The World's Perceptions of the U.S. Is Going in the Wrong Direction

Among the many things that helped define the 2016 U.S. presidential election, one slogan still rings strong: "Make America Great Again." The Donald Trump campaign set out to regain the status that the United States had supposedly lost because of the Obama administration. How did Trump fare in making America great again? In the eyes of the world, we certainly are going in the wrong direction.

Say what you will about President Trump, one thing was true: At the end of 2015, there was room for America to be better perceived. To be clear, the U.S. is and always has been a great country, but there are some areas in which it could have improved vis-à-vis the rest of the world.

According to the U.S. News, WPP, and Wharton Best Countries study, which ranks 80 countries by polling more than 21,000 people around the world -- the U.S. was ranked the fourth best country in the world in 2016. This ranking is based on perceptions -- how the world views the U.S. relative to other countries based on 75 metrics weighted by their correlation with gross domestic product per capita. In the 2016 survey, the U.S. was ranked only the 13th most economically stable country in the world and ranked 33rd in terms of how much people wanted to invest in it. At that time, it was ranked ninth for gender equality, 20th for open travel policies, and 16th in environmental policies.

The vitriolic presidential campaign of 2016 further hurt the country's reputation. A second wave of our survey (the 2017 rankings) taken immediately after the election showed that the election and its result affected not just internal American perceptions, but also views from abroad. Its political stability ranking dropped from 11th to 21st and its trustworthiness ranking dropped from 17th to 23rd.

So when President Trump took over the country at the start of 2017, he had a tall mountain to climb. The 2018 ranking, taken at the end of the past year, gives us insight into whether Trump has truly made America great again. The result is most disappointing. The U.S. has fallen from its No. 4 position in 2016 to now being No. 8 in the world.

The survey shows that the United States has dropped in various key attributes. The 2017 results revealed the United States was ranked the 35th most open for business country in the world. The ranking was calculated using perceptions of various attributes of the U.S., including how transparent its government was and how corrupt it was. Now at the end of first year of the Trump administration, that number has dropped to 43. In addition, the global population now views the United States government as less transparent -- dropping in ranking from 13th in 2016 to 18th in 2018.

This should not be surprising to the United States and the Trump administration. News about political stalemates (even with a Republican-controlled House and Senate) have plagued the administration. Failed attempts at repealing Obamacare and passing meaningful legislation (the survey predated the passage of tax cuts) have harmed the reputation of the United States overseas. So much so that the U.S. has dropped in its political stability ranking from the already low 21st ranking to 23rd after Trump's inauguration.

It is not just in terms of government or business practices where Trump's promise to make America great has come up short. The country has fallen in its citizenship rankings from 11th in 2016 to 16th this year. This attribute is an indication of being a citizen of the world, with the world's interests in mind. It includes rankings on gender and political equality and care for the environment. The country dropped from ninth to 14th in its ranking on gender equality. Again, this is not surprising given the sexual harassment charges leveled against Trump and other politicians, media stars and celebrities, the defunding of planned parenthood, and the proposed changes in the federal birth control mandate.

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The past year has also been fraught with tensions associated with treatment of racial and religious minorities. This includes rhetoric about the strained relationships between African-Americans and the police, and the treatment of citizens of Islamic faith. This climate is likely to blame for the drop in rankings of the distribution of political equality from a high of 7th in 2016 to the current low of 16th.

Moreover, the appointment of Scott Pruitt, who openly denies global warming, to lead the Environmental Protection Agency, pushes the United States back in its reputation of protecting the environment from 24th in 2017 to 31st in 2018.

Potentially the most drastic drop in rankings comes from the immigration policies of the Trump administration. Over the course of the campaign, President Trump vehemently advocated for restrictions on Mexican immigration into the United States and made a promise to build a fortified wall on the country's southern border. In addition, this past year, the Trump administration attempted to enforce immigration bans from several countries. This was perceived to be a ban on Muslims and was eventually found unconstitutional by U.S. courts. These policies likely explain the U.S.'s drastic decrease in rankings of open travel policies, from 20th in 2016 to 51st in 2018.

In the eyes of the world, it is clear that the promise of making America great again has failed in 2018. But what's most troubling is the global perception of America's future. In 2016, the world thought that the U.S. was the 33rd best country in which to invest and third best country in which to start a career. Both metrics require some belief about what the future of the country entails. The campaign and the past year's policies have drastically changed how the world views what is next to come.

The question is why should America care about its global perception? The answer is because it matters to the economy of the country. Why do companies invest in their brands? They do so because it is economically wise. With stronger brands people are willing to pay more or buy more of their products. Just as brands of products and companies contribute to their companies' economic well-being, the same holds for countries. With stronger nation brands come a greater willingness to invest in the country, buy products and travel to these countries. Foreign direct investment, international trade, and tourism are major contributors to a nation's economy.

Whether evaluated on perceptions of government, business, or citizenship, the Trump effect thus far has been overwhelmingly negative. The next few years will truly be a test of whether the Trump administration can get its act together and turn around the reputation of the United States.

David Reibstein is the William Stewart Woodside professor of marketing at Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.