ANALYSIS
Positive views of Canada and UK fall to lowest level since 1980s amid tensions with Trump
Positive ratings of Canada have fallen nine percentage points, while those of the U.K. have fallen eight points. Prior to this year, Canada and the U.K. averaged 91% and 88% favorable ratings, respectively.
Elizabeth Tower
Americans' positive views of Canada and the U.K., historic allies, have changed. A Gallup poll revealed they have reached their lowest level since the 1980s.
The data comes at a time when President Donald Trump has criticized the leaders of those nations. U.S. relations with those countries have been strained this past year amid fierce disputes over trade and tariffs, the NATO military alliance and President Donald Trump's statements about making Canada the 51st state.
The survey indicated that since last year, Canada's positive ratings have fallen nine percentage points, while the U.K.’s have fallen eight points. Prior to this year, Canada and the United Kingdom averaged 91% and 88% favorable ratings, respectively.
Currently, positive opinions of Canada stand at 80% and of the United Kingdom at 76%. In that regard, the analysis detailed that the worst opinions about allies are most evident among Republicans.
Favorable opinion of Canada among Republicans has dropped 23 points, from 85% in 2025 to 62% today, a figure far below any previous rating recorded among Republican voters. Meanwhile, 95% of Democrats have a positive perception of the country, a level similar to last year's 92%. In fact, at least nine in ten Democrats have expressed consistently favorable views of Canada since 2011.
As for the United Kingdom, Republican views have also fallen sharply in the past year, from 84% to 64%, marking a new low of 18 percentage points. Views of Democrats have also fallen modestly this year, from 93% to 89%, after rising between 2024 and 2025.
Which countries rank highest in positive views?
North Korea and Iran, both with 13 % favorable opinions, are among the worst-rated countries in the survey. Russia (17%) is the only other country among the 21 analyzed whose favorable rating is below 20%.
In contrast, there is one country whose image has improved among Americans: China. Currently, 34% of Americans have a favorable opinion of the country, more than double the number three years ago, when that indicator fell to a low of 15%. The last time positive perceptions of China exceeded the current level was in 2019, when 41% of respondents viewed it favorably.
"Opinions of China have typically been more negative than positive since Gallup first asked about it in 1979. There have been a few instances when China was viewed favorably overall. This includes the record-high 72% rating in early 1989 that plummeted to 34% after the Tiananmen Square incident later that year," Gallup explained.
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