Pew Research 35-Country Survey... No Alternatives Yet, Favorability Rate Still at 58%
A public opinion survey revealed that skepticism toward the United Nations is quite significant worldwide ahead of the opening of the 79th UN General Assembly on the 10th.
According to Yonhap News Agency, on the 8th, the U.S. polling organization Pew Research Center reported that in a UN favorability survey conducted among citizens of 35 countries, 58% of all respondents expressed a favorable view of the UN. This survey was conducted amid the ongoing wars causing psychological distress worldwide, during which the perception that the UN is less effective than expected has been spreading.
On the 29th of last month (local time), a child was carrying water in the refugee camp of Deir al-Balah in the Gaza Strip, Palestine. [Photo by AP/Yonhap News]
Among the 35 countries surveyed, 22 showed a higher proportion of respondents with a favorable view of the UN, but in Greece, Israel, Japan, Tunisia, and Turkiye, the proportion of negative responses toward the UN was higher.
South Korea (75%) was among the countries with favorable responses toward the UN. In the Philippines and Kenya, the proportion of respondents with a favorable view of the UN exceeded 80%, and major countries such as the United States (52%) and the United Kingdom (62%) also showed favorable opinions.
On the other hand, Israel, which is at war with the Palestinian armed group Hamas, had the highest proportion of negative responses at 76% among all surveyed countries. It is already well known that overall, favorable views toward the UN exceed unfavorable ones. However, what stands out in this survey is the sharp decline in the proportion of favorable respondents in various countries.
In Israel, where negative views of the UN were the highest, the proportion of favorable responses dropped to 21%, down 10 percentage points from 31% last year. In the United Kingdom, the proportion of those expressing a favorable view of the UN this year was 62%, down from 72% last year. Favorability also declined over the past year in the United States, South Korea, Australia, France, Germany, Mexico, Nigeria, South Africa, and Sweden.
Only two countries showed an increase in favorability compared to last year: Argentina and Hungary, with rises of 6 and 15 percentage points, respectively.
When looking at respondents by ideological orientation, in most countries including the United States, Israel, Australia, and Germany, respondents with progressive leanings had a higher proportion of positive views toward the UN than those with conservative leanings.
Meanwhile, the international situation surrounding the UN’s role in maintaining international order and security remains complex. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has lasted over two years and six months, and the war between Israel and the Palestinian armed group Hamas will mark its first anniversary next month. World leaders have also occasionally called for reforms of the UN.
On the 5th, Chinese President Xi Jinping met with UN Secretary-General Ant?nio Guterres, who attended the China-Africa Cooperation Forum, reiterating the need to move away from a U.S.-centered international order and to reform international financial institutions such as the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
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