Angus Reid Global Monitor : Polls & Research

Turks See U.S. as Global Threat, Israelis Cite Iran

November 30, 2007

(Angus Reid Global Monitor) - Two-thirds of adults in Turkey hold an unfavourable opinion of the United States, according to a nine-country poll conducted by Angus Reid Strategies for Maclean’s. 66 per cent of respondents in Turkey think the U.S. is the greatest threat to global stability. In Israel, 52 per cent of respondents believe Iran is the biggest global menace.

The U.S. was also regarded as the greatest threat by 46 per cent of respondents in China, and at least one-in-five Canadians, Americans, Italians and Russians. China was regarded as a menace by 17 per cent of respondents in Britain and Canada.

Al-Qaeda was the greatest threat for at least one-third of respondents in Russia and India, and religious fundamentalism was regarded as a menace by at least one-in-five Canadians, Britons, and Indians. Iraq, Israel, North Korea, and Russia did not reach double-digits in any of the countries surveyed.

On Nov. 26, Independent-Democratic Connecticut senator Joe Lieberman discussed the progress of the coalition effort in Iraq, saying, "Make no mistake about it, the main battlefield in the war against Islamist extremism and terrorism, al-Qaeda, is in Iraq, and they are being defeated. And they are being defeated because of the bravery, yes, of the American military, but they’re being defeated because the Muslims of Iraq have turned against al-Qaeda. And I think the media and the tapes coming out from (Osama) bin Laden are his way of swaggering and telling people he’s still there."

Polling Data

Which of these countries or entities is the greatest threat to global stability?

 

CAN

USA

BRI

ITA

RUS

IND

ISR

TUR

CHI

China

17%

11%

14%

17%

6%

6%

4%

6%

6%

Iraq

2%

5%

1%

2%

2%

2%

1%

1%

2%

Iran

9%

9%

7%

8%

0%

1%

52%

1%

1%

Israel

1%

2%

1%

6%

1%

0%

2%

3%

0%

North Korea

7%

7%

6%

1%

2%

0%

1%

0%

2%

Russia

2%

0%

2%

7%

1%

2%

5%

0%

0%

United States

26%

23%

17%

20%

29%

17%

2%

66%

46%

al-Qaeda

8%

15%

19%

15%

34%

36%

9%

4%

16%

Other
terrorist
groups

2%

2%

1%

1%

6%

2%

3%

5%

20%

Religious
funda-
mentalism

22%

13%

20%

19%

17%

32%

19%

10%

3%

Not sure

5%

12%

11%

3%

3%

2%

2%

3%

4%

Source: Angus Reid Strategies / Maclean’s
Methodology: Online interviews with 400 adults in each of these countries: Britain, China, India, Israel, Italy, Russia, Turkey, and the United States; and 1,005 adults in Canada, conducted from Oct. 22 to Nov.1, 2007. Margin of error is 3 per cent for Canada, and 4 per cent for all other countries.

 


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