Poll: Israel ranks 8th on list of most beloved countries

In a recent Gallup phone survey 71 percent of Americans view Israel in a ‘very favorable’ or ‘mostly favorable’ light

By Gabe Fisher 19 February 2012, 8:37 am 6 Edit

US President Barack Obama talks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House in 2012 (Avi Ohayon/Government Press Office/Flash90)

Israel is viewed favorably by most Americans and ranks as the eighth “most favored” country, according to a Gallup poll released last week. Israel was viewed by 71 percent of those surveyed in a “very favorable” or “mostly favorable” light, among its highest rankings in the ten year history of this particular Gallup poll.

The poll was conducted in a random land line and cellphone survey of 1,029 Americans from all 50 states and Washington, DC, with a margin of error at ±4%.

Leading the pack in likability were fellow English-speaking countries: Canada, Australia and Great Britain, followed by Germany, Japan, France, India and then Israel.

The least liked country was Iran, with only 10% stating they felt “very favorable” or “mostly favorable” toward it. The other least liked countries were North Korea, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Syria, the Palestinian Authority and Iraq.

The poll was notable for the extremely high ratings given to traditional US allies, but also for increased favorable ratings for Cuba, Egypt, Mexico and Saudi Arabia. China’s rating suffered a steep drop but was still considered within the standard range for this poll.

Israel’s total breakdown was: Very favorable: 29%; Mostly favorable: 42%; Mostly unfavorable: 17%; Very unfavorable: 7%; No opinion: 4%.