77% of Americans have favorable view of Japan

well i feel like that’s a bit of a generalization. it’s not clear what kind of questions were asked. if you were to ask about the north korean regime, i’d have a negative view, but i generally have a positive view of north korean people, because i don’t feel they’re to blame for being born into unfortunate circumstances.

just the same, i don’t know that the 16% who hold unfavorable views of Japan are expressing lasting resentment over the war, or resentment over the outdated view that Japanese motor companies are stealing American jobs.

all things considered, i feel that this graph doesn’t really adequately answer any questions about American opinions of the world.

Yes, let’s thumbs-down everyone who opposes unverified random polls with high margins of error.

Also, they don’t go so far as to define what a “favorable view” consists of. I have a relatively “favorable view” of a lot of places I would never want to visit or live in. Germany, for example. Dubai, for seconds. Great places, I’m sure, but I don’t care to go there.

As someone once said: “75% of statistics can be made to say whatever you want, 100% of the time”.

The obvious question an average American would be faced with is:”WHAT do I know about thee 20 countries”.
NOT undermining the educational system, value system or knowledge of the average, but there is no one that will convince me that most people know anything about Yemen f.i.
However everything other country is based, as someone said on the news and recent war reports, or “unfavorable” governments, by the US, that are portrayed; yes some even are as totalitarian, WMD producers, overthrown governments, and general dissaray US needs to stomp on.

Iran, N. Korea, Afghanistan, The Palestine, Pakistan, Cuba, Saudi Arabia, even China, what does it mean to have an unfavorable opinion on, about what?

Their governmental, school, medical, military, cultural, foreign office politics or system?
Or going as far as moron would about their people, based on what, average American NEVER met most if any of the people from these countries if he had not visited them, 80% HAD NOT even visited any of these countries EVER, and can only either get input from children from those countries that came or are by some nature in the US, news????.

So we have to ask ourselves, what does favorable represent?
If I was to be asked to answer about 20 countries with 4 different kind of answers v.fav, m.fav, m.ufav, v.ufav; FIRST thing I would ask is “In what way?”
As people, as a nation, as a culture, as a political system, as…

It is absolutely idiotic to present the view of very few with a high error margin asking vague questions, and drawing a conclusion.

Also I have posted the previous year to reflect what countries are new on the list, such as Yemen.

I also think this sentence at the beginning of the 2010 article is the key:”‘Americans’ perceptions of 20 nations that figure prominently in the news or U.S. foreign policy held quite steady in the first year of the Obama administration. ”

As a closure, I would also like to pay attention to:”that’s because most Americans are obsessed with anime, asian girls and making chopstick use trendy”.

Which I believe not to be true at all, maybe for ages <24, and those that casually wander trough superficial culture understanding.

It would be the same idiocy as saying Most Japanese are obsessed with blonds, silicone breast implants, Playboy, Marvel comic superheroes, hotrod t bucket model cars, Elvis and burgers, because they think it is trendy.

Due to government education and the lack of funding there of, in the US not many have the opportunity to travel, and less to learn about other cultures other then their own, and at that in a local fashion, as nowadays they even cut out the Civil war from history.
What respect does one think anyone would have if children do not learn their own history.

that’s what I was wondering as well….

unless it’s true what they say….. that South Korea is the 51 State of the United States? Anthony Bourdain(travel
channel host) once made the mistake of saying just that.
(but in a nice way of complimenting South Korea)

also, why is AUSTRALIA not on the list?

i guess that gallup just prevented the risk to compare s,korea with japan. guess what will happen if the result say japan is favored by usa more than s korea?

Oh yeah – I hadn’t noticed. Well, I guess that means that South Korea’s “Do you know??” billboards/shopping bags/drycleaning bags/t-shirts/etc. campaign has been less effective than they thought it would be as a means to raise attention to themselves.

Perhaps they should reflect on this – “Do you know?? No-one gives a crap.”

I would agree that the survey is a crock for all the reasons mentioned above. Yet, somehow I believe that your statement that most Americans hate Japan is in error.

It seems to me that they watch the culture with appreciation and anticipation, even if without much understanding. My nieces, I know, are big fans of the culture. So are many others of the younger generation–particularly the online culture.

Granted you won’t hear them chear: Nippon-cha-cha-cha, but you will find them rooting on Ichiro, or rushing to the next big Ghibli film, or trying to get their hands on some anime comic.

Just my experience. YMMV