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Page last updated at 01:39 GMT, Wednesday, 2 April 2008 02:39 UK
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World views US 'more positively'

Attitudes to the United States are improving, an opinion poll carried out for the BBC World Service suggests.

The average percentage of people saying that the US has a positive influence has risen to 35% from 31% a year ago, according to the survey.

Those saying the US has a negative influence fell five percentage points to 47%.

The poll, part of a regular survey of world opinion, interviewed more than 17,000 people in 34 countries.

The survey period was the three months up to the end of January 2008.

However, the poll finds that views of US influence in the world are still mainly negative, though they improved in 11 out of the 23 countries also polled a year ago.

Perceptions of the US worsened in three - Canada, Lebanon and Egypt.

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[urlhttp://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7324337.stm]Worldviews[/url]

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Page last updated at 07:16 GMT, Wednesday, 2 April 2008 08:16 UK
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US welcomes just a little more love
By Kim Ghattas
BBC News, Washington



A BBC World Service poll suggests a slightly more positive view of the US around the world. It is only an improvement of four percentage points- with 35% of people saying the US is a positive influence, rather than 31% - but it has been welcomed by American officials and people alike.


A boost in US popularity could mean fewer anti-American protests

"I think that's a huge deal, I'm so glad to hear that," said Kirsten Young, a stay-at-home mother from Minnesota.

Julie Moss, a retired teacher from New York, said she was surprised but pleased by the news.

"People in foreign countries, especially Europe and the Middle East, get so hostile when they hear you're American, me and my husband sometimes pretend we're Canadian when we travel," she said.

At the US state department, principal deputy assistant secretary of state Kurt Volker said in a BBC interview that "everyone wants to be loved".

But, he added: "We are a superpower, we have tremendous responsibility, a large economy, large diplomatic reach and military reach, so naturally the world looks at the US with much greater attention than any other country in the world."

'Working together'

Steven Kull, one of the pollsters and director of the Maryland-based Program on International Policy Attitudes, said the poll results showed that while there had not been a sudden "flip", a corner had been turned.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7325658.stm