Those who believe in American "exceptionalism" (the idea that the United States is by far the best country in the world) are not going to like the results of the newest BBC Country Ratings Poll. The BBC does this poll each year, interviewing over 26,000 people about whether they hold a negative or positive view of 16 countries and the European Union. To be fair, the respondents living in a particular country are excluded when figuring the average percentages for each country.As you can see from the graphic above, the United States finished in the middle of the pack -- with 6 countries and the European Union having both a higher positive rating and a lower negative rating. The U.S. was viewed positively by 45% of respondents and negatively by 34% of respondents. Last year those numbers for the U.S. was 47% positive and 33% negative (which means the U.S. has dropped a bit in the estimation of those living in other countries). Note that less than half of those living in other countries have a positive view of the U.S.
This year Germany was rated the most popular country (with a 59% positive rating and 15% negative rating). Last year Japan was the most popular country, but this year they dropped 7 points from their positive rating and added 6 points to their negative rating -- dropping them down to fourth in the rating poll. Iran was the least popular country (with a 15% positive rating and a 59% negative rating -- exactly the opposite of Germany's numbers). Iran was also the least popular last year.
