NEWS: International Poll Reveals: World favors China over USA

Erm, just a short and missed question:
Why does it matter if the world favors China over the US anyhow?

I have read 6 pages of explanations to and for and yet to see one answer as basic a question as the one I have asked.....why does it matter?




seekerof

[edit on 25-6-2005 by Seekerof]

It doesn't matter. Especially when the article says this:

"The polls were taken in various countries from late April to the end of May with samples of about 1,000 in most countries, with more interviews in India and China and slightly less than 1,000 in the European countries."

Various countries...hmmm...about 1,000 people in these "various countries" and "more interviews" in India and China.

Oh, and slightly less than 1,000 in the European countries.

16 countries = the world

[edit on 25-6-2005 by 2nd Hand Thoughts]

I would say it is just an indication that maybe the US policies are rubbing people the wrong way. Then again, any poll set up well can show you anything yo uwant shown right? So how important it is? On it's own probably not with the electrons to type this, but for an addition to the other evidense that the US is at odds with many in the world it may have some small significance.

Then again all the above is moot if America doesn't care about getting along in the global community, as some here beleive would be better for the US.

So I guess it would depend on how you veiw the world I guess.

If you go to the Pew Global website it explains that figuring into the poll was that some (no statistics provided) wanted their governments to be less dependent or involved with the US. Apparently the US forces the governments of these countries to associate with us.

Others want to see another superpower with our military might.

No country is suggested. HOWEVER, according to the poll, NO ONE wants it to be China.

Go figure.

It seems that some of you are still questioning the accuracy of this poll.
It's as if you doubt that people could feel that way about the US even though many of you have complained about anti-American posts on this board.

It may be true that only a few countries were polled but many of those countries are the closest allies that the US has, like the UK and Canada. If they included more countries I don't think that would change the poll results in favor of the US. It might even make it worse.

Here's another country that seems to be having some problems with Americans over the Iraq war, Australia:

sundaytimes
AMERICAN students are quitting Queensland universities in the face of hate attacks by Australians angry at US President George W. Bush and the war in Iraq.

One university has launched an investigation into claims an American student returned to the US after suffering six months of abuse at a residential college in Brisbane.

American students have told The Sunday Mail the verbal attacks are unbearable and threatening to escalate into physical violence.

Seemingly, it matters to you, AceOfBase?
Please, praytell, why should some of us be overly concerned with this?
Why does it matter, AceOfBase?

Apparently, after reading 6 pages, going on 7, it does matter to some. Interesting, no?




seekerof

I think it's a problem when your closest allies turn against you.
It should cause those in the Government to reflect upon their foreign policy if they still want to have allies in the future who will stand beside them.

[edit on 25-6-2005 by AceOfBase]

Originally posted by AceOfBase
Here's another country that seems to be having some problems with Americans over the Iraq war, Australia:

In that case, Australian students in the US would get the same tit-for-tat treatment if that news get across the country.

Even so, AceOfBase, why should this poll concerning the world favoring China over the US simply matter?
Has not changed my life one bit.
Life still goes on.
Friends and allies are still friends and allies, for all intent and purposes.

It is simply a poll taken by a relative small number of influencial people out of how many nations of this world; how many people making up this world? Most of which would give their life belongings to come and live in the US.

Again, I am not seeing why it should significantly matter, you?




seekerof

Originally posted by AceOfBase
I think it's a problem when your closest allies turn against you.
It should cause those in the Government to reflect upon their foreign policy if they still want to have allies in the future who will stand beside them.

[edit on 25-6-2005 by AceOfBase]

No, it's a problem that you people need to acknowledge that all your hatred and prejudice against the US or the American people will be your undoing.

Originally posted by the_oleneo
No, it's a problem that you people need to acknowledge that all your hatred and prejudice against the US or the American people will be your undoing.

To Seekerof: Remember that Simpsons episode where they go vigillante on Springfield?

Homer says, "Oh Kent, you can make statistics say anything. 18% of the people know that".

I'm seeing your point.

I wonder what 1,000 people in Mexico would think? Does it occur to anyone else how idiotic it is that a country with which we share a boarder isn't even included in the popularity poll?

Originally posted by AceOfBase
It seems that some of you are still questioning the accuracy of this poll.
It's as if you doubt that people could feel that way about the US even though many of you have complained about anti-American posts on this board.

This is a board with 3,000 people...most of whom are from around the world, and the majority blames and hates the US. This board does not make the world...and neither do polls of interviews with 1,000-3,000 people...but yes, it is getting tiresome and stupid with many members in these board making exagerations, and even lying so that you can all keep blaming and bashing at the US.

Originally posted by AceOfBase
It may be true that only a few countries were polled but many of those countries are the closest allies that the US has, like the UK and Canada. If they included more countries I don't think that would change the poll results in favor of the US. It might even make it worse.

How do you know?... you can't know for certain what the people from other countries think, and no poll is going to tell me that less than 16,000 people have the voice of the world....

Originally posted by AceOfBase
Here's another country that seems to be having some problems with Americans over the Iraq war, Australia:
....................
American students have told The Sunday Mail the verbal attacks are unbearable and threatening to escalate into physical violence.

Does that University makes up the whole continent of Australia?....do you know what most Australians think? I am sure that there are many Australians that wouldn't do this, and probably think a bit differently about the US. Yes, there are protests in many countries in the world...but those who protest are not the majority of the people of the world. In most cases is but a minority of people who seem to take to the streets to protest against the US....protests which are for the most part set up by groups such as ANWSER INTERNATIONAL which was funded by it's parent group THE WORKER'S PARTY, or as it is also known the communist party.

If you take a look at most of the protests done by such groups, they have the same dogma as what the communists claim, that capitalism is bad, that there must be a worker's revolution, which means a communist revolution, that the west, and in general the US is the cause of everything bad that happens in the world.

[edit on 25-6-2005 by Muaddib]

Originally posted by Muaddib
How do you know?... you can't know for certain what the people from other countries think, and no poll is going to tell me that less than 16,000 people have the voice of the world....

I don't know for sure but a seperate poll was conducted by Zogby in 2004 and the opinions of countries in the Zogby poll that were not on the PEW list were really, really bad. I was really surprised at the figure from United Arab Emirates and Egypt. Saudi Arabia is even lower than I thought it would be.


Zogby Impressions of America Poll 2004

PEW Global Attitudes poll 2005

If you look at the countries duplicated in the PEW poll, the numbers are fairly close so I think it is a reliable indicator.

Both of these polls were used in a GAO report on US public diplomacy so I guess the US Government must also have some level of faith in their accuracy.

[edit on 26-6-2005 by AceOfBase]

Originally posted by intrepid

What freedom do you have Grady? Controlled by the media(government)? Living in fear? Not a politician from either of the major parties that care about you?

Doesn't sound like freedom to me.

Yes, I know it's a Green Day song but I find it apt.

[edit on 24-6-2005 by intrepid]

The man who uses the screen name GradyPhilpott does not live in fear. When I emailed one of my Senators recently, his office was back to me in a couple of weeks with an answer to my concern. In the past, I have relied on my Congresswoman to help with me with some governmental bureaucratic problems I was experiencing at the time.

I think the politicians here are very receptive and accessible, if only one will reach out to them. I believe that I know considerably more about living in the United States than you do and your thinly veiled insult as to my intellignece did not go unnoticed. Maybe you should lay off the sauce.

Originally posted by GradyPhilpott
I think the politicians here are very receptive and accessible, if only one will reach out to them. I believe that I know considerably more about living in the United States than you do and your thinly veiled insult as to my intellignece did not go unnoticed. Maybe you should lay off the sauce.

Grady, do yourself a favor, ditch the hostility, it just nulifies any point you may have. I live not an hour from the States, was there a few months ago.

What the hell am I doing? Justifying myself? Same crap that you guys are doing? No, I'm not playing that stupid game that you guys are.

This poll is crap, anyone that places any merit in it is OWNED. As I suspect.

The survey is what it is, no more, no less. I think you're just surprised that I know anything at all about Green Day.

Originally posted by GradyPhilpott
The survey is what it is, no more, no less. I think you're just surprised that I know anything at all about Green Day.

Not really. I suspect that we aren't that far apart in age but we have a difference, I'd read your u2u's.

Originally posted by intrepid
Not really. I suspect that we aren't that far apart in age but we have a difference, I'd read your u2u's.

That was an accident. There were several unread posts that went down the tubes in that one click. I'm better at it now.

Speaking of Green Day. I was at their first Milton Keyne's concert last Saturday and witnessed the vast majority of 65,000 people boo the name of "George W. Bush". When Billy Joe asked the crowd to "tell the red necks in American just what you think of them" most of the crowd also errupted into boos. Green Day are from California and are on their American Idiot tour.

Does the fact that not all the crowd might of booed change the fact of what I witnessed? Did I hear any cheers when George W. Bush's name was mentioned? Definately not. Does the fact that their is no 100% effective way of surveying every single human on the planet change a lot fo peoples underlying distrust of America? No

Is this poll decisive? No. Is there any better guage of public sentiment than surveys and polls? No. Even when the question is as simple as "is your opinion on the United States "favourable" or "unfavourable"" the vast majority of those polled reply "unfavourable".

Having lived in both the UK and Australia recently I can give my own insight into public sentiment of George W. Bush's America. There are people who defend his actions in Iraq but im yet to talk to any one, at work, friends, family, see on TV etc who trust him, or who like him. Could this be an indication of the company I keep? Sure. Could this be an indication of the TV I watch? Sure. Does the absence of conclusive proof of what I see negate the public sentiment I have witnessed? No

Even when shown public demonstrations against America some try to dismiss it as organised anti-Americanism. Huh? Isnt that the whole point? Just because some protests might be organised by groups that do not like America only strengthens the argument that public opinion of the United States is lower than its ever been.

Why should Americans care about World public sentiment Seekerof? There are many reasons.

Trade, you cannot trade with yourself and maintain the standard of living your country has. If people's opinions are such that they hate the USA then quite alot of them will not buy your products. If they hate the USA in enough numbers the politicians in their countries could be voted into power and pander to that sentiment. These include Allied nations but the examples of Australia and Britain are different due to a complete lack of credible opposition. No one in their right mind would of voted Michael Howard into power and although Mark Latham had more charisma in his glasses than John Howard does in his body he stil was not a credible replacement.

When fighting the international War on Terror you need the cooperation of every country in the World if you even wish to win such a task. If you are having to wage war on every country that you suspect of harbouring terrorists because they wont talk to you it is a problem.

Terrorism is also a direct by-product of negative views of the United States. These people are not prepared to blow themselves up because they kinda like you, kinda dont. They hate you. When polls start showing that the world is increasingly favouring the USA less and less then its logical to assume those highly pissed off people with militant tendencies will be pushed into becoming terrorists. I think thats something for Americans to worry about.

When Rumsfeld spoke about "winning hearts and minds" of Iraqi's he wasnt doing it for the fuzzy feeling that comes from knowing people like you. It was a cold, hard tactic designed to mitigate the eventual insurgencey. If people like you they generally dont want to kill you. If Rumsfeld cares what Iraqi's opinions are of the United States you can pretty much assume that the overall view the World holds of the United States is important.

You can argue all you want about whether peoples opinions, like mine, are justified but the fact that we have these opinions is the point. You cant change my opinion that Bush is in it for the money when news reports about Haliburton and Carlyle Group stories come up. You cant change my opinion that the United States is a human rights abuser when Guantanamo Bay still exists and wont allow UN inspectors in to it. Whether you think I am right, or wrong doesnt factor into it. I feel this way and quite a lot of other people do as well.

When you start to lose old friends (i.e. public sentiment in Britain, Australia, France, Germany etc) it makes your life harder. Could you survive without our support? Probably. Would your life change because of it? Drastically.

[edit on 26/6/05 by subz]