their opinions about another country, says Jervis, and their opinions are also influenced by the type of relationship their country's leaders have with the current U.S. presidential administration.

On Wednesday, for example, the NATO summit began on a confrontational note, when Trump disparaged the Atlantic alliance and criticized German policy on defense spending and gas imports from Russia. Later in the day, however, the U.S. president changed his tone to a markedly friendlier one.

"What we're seeing now especially in our allies is a reaction to Trump and to both to what he's doing and to how he's doing it," Jervis says. "He is unique among American presidents to constantly insult our closest allies, especially Mexico, Canada, the U.K. and Australia. He ridicules their leaders so even people who don't value those leaders in those countries will rally around their leader when that happens."

Sintia Radu covers international affairs and technology for U.S. News & World Report. You can follow her on Twitter @sintiaradu and send her suggestions and ideas at sradu@usnews.com.