The majority of Americans are now seeing through the UN. Go to the URL for the charts.
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GALLUP POLL ANALYSES
September 10, 2003
Six in 10 Americans Say United Nations Doing Poor Job
Highest negative rating for U.N. in Gallup polling history
by Jeffrey M. Jones
GALLUP NEWS SERVICE
PRINCETON, NJ -- The United States is now looking for increased U.N. involvement in the reconstruction of Iraq, representing a shift from earlier policy favoring a more limited U.N. role. The United Nations' refusal to back the U.S.-led military action in Iraq has greatly affected the way Americans view the world organization. A recent CNN/USA Today/Gallup poll finds a majority of Americans saying the United Nations' failure to support the Iraq invasion caused them to view the United Nations less favorably. In addition, 6 in 10 Americans now say the United Nations is doing a poor job of handling the problems it has had to face, the highest negative rating Gallup has measured on this item since 1953. Nevertheless, 61% of Americans believe the United States should continue to fund the United Nations at current or higher levels.
Decision Not to Support Iraq Invasion Causes U.N. Ratings to Plummet
The latest CNN/USA Today/Gallup poll, conducted Aug. 25-26, finds 37% of Americans saying the United Nations is doing "a good job of trying to solve the problems it has had to face," while 60% say it is doing a poor job. The latter figure is the highest negative percentage Gallup has measured since it began asking the question in 1953 (the United Nations was founded in 1945). Historically, there have been times when the positive ratings of the United Nations have been lower than the 37% found in the most recent poll. For example, just 28% of Americans said the United Nations was doing a good job in August 1985, two months after Muslim terrorists hijacked a TWA airliner, held passengers hostage for two weeks, and killed one American. However, when the percentage giving the United Nations a positive evaluation was lower than it is now, a substantial proportion of Americans did not have an opinion of the organization, so the percentage of negative evaluations never reached 60%.
Do you think the United Nations is doing a good job or a poor job in trying to solve the problems it has had to face?
The war with Iraq and the U.N. decision not to support U.S. policy plays a significant role in the current low ratings. As recently as January 2003, Americans had a net-positive view of the United Nations, with 50% saying it was doing a good job and 42% a bad job. But after unsuccessful attempts to win over reluctant members of the Security Council, including a highly publicized address by Secretary of State Colin Powell in February, the percentage of Americans giving the United Nations positive marks fell to 37% by mid-March, just days before the war began. The public's views of the United Nations have not improved over the past several months. Other Gallup polling conducted just prior to the start of the war shows Americans' ratings of countries that opposed the invasion, such as France, Germany, and Russia, also becoming more negative.
The current poll also finds 55% of Americans saying the U.N. policy on the Iraq invasion gives them a less favorable view of the organization. Fifteen percent of Americans say it gives them a more favorable view, and 29% say it does not make much difference in their opinion.
As you may know, earlier this year the United Nations Security Council did not support the invasion of Iraq. How did that affect your view of the United Nations? Did it make you have a ? more favorable view of the U.N., did it not make much difference, or did it make you have a less favorable view of the U.N.?
Aug. 25-26, 2003
Ratings of the United Nations on the "good/poor job" item have fallen among most major subgroups. This is even true among Democrats and self-identified liberals, two key subgroups in which relatively high proportions say they have a more favorable view of the United Nations for not supporting the invasion.
Only about 18 months ago, in the wake of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks and an overwhelming international response to fight terrorism, 58% of Americans said the United Nations was doing a good job, the most positive evaluation Americans have ever given the United Nations in a Gallup Poll.
Half of Americans Prefer No Change in U.S. Funding
Despite overall negative views of the United Nations, a majority of Americans say the United States should keep its funding of the United Nations the same (50%) or increase it (11%). A substantial minority, 37%, favors a decrease in funding.
Views on this matter are generally consistent across subgroups. Older Americans (those 65 and older) are one exception to this general pattern, with this group as likely to favor a cut in U.S. funding (41%), as it is to favor a continuation of current policy (40%). A majority of older men actually favor a decrease.
Survey Methods
These results are based on telephone interviews with a randomly selected national sample of 1,009 adults, aged 18 and older, conducted Aug. 25-26, 2003. For results based on this sample, one can say with 95% confidence that the maximum error attributable to sampling and other random effects is ±3 percentage points. In addition to sampling error, question wording and practical difficulties in conducting surveys can introduce error or bias into the findings of public opinion polls.
Copyright © 2003 The Gallup Organization, Princeton, NJ. |
