After tumbling to a new record low of 30% during the first year of Donald Trump’s presidency, the image of the U.S. is still as poor in his second. The median global approval rating that adults across 133 countries and areas give the job performance of U.S. leadership remained stable at 31% in 2018.

Although the approval rating for U.S. leadership did not change, the global balance of soft power continued to shift abroad. Despite a number of domestic and regional challenges, Germany securely remained the top-rated global power for the second consecutive year. However, the country’s 39% approval rating in 2018 was its first score below 40% in a decade.

China and Russia, on the other hand, gained considerable ground. After tying with the U.S. in 2017, China edged farther ahead of the U.S. in 2018 with its leadership earning a median approval rating of 34%. This is China’s highest score since 2009, but it is still well short of its previous highs. Russia’s approval rating rose to 30% in 2018, tying its previous high in 2008 and notably placing the […]