London, May 13: Europe and the EU have seen their influence around the world wane over the past 12 months due to the worsening financial crisis in the region, according to a BBC World Service Poll.
Just 48 per cent of people from around the world surveyed for the 2012 Country Ratings Poll said the EU had a “mostly positive” influence. In 2011 poll, 56 per cent rated the EU as a force for good.
While the EU has seen its reputation crash, China has risen remarkably during the same period. The survey shows that 50 per cent now rate China as a positive influence, up four points from 2011.
Sam Mountford, director, GlobeScan, which conducted the poll with Pipa, told Khaleej Times that Europe is no longer seen as “the bastion of stability” that it once was. “It's a remarkable shift but not all that surprising considering what's happened over the last year.”
At the other end of the scale, Iran and Pakistan were the two lowest-rated countries that featured in the survey. Last-place Iran was viewed to have a “mostly negative” influence by 55 per cent of respondents. Pakistan was looked at unfavourably by 51 per cent.
India recorded little change in 2012, keeping a 40 per cent positive view rating and a 27 per cent negative result, down one per cent.
The US, a country that had shown steady growth in the poll since 2007, saw its popularity wane this year. Positive views on US influence dropped one per cent from 2011 down to 47 while negative views climbed two points to 33.
The poll was conducted among 24,090 people who were asked to rate the influence of 16 countries and the EU as “mostly positive” or “mostly negative”.
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