Talk Radio News Service: News, Politics, Media

By Brandon Kosters
Talk Radio News Service

Andrew Kohut, President of the Pew Research Center, told reporters on Monday that a recent survey done by his organization found that European nations possess a fairly favorable view of the United States and President Barack Obama.

"In many respects, [Obama] is more popular overseas than he is in the United States," said Kohut, speaking at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in downtown Washington, D.C. The U.S., he added, is generally more popular globally than it was during the presidency of George W. Bush.

Kohut said 24,000 interviews were conducted with residents from 22 nations between April 7 and May 8, 2010.

According to the poll, the U.S.'s favorability rating in France is 73%. A similar poll taken in 2008 found that that number to be just 42%. Moreover, 84% of those polled in France said they support Mr. Obama's policies. "Only the Kenyans gave Obama a better rating then did Western Europeans," he said, adding that Western Europeans generally expressed positive views about Obama's economic policies.

Yet, approval ratings among predominantly Muslim countries were quite low, due to many expressing disappointment with how Obama has handled the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. In fact, said Kohut, President Obama's approval rating in Egypt is currently 17%, the lowest it has ever been there.

The Pew survey also found that approval ratings in Mexico have dropped sharply, a fact Kohut attributed to the recent illegal immigration law that was passed in the state of Arizona.