This Flash Eurobarometer survey asked citizens to report their patterns of interaction with people of different cultural backgrounds, and to inquire about their general attitude towards cultural diversity and specifically, the upcoming events of the of the Year of Intercultural Dialogue in the EU.
The second Anholt-GMI Nation Brands Index (NBI) report ranks the brand power and appeal of 25 developed and developing nations and is based on the opinion of 10, 000 consumers from 10 countries. Surveyed globally by market research solutions provider GMI, the NBI, led by nation brand expert Simon Anholt, is the first analytical ranking of nation brands based on worldwide public perceptions of a country’s cultural, political, commercial and human assets, investment potential and tourist appeal
Anti-Americanism in Europe, the Middle East and Asia, which surged as a result of the U.S. war in Iraq, shows modest signs of abating. But the United States remains broadly disliked in most countries surveyed, and the opinion of the American people is not as positive as it once was. The magnitude of America's image problem is such that even popular U.S. policies have done little to repair it.
Political parties are most corrupt institution worldwide according to TI Global Corruption Barometer 2004. In six out of 10 countries, political parties are given the worst assessment. Governments must enhance efforts to fight graft, starting with ratification of UN Convention against Corruption
The findings of a World Economic Forum survey on security and prosperity – the Voice of the People survey - carried out by Gallup International, makes grim reading for the world’s leaders, particularly its politicians. Around the world respondents to the survey overwhelmingly found that political leaders are: dishonest; have too much power; and are too easily influenced by people more powerful than themselves (approximately 6 out of 10 citizens around the world associated these characteristics with politicians)
After the intense debates and disagreements of the past three years, the transatlantic community is divided. While Americans and Europeans have similar threat perceptions, they differ markedly on how best to deal with these threats and under what aegis. One result of this division is that many Europeans, while wanting to cooperate with the United States, also want to play a more independent role in the world. By contrast, Americans seek a closer partnership with a strong European Union even if it would not always agree with US perceptions or prescriptions
The biggest transnational election of all times has just taken place. Nearly 360 million voters from 25 Member States were invited to elect their representatives to the European Parliament between 10 and 13 June. On the day after the opening session, the new assembly will consist of no fewer than 732 MEP as against 626 in 1999. The results of this election call for three major observations: Very high abstention that prompts some to refer to a real democratic breakdown; strong mobilisation of Euroscepticism in certain Member States; Protest vote with regard to certain Governments in national office
A very clear majority of citizens declared they were in favour of the adoption of a Constitution by the European Union (79%). This proportion has risen slightly since January 2004 (+2 points). Respondents of the fifteen pre-enlargement Member States seem more often to be “rather favourable” to this proposal, whereas the responses in the new Member States stagnated. The rate of acceptance of this proposal varies significantly from one Member State to another –from 50% in Sweden and 51% in the United Kingdom to more than 90% in Hungary, Spain and Italy
Despite the rising death toll of American fighting men and women in Iraq and continued news coverage of insurrection and anger against Americans in that country, a majority of Americans remain convinced that U.S. involvement in Iraq has been worth it so far, and that sending troops there was not a mistake (From Gallup News Service)
A year after the war in Iraq, discontent with America and its policies has intensified rather than diminished. Opinion of the United States in France and Germany is at least as negative now as at the war’s conclusion, and British views are decidedly more critical. Perceptions of American unilateralism remain widespread in European and Muslim nations, and the war in Iraq has undermined America’s credibility abroad
This new edition of the Eurobarometer focuses on Justice and Home Affairs. The aim of the survey is to gauge European public opinion on judicial cooperation between member states and on aspects of the right to asylum and immigration policies
In its latest European edition, the US weekly Time Magazine has a special feature on Spain, 'Spain Takes on the World'. The report offers full coverage of the main aspects of Spain's political, cultural and social scene
Many early observers of our democracy predicted that public opinion would be fickle, making democratic governance and particularly the prosecution of war difficult. The data below contradict that assumption. Americans are never spoiling for a fight. But once convinced of the justness of a cause, they are resolute. They give their Presidents considerable latitude in the conduct of foreign policy once a basic level of trust has been established. The magnitude of the 9/11 attacks, the personal response of President Bush, and the response of his team gave the administration instant credibility in an area where the President previously had average marks
In general, there has been broad continuity in terms of Spain’s approach to the CFSP in the past decade. Being Europeanist in its objectives and intergovernmentalist in its methods, Spain has been an active participant in the definition of the CFSP, especially in early 1990’s, although it is gradually adopting a more pragmatic and laissez-faire stance.
