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Global survey: At least 8 in 10 say the U.S. has handled coronavirus "badly"

15 September 2020
Dan Ackermann
Data: Pew Research Center; Chart: Axios Visuals

The U.S. has suffered a steep decline in its global image and reputation in the aftermath of its response to the coronavirus pandemic, a new survey from the Pew Research Center shows.

The big picture: Since the start of the Trump administration in 2017, the global view of the U.S. has steadily declined. However, positive views of the U.S. are now at record lows according to Pew, and in none of the 13 countries surveyed "do more than a fifth think the U.S. has done at least a somewhat good job dealing with the virus."

Details: The percentage of people who have a favorable view of the U.S. dropped from 2019 to 2020 in Japan (-27), South Korea (-18), Italy (-17), Australia (-17), France (-17), the U.K. (-16), Canada (-16), the Netherlands (-16), Germany (-13), Spain (-12) and Sweden (-12). Pew also surveyed Denmark (34% favorability) and Belgium (24%), but data wasn't available for 2019.

  • At least 8 in 10 people in the 13 countries say the "U.S. has handled the virus badly."
  • Only a third of Canadians view the U.S. positively. In Germany, only 26% of people have a positive view of the U.S., and only 10% have confidence in Trump's ability to handle world affairs.
  • South Korea holds the highest views of the U.S. among the countries surveyed, and is the only one where a majority sees the U.S. positively at 59%. That's still a significant drop from 2017, when 75% of South Koreans held positive views about America.
  • In all of the Western European countries polled, support for the U.S. is higher among those who support right-wing populist parties in their own countries. Support for the U.S. is also higher among men than women.

The survey also looked at views of five world leaders in addition to Trump. Even though confidence in Russian President Vladimir Putin (23%) and Chinese President Xi (19%) is extremely low, Trump (16%) still ranks below them among people in the 13 countries.

  • Confidence in German Chancellor Angela Merkel (76%), French President Emmanuel Macron (64%), British Prime Minister Boris Johnson (48%) was much higher.

By the numbers: The drop in confidence in Trump from 2019 to 2020 is stark.

  • South Korea had the biggest decline at 29%, followed by Italy (16%), the UK (13%), Australia (12%), and Japan (11%).
  • France, Canada and the Netherlands saw drops in confidence ranging between 9% and 7%, while Spain, Sweden, and Germany dropped from 5% to 3% — though their confidence in 2019 was not very high to begin with.

Methodology: Pew reports the survey was conducted among 13,273 respondents in 13 countries – not including the U.S. – from June 10 to Aug. 3, 2020.

Transcripts show George Floyd told police "I can't breathe" over 20 times

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Newly released transcripts of bodycam footage from the Minneapolis Police Department show that George Floyd told officers he could not breathe more than 20 times in the moments leading up to his death.

Why it matters: Floyd's killing sparked a national wave of Black Lives Matter protests and an ongoing reckoning over systemic racism in the United States. The transcripts "offer one the most thorough and dramatic accounts" before Floyd's death, The New York Times writes.

The state of play: The transcripts were released as former officer Thomas Lane seeks to have the charges that he aided in Floyd's death thrown out in court, per the Times. He is one of four officers who have been charged.

  • The filings also include a 60-page transcript of an interview with Lane. He said he "felt maybe that something was going on" when asked if he believed that Floyd was having a medical emergency at the time.

What the transcripts say:

  • Floyd told the officers he was claustrophobic as they tried to get him into the squad car.
  • The transcripts also show Floyd saying, "Momma, I love you. Tell my kids I love them. I'm dead."
  • Former officer Derek Chauvin, who had his knee on Floyd's neck for over eight minutes, told Floyd, "Then stop talking, stop yelling, it takes a heck of a lot of oxygen to talk."

Read the transcripts via DocumentCloud.