Publics around the world are decidedly unhappy about their nations’ economies. Most are displeased with current economic conditions and concerned about rising economic inequality; few are optimistic about the coming year. However, at the same time, most global publics say their personal finances are in better shape than their national economies, according to a new 39-nation survey.

But one of the most striking divides in global economic attitudes is that citizens of emerging market countries are overall more pleased with their economies than are people in advanced or developing economies.

In 2013, a median of 53% in emerging markets say their national economy is doing well, compared with 33% in developing countries and 24% in advanced economies. Attitudes are particularly grim in European countries, such as France (9% good), Spain (4%), Italy (3%) and Greece (1%). Publics in emerging markets such as China (88%) and Malaysia (85%) say their economy is doing especially well.

People in emerging markets also appear to have weathered the recent economic downturn more easily than others around the world. Attitudes in these countries have changed very little or even improved between 2007 and 2013. For example, today, 58% of Chileans say their economy is doing well, compared with 49% in 2007. Meanwhile, among countries surveyed in both 2007 and 2013, a median of 49% in the developing economies said the economy was doing well before the crisis, but just 25% say the same today. Similarly, positive ratings of the economy have declined by 20 percentage points in the advanced economies (44% in 2007 vs. 24% in 2013).¹

Despite unhappiness with the national economy in most countries, many around the world say they are doing well personally. Medians of roughly half or more in each type of economy say their personal finances are good. In the advanced and developing economies, the median percentage who are satisfied with their personal situation is much higher than ratings of the national economy. Among advanced economies, personal financial well-being is rated 34 percentage points higher than national conditions; in the developing countries, the gap is 14 points. And among both the developing and emerging economies, the publics are also optimistic about the future of their personal finances (medians of 53% and 52% say they will improve in the next year, respectively). Only 24% feel the same in the advanced economies.

Nonetheless, despite concerns about their personal economic outlook, people in advanced economies are much less likely than publics in either emerging or developing economies to report lacking the money to purchase food, health care or clothing for their family.

Economic inequality is a common concern for publics around the world. Most people agree that the economic system favors the wealthy. Majorities in most countries say the gap between the rich and the poor has increased in the past five years. This attitude is particularly prevalent among those who live in advanced economies. And at least half in most countries say the wealth gap is a very big problem in their nation, with the developing economies expressing especially high levels of anxiety.

Notwithstanding these concerns, nearly every public surveyed wants the government to focus on creating jobs or taming inflation as a top priority, rather than on reducing economic inequality.

These are among the key findings of a new survey by the Pew Research Center conducted in 39 countries among 37,653 respondents from March 2 to May 1, 2013.²

Gloomy Economic Context

Publics’ attitudes reflect their economic reality – and the global downturn that started after 2007 has had a profound impact on many countries’ economies. Annual growth rates have slowed over recent years in most nations surveyed. This slowdown has been particularly severe in the advanced economies, which had a median annual growth rate of 3.5% in 2007 but just 1.4% in 2012. Growth has also declined in the developing economies (median of 6.8% to 3.6%) and the emerging markets (median of 6.3% to 3.9%).

Despite a drop in growth rates for the advanced economies, this group of countries continues to be much wealthier than the emerging markets, even as the gap has closed somewhat. And the developing economies continue to be considerably poorer than the two other types of economies.

Dissatisfaction with the Economy

Majorities in 26 of the 39 countries surveyed think their economy is faring badly. Among the advanced economies, this includes roughly eight-in-ten or more in Greece (99%), Italy (96%), Spain (96%), France (91%), Britain (83%), the Czech Republic (80%) and South Korea (79%). In the developing economies, the Lebanese (90%), Tunisians (88%) and Pakistanis (81%) express comparable levels of dissatisfaction. Publics in the emerging markets, meanwhile, are less likely to say they are unhappy with their national economies – fewer than half in many of these countries say things are going poorly in their nation.

In many of the advanced and developing economies, economic satisfaction has declined precipitously over the course of the global downturn. Among the advanced economies with comparable data, the biggest declines in positive views of the economy since 2007 have been in Spain (-61 percentage points) and Britain
(-54 points). In the developing economies, attitudes among Pakistanis (-42 points) and Egyptians (-30) have soured the most. Many other countries in these two groups have experienced declines of at least 10 points or more.

In the emerging markets, meanwhile, only in Mexico (-13) have good reviews of the economy fallen by more than 10 points since 2007. Everywhere else, the change has either been minimal or the mood has improved.

The emerging markets also tend to be somewhat more optimistic about the coming year than others – a median of 48% say they expect national economic conditions to improve in the next 12 months, while only 17% say things will get worse. A median of roughly four-in-ten (43%) in developing economies also think things will get better, but 21% say they expect the economy to decline. The advanced economies are the most pessimistic – a median of just 25% say the economy is going to improve, while nearly a third (32%) think things will get worse in the coming year. The Greeks (64%) and French (61%) are the most pessimistic about the next 12 months.

The culprits for these widespread economic woes are both a lack of employment opportunities and rising prices. Creating jobs is clearly the top priority among the publics in advanced and developing economies (medians of 49% and 44%, respectively). However, people in emerging markets are more divided – a median of 33% name employment as the top priority while an equal percentage says the same about inflation.

Personal Finances Better than National Economy

Despite gloomy national conditions, many say their personal economic situation is good. This is one area where the emerging markets are not alone in their positive attitudes – a median of 57% among emerging market publics say things are going well personally, and a nearly equal percentage (58%) among the advanced economies feels good about their family finances. Publics in developing economies are somewhat less satisfied with their personal situation (47%).

Publics’ positive views of their personal situation have also changed little during the recession. Among the 20 countries surveyed in 2008, the first time the question was asked, and in 2013, satisfaction with personal finances declined by 10 percentage points or more in only five countries – Poland (-19 percentage points), Spain (-17 points), Mexico (-12 points), Pakistan (-11 points) and France (-10 points). Meanwhile, among some publics – especially in the emerging markets – positive reviews of their personal finances have gone up since 2008, including by 12 percentage points in Turkey, nine points in Indonesia, eight points in South Africa and six points in Argentina.

In addition, many are optimistic about their personal future. Medians of at least half in the developing economies (53%) and the emerging markets (52%) say they expect their own finances to improve over the next year. Publics in the advanced economies, however, are decidedly less optimistic about their personal outlook – a median of just 24% expect their own finances to get better in the next 12 months.

While people in advanced economies are most bearish about their economic situation, they report very low levels of deprivation relative to others around the world, including people in emerging nations who are more positive and optimistic about economic conditions.

Medians of roughly two-in-ten or fewer in advanced economies say they have been unable to afford the food, clothing or health care their families needed at some point in the past year. In the emerging markets and the developing economies, reports of deprivation are much higher. Among the emerging markets, medians of at least a quarter say they have had trouble getting basic necessities for their families. In the developing economies, roughly half or more in most countries report not being able to afford food, health care or clothing, especially in the African nations surveyed.

Reports of deprivation are closely related to national wealth. For example, in Australia, Canada and Germany – three of the richest countries surveyed in terms of 2012 GDP per capita – roughly one-in-ten or fewer have struggled in the past year to afford food. Meanwhile, in Uganda, Kenya and Senegal – among the poorest countries surveyed – half or more say food for their family has been hard to come by.

The United States is a clear outlier from this pattern. Despite being the richest country in the survey, nearly a quarter of Americans (24%) say they had trouble putting food on the table in the past 12 months. This reported level of deprivation is closer to that in Indonesia or Greece rather than Britain or Canada.

Inequality Seen as Rising

Even though inequality is not a top priority, it is a major concern for the publics surveyed. Clear majorities in most countries say the gap between the rich and the poor is a very big problem for their nation. Concern is especially high in developing economies, where a median of 74% say they are very worried. Somewhat fewer – though still high percentages – say the same in the emerging markets (67%) and the advanced economies (53%).

In addition, broad majorities in 31 of the 39 countries surveyed say the income gap has increased over the past five years. Reports of a rise in income inequality are particularly high in the advanced economies, where a median of 80% say things have gotten worse, compared with medians of 70% in the developing economies and 59% in the emerging markets.

An uneven distribution of wealth in a country may be due to an imbalanced economic system. Roughly two-thirds or more in most countries say their economic system favors the wealthy. Only in Malaysia (56%), Venezuela (53%) and Australia (51%) do at least half say the economic system is fair to most people in their country.

People are also skeptical about the potential for the next generation to move up. Across the 39 countries surveyed, fewer than half in 25 countries believe their nation’s children will be better off financially than their parents. Despair over the future is particularly high in the advanced economies, where roughly four-in-ten or fewer say things will get better for young people. Among this group, South Korea is the sole exception – 56% think children will be better off.

The Kaiser/Pew Global Health Survey, a unique new partnership between the Kaiser Family Foundation and the Pew Global Attitudes Project, examines how people around the world perceive and prioritize health in their countries and gauge the efforts of donor nations. As the report details, there is great variation in how health figures into people’s lives, and to what extent it is viewed as a problem for governments to address. Key findings from the 47-country survey include:

• Public health priorities in low and middle income countries. Preventing and treating HIV/AIDS is the top-rated health priority in the countries surveyed in sub-Saharan Africa and Asia. Fighting hunger and malnutrition is the top priority among countries surveyed in Latin America and the Middle East. And access to health care is seen as the top priority in Central/Eastern Europe. Almost all low and middle income countries surveyed rate each health issue quite high. Majorities in 23 of 34 low and middle income countries say every one of the nine health issues asked about should be “one of the most important” for their government to address.
• HIV/AIDS. Among “high prevalence countries” (defined here as those with an estimated HIV prevalence of 5% or more) and “next wave countries” (considered to be at earlier, but emerging, stages of their epidemics with large populations potentially at risk for HIV infection), large majorities say that HIV is a bigger problem now than it was five years ago, but there is also a strong sense of progress in terms of HIV prevention and treatment in most countries.
• Foreign aid resonates with recipients. Majorities in nearly every country surveyed say wealthier countries are not doing enough to help poorer nations with problems such as economic development, reducing poverty, and improving health. But among countries surveyed that were major recipients of development aid, people were much more likely to say that wealthy nations are “doing enough” to help poorer nations. Among the countries most likely to say wealthy nations are doing enough are Indonesia and sub-Saharan African nations, which have been the focus of tsunami relief and efforts to combat HIV/AIDS, respectively. In addition, the survey shows substantial support among wealthier nations to do more to help poorer nations.

The publics of the world broadly embrace key tenets of economic globalization but fear the disruptions and downsides of participating in the global economy. In rich countries as well as poor ones, most people endorse free trade, multinational corporations and free markets. However, the latest Pew Global Attitudes survey of more than 45,000 people finds they are concerned about inequality, threats to their culture, threats to the environment and threats posed by immigration. Together, these results reveal an evolving world view on globalization that is nuanced, ambivalent, and sometimes inherently contradictory.

There are signs that enthusiasm for economic globalization is waning in the West — Americans and Western Europeans are less supportive of international trade and multinational companies than they were five years ago. In contrast, there is near universal approval of global trade among the publics of rising Asian economic powers China and India.

The survey also finds that globalization is only one of several wide-ranging social and economic forces that are rapidly reshaping the world. Strong majorities in developing countries endorse core democratic values, but people are less likely to say their countries are ensuring free speech, delivering honest elections or providing fair trials to all. Conflicting views on the relationship between religion and morality sharply divide the world. But on gender issues, the survey finds that a global consensus has emerged on the importance of education for both girls and boys, while most people outside the Muslim world also say that women and men make equally good political leaders.

Costs and Benefits of Globalization

Overwhelmingly, the surveyed publics see the benefits of increasing global commerce and free market economies. In all 47 nations included in the survey, large majorities believe that international trade is benefiting their countries. For the most part, the multinational corporations that dominate global commerce receive favorable ratings. Nonetheless, since 2002 enthusiasm for trade has declined significantly in the United States, Italy, France and Britain, and views of multinationals are less positive in Western countries where economic growth has been relatively modest in recent years.

In most countries, majorities believe that people are better off under capitalism, even if it means that some may be rich and others poor. Support for free markets has increased notably over the past five years in Latin American and Eastern European nations, where increased satisfaction with income and perceptions of personal progress are linked to higher per capita incomes.

But there are widely shared concerns about the free flow of people, ideas and resources that globalization entails. In nearly every country surveyed, people worry about losing their traditional culture and national identities, and they feel their way of life needs protection against foreign influences. Importantly, the poll finds widespread concerns about immigration. Moreover, there is a strong link between immigration fears and concerns about threats to a country’s culture and traditions. Those who worry the most about immigration also tend to see the greatest need for protecting traditional ways of life against foreign influences.

Immigration Fears

In both affluent countries in the West and in the developing world, people are concerned about immigration. Large majorities in nearly every country surveyed express the view that there should be greater restriction of immigration and tighter control of their country’s borders.

Although Western publics remain concerned about immigration, they generally are less likely to back tighter controls today than they were five years ago, despite heated controversies over this issue in both Europe and the United States over the last few years. In Italy, however, support for greater restrictions has increased — 87% now support more controls on immigration, up seven points from 2002.

Concerns about immigration have increased in other countries as well, perhaps most notably in Jordan, where an influx of Iraqi refugees has raised the salience of this issue — 70% of Jordanians back tighter immigration controls, up from 48% five years ago.

Religion and Social Issues

Global publics are sharply divided over the relationship between religion and morality. In much of Africa, Asia, and the Middle East, there is a strong consensus that belief in God is necessary for morality and good values. Throughout much of Europe, however, majorities think morality is achievable without faith. Meanwhile, opinions are more mixed in the Americas, including in the United States, where 57% say that one must believe in God to have good values and be moral, while 41% disagree.

The survey finds a strong relationship between a country’s religiosity and its economic status. In poorer nations, religion remains central to the lives of individuals, while secular perspectives are more common in richer nations.¹ This relationship generally is consistent across regions and countries, although there are some exceptions, including most notably the United States, which is a much more religious country than its level of prosperity would indicate. Other nations deviate from the pattern as well, including the oil-rich, predominantly Muslim — and very religious — kingdom of Kuwait.

The survey also measured global opinion about contemporary social issues, finding a mix of traditional and progressive views. Throughout Western Europe and much of the Americas, there is widespread tolerance towards homosexuality. However, the United States, Japan, South Korea, and Israel stand apart from other wealthy nations on this issue; in each of these countries, fewer than half of those surveyed say homosexuality should be accepted by society. Meanwhile, in most of Africa, Asia and the Middle East, there is less tolerance toward homosexuality.

Regarding gender issues, there is a broad consensus that both boys and girls should receive an education. In all 47 countries surveyed, at least seven-in-ten respondents believe that education is equally important for boys and girls. Most publics also believe that men and women are equally qualified for political leadership, although there is less agreement on this issue. Notably, in several predominantly Muslim publics — including Mali, the Palestinian territories, Kuwait, Pakistan and Bangladesh — majorities say that men make better political leaders. The survey also asked about another often contentious gender issue: Muslim women wearing the veil. In 15 of 16 Muslim publics surveyed, majorities say women should have the right to decide whether they wear a veil. Women generally are more likely than men to express this opinion.

Views of Democracy

Most key democratic principles are broadly supported throughout the developing world. Large majorities in most of the 35 developing countries surveyed strongly value religious freedom and an impartial judicial system. Somewhat smaller majorities endorse honest multiparty elections, free speech and a media free from government censorship. But majorities in only six nations rate civilian control of the military as very important, the least valued of the six core democratic principles tested.

While basic democratic freedoms are prized throughout the developing world, experiencing such liberties is another matter. This “democracy gap” is generally widest in the Middle East. In Lebanon, for example, more than eight-in-ten people view free speech, honest multiparty elections and a fair judicial system as “very important.” But the number of Lebanese who believe these characteristics describe their country “very well” is much lower — only 36% for free speech, 23% for a fair judicial system, and 17% for multiparty elections.

As in past surveys, majorities in predominantly Muslim nations continue to believe Western-style democracy can work in their countries. But in the current poll, Turks are more skeptical of this than they have been over the past five years. This may reflect anti-Western sentiment more than a diminished appetite for democracy, which Turks broadly embrace. In contrast, however, the weakest endorsement of democracy comes not from the Muslim world, but from Russia, where by a greater than two-to-one margin people say a strong leader, rather than democracy, can best solve the country’s problems.

Other questions suggest that the struggle to meet basic human needs can supersede support for democracy. For example, most publics in both the developed and developing world say being free from hunger and poverty is more important to them than either free speech or religious freedom. The conflict between basic rights and basic needs is particularly apparent in the developing world, home to many of the newest and most fragile democracies. When asked to choose between a strong economy and a good democracy, majorities in 14 of 36 developing countries choose prosperity, while majorities in 15 select a good democracy.

Other findings from this wide-ranging survey include:

Attitudes toward government

• Concerns about excessive government control have increased in much of Western and Eastern Europe, with particularly large increases in Poland, Germany and the Czech Republic. Overall, worries about government intrusion into daily life are higher in Western Europe than in the former Eastern bloc.
• Majorities in every country surveyed say that the government should take care of the very poor who cannot take care of themselves. Support for a social safety net is widespread across all regions, although slightly weaker in Japan, Jordan and Egypt.
• Few publics favor economic growth at the expense of the environment. In 46 of 47 countries surveyed, majorities say the environment should be given priority, even if this means lower growth and fewer jobs.

American exceptionalism

• Americans tend to be more religious than the publics of other affluent nations. Americans also are more likely to say that individuals are in control of their lives, another indication of what some scholars describe as “American exceptionalism” in terms of core attitudes and beliefs.
• Americans are somewhat more likely than the publics of most NATO allies to support the use of force in the international arena. Overwhelmingly, Americans think military force is sometimes necessary in world affairs, while among European publics there is greater division on this issue. Egyptians, Jordanians and Germans are most likely to reject the view that military force is sometimes necessary.
• More than half of Americans say their culture is superior to others, a larger proportion than in most other Western publics. But in Italy, nearly seven-in-ten say their way of life is better.

Muslims and their beliefs

• In most Muslim countries, at least one-in-three Muslims — including more than half in Lebanon and Turkey — sees a struggle between Islamic fundamentalists and those who want to modernize their countries.
• While most publics agree that religion and politics do not mix, opinions are moving in opposite directions in two key Muslim allies of the United States. Support for strict separation between religion and government is growing in Pakistan, while in Turkey support for such separation has declined significantly in the past five years.
• Large majorities in every Latin American, Eastern European and African country surveyed say that women should be able to choose their own husbands. But sizable minorities in several predominantly Muslim countries in the Middle East and Asia — and a majority in Pakistan — say that a woman’s family should choose her husband.

Immigration

• North Americans generally are more welcoming to immigrants than are Western Europeans. Among Western European publics, Swedes are the most likely to say immigration from North Africa and the Middle East, as well as from Eastern Europe, is a good thing for their country, while Italians and Germans express the most negative views.
• Sizable minorities in 11 of the 36 developing countries surveyed say they regularly receive money from relatives living in another country. In Lebanon and Bangladesh, nearly half of respondents say they receive help from family members living abroad.

Media and technology

• People around the world continue to turn to television for news about international and national issues. The only exceptions are several African nations where radio is still the primary source of information. Newspapers continue to lose readers and trail far behind television as a news source.
• Online news sources are steadily gaining in popularity in the West and parts of Asia but draw only a tiny audience in Africa or Latin America.
• Computer ownership has steadily risen in the past five years, particularly in Eastern Europe. At the same time, the gap in technology use between the world’s advanced countries and less developed nations has increased significantly.
• Cell phone ownership is increasing at a dramatic pace in both the developed and developing worlds. Since 2002, cell phone ownership has grown by 20 percentage points or more in 24 of the 35 countries where trend data is available.

Support for free markets has increased; most publics endorse a capitalist approach to economics, even if that creates a gap between rich and poor. Yet there also is broad support for a government safety net to aid the neediest in society. And few favor economic growth at the expense of the environment; majorities in nearly every country surveyed say the environment should be protected, even if it means less growth and a loss of jobs.

There also are widespread concerns about the impact of global change on tradition and culture. Large majorities in nearly every country feel their traditions need protection from foreign influences. And while support for economic globalization remains high, the belief that trade benefits people’s countries has declined in much of Western Europe and the United States.

Support for International Trade

In all 47 nations included in the survey, large majorities say international trade is a good thing for their countries. In nine countries, at least 90% of respondents support international trade. Positive views of international trade are particularly widespread in Africa, the world’s poorest region. More than eight-in-ten people in the 10 African nations surveyed believe that trade ties are having a positive impact.

Some publics have become more receptive to trade in recent years. In 2002, Jordanians were particularly skeptical of the benefits of trade, with just 52% saying trade with other countries was good for Jordan. In the current survey, 72% of Jordanians express that view. Positive views of international trade also have increased in Argentina, though less dramatically (60% in 2002, 68% currently).

Overall, however, views about trade have grown somewhat more negative in nearly half of the 35 countries that were surveyed in both 2002 and 2007. In 14 countries, the proportion expressing positive opinions of foreign trade has declined substantially. By contrast, positive opinions of trade have increased in just four countries, and has held fairly steady in 17 countries.

Notable declines are particularly common in the advanced economies of the West. Although support for trade remains high in Western Europe, enthusiasm has diminished in Germany, Britain, France and Italy. However, the largest decline among the 35 countries for which comparative data are available has taken place in the United States.

American Views of Trade

The country with the world’s largest economy is the least likely among surveyed countries to embrace global trade. Just 59% of Americans say trade with other countries is having a good effect on the U.S., down sharply from 2002, when 78% believed it was having a positive impact.

The American public’s views vary by age, income and party identification. Roughly eight-in-ten (78%) of those younger than 30, and 58% of those ages 30 to 49, believe that trade has a positive impact on the United States. By comparison, people ages 50 and older are more divided (51% good, 43% bad). Wealthier Americans also are more likely than poorer people to support international trade; two-thirds (67%) of those with household incomes of $75,000 or more think it has a good impact, compared with only 53% of those with incomes below $30,000.

In addition, Democrats are less likely than Republicans or independents to feel trade is having a good effect on the U.S. Democratic attitudes toward trade have soured tremendously over the last five years: in 2002, 77% said trade was having a positive impact, compared with just 53% today

Positive Views of Multinational Corporations

In addition to having positive views about international trade, the surveyed publics also have generally favorable views of multinational corporations. In 41 of 47 countries surveyed, majorities or pluralities say that foreign companies are having a good impact on their countries. However, opinions of multinationals in the West have declined since 2002.

Overall, Western Europeans take a relatively skeptical view of companies from other countries. Among 47 nations surveyed, France is the only country where a majority says that foreign corporations are having a negative effect. In 2002, the French were slightly more likely to take a positive view of foreign companies (50% good, 45% bad), but today a solid majority believes they are having a negative impact (44% good, 55% bad). Positive views of foreign corporations also have declined by 13 percentage points in Italy, 12 points in Great Britain, and by 10 points in Germany.

Canadians also have lost some of their enthusiasm for foreign companies. Five years ago, 55% of Canadians said they were having a good impact on Canada; today, fewer than half (48%) express this view. In the United States, 50% now see foreign companies as having a positive impact, compared with 45% in 2002.

As is the case with opinions about trade, younger Americans express a more positive view of multinational corporations than do older people: 59% of 18-29-year-olds say foreign companies are having a good effect on the United States, compared with 45% of 30-49 year-olds, and just 38% of those ages 50 and older. In contrast with views about international trade, however, there are no significant differences among income levels and partisan groups. Indeed, virtually identical percentages of Republicans (45%), independents (45%) and Democrats (44%) believe foreign corporations have a positive impact on the United States.

Interestingly, in China and India, two rapidly expanding Asian economic giants, trends have moved in different directions, with the Chinese growing less likely to believe foreign corporations are helping their country and Indians becoming more likely to see a positive impact. India’s South Asian neighbors Bangladesh and Pakistan also have become substantially more welcoming to foreign companies over the last five years.

In Latin America, positive views of foreign companies have declined sharply in Bolivia (by 11 points). But many more Argentines express positive opinions of foreign multinationals than in 2002. Still, just 39% of Argentines say foreign companies are having a positive effect on the country, which is the lowest percentage among Latin American countries surveyed.

More Support for Free Markets

Global support for free markets, already widespread, has increased. Majorities in 39 of 47 countries believe that most people are better off in a free market economy, even though some people may be rich while others are poor. Moreover, in 17 of 35 countries for which comparative data are available, support for free markets has risen substantially since 2002, while declining in just five countries.

In particular, support for free markets has increased in Asia, Eastern Europe and Latin America. In Asia, Bangladeshis, Indians, Pakistanis and Japanese have all become more supportive of free markets since 2002. And in China – which is still governed by the Communist Party, although it has greatly liberalized its economy – support for free markets is overwhelming. Three-in-four Chinese say people are better off in free markets, even if that means inequalities in their society.

In the formerly communist nations of Eastern Europe, capitalism receives more mixed reviews. Still, support has risen steeply in Poland, Russia, and Bulgaria, each of which has enjoyed strong economic growth in recent years.

Similarly, in Latin America, views are somewhat mixed, but the trend is clearly in favor of free markets. For example, support remains relatively low in Argentina, but Argentines are significantly more likely to embrace free markets today than in 2002. In Venezuela, home to fiery leftist president Hugo Chavez, 72% endorse a free market approach, up nine percentage points from 2002. Support for free markets also has increased in Brazil and Mexico. (For more on Latin American opinions on this question, see “Global Opinion Trends 2002-2007: A Rising Tide Lifts Moods in the Developing World,” released July 24, 2007.)

Africans generally tend to embrace free markets. In the Ivory Coast, Nigeria, Kenya and Mali, more than three-in-four say free markets generally make people better off. Similarly, in economically struggling Middle Eastern nations such as Lebanon and the Palestinian territories, most back a capitalist approach – a view shared in two of the region’s wealthiest countries, Israel and Kuwait.

In other economically advanced nations, belief in free markets also is high, even though several of these nations have recently experienced slow economic growth. For instance, Italians voice strong support the free market, despite anemic growth rates over the last few years. This high degree of confidence in the market is not shared by all wealthy nations, however: in France, 55% say people are better off in free markets, while the Japanese are evenly divided (49% say people are better off in free markets vs. 50% who disagree).

Continued Support for a Safety Net

While most of those surveyed believe that free markets are preferable even if they result in economic inequality, they also believe government should take care of those who are left behind by economic competition. In all 47 countries, majorities agree with the statement “It is the responsibility of the government to take care of very poor people who can’t take care of themselves.” In 30 countries, majorities say they completely agree with the statement.

Over the past five years, however, strong support for a social safety net has fallen in many countries. In 17 of the 34 countries where comparative data is available, there have been significant declines in the numbers completely agreeing that the government should look after the very poor. The biggest declines have taken place in India (-17 percentage points), South Africa (-16), Russia (-13) and South Korea (-13).

The Japanese are the least likely to support a safety net. About six-in-ten (59%) agree that looking after the very poor is the government’s responsibility, and just 15% completely agree. Two-thirds of Egyptians and Jordanians say government should take care of the poor – a solid majority, but still a much lower level of support than in most countries.

Seven-in-ten Americans agree that government must help the poorest in society, but there are significant differences across party lines. While large majorities of Democrats (83%) and independents (71%) agree, Republicans are more closely split on this issue (52% agree, 44% disagree). There also is a slight gender gap, with American women (74% agree) somewhat more likely than men (66%) to think this is a proper role for government.

Few Want Growth at Expense of Environment

Throughout these 47 countries, people consistently name financial concerns as the most important problem in their own lives, but they do not want to see economic growth come at the expense of the environment. In 46 of 47 countries, majorities agree with the statement “Protecting the environment should be given priority, even if it causes slower economic growth and some loss of jobs.” Prioritizing environmental well-being over economic well-being is common throughout regions – in rich and poor nations alike, people generally agree that damaging the environment is too high a price to pay for economic expansion. (For more on how people prioritize economic concerns, see “Global Opinion Trends 2002-2007: A Rising Tide Lifts Moods in the Developing World,” released July 24, 2007.)

In several countries, however, publics are more divided. The clearest example is Indonesia, which is roughly split between those who agree (46%) and those who disagree (50%). Egyptians (53% agree, 44% disagree), Jordanians (53% agree, 45% disagree) and Nigerians (54% agree, 44% disagree) also are somewhat divided over this question.

Among economically advanced nations, the French are less likely than others to say environmental concerns should take precedence (62% agree, 39% disagree). In the United States, two-thirds (66%) prioritize the environment, even if it means job losses, although this opinion is much more common among Democrats (73%) and independents (72%) than Republicans (50%).

Concerns About Government Control

In most countries surveyed, people are concerned about the role that government plays in their everyday lives. Majorities in 29 of 47 nations agree that the state controls too much of their lives. And worries about state influence have grown since 2002. In 16 of 34 countries where trends are available, people are now substantially more likely to say the government is too involved in their daily lives.

Throughout much of both Western and Eastern Europe, people are more likely to express concerns about government control than they were in 2002. Increases have been particularly sharp in Poland, Germany and the Czech Republic. The only exceptions to this rising trend are the two countries that were formerly a part of the Soviet Union – Russia and Ukraine. Concern about government interference is consistently higher in Western Europe than in the former Eastern bloc, though concern in most of these former Soviet states has grown significantly in recent years.

Worries about government influence are on the rise in South Asia. Bangladeshis and Indians are much more concerned about the state’s role now than in 2002. Meanwhile, in Pakistan, fully eight-in-ten say the state is too involved in their daily lives.

Concerns also are up considerably in Venezuela, where President Hugo Chavez has consolidated and increased his government’s power over the last few years. A slim majority of Venezuelans (55%) say the state controls too much of their lives, up from 39% in 2002.

Strong Concerns About Foreign Influence

In today’s rapidly changing world, people from nations both rich and poor worry about losing their traditional culture. In 46 of 47 countries, majorities say their traditional way of life is getting lost. The lone exception is Sweden, and even there 49% express this view. Concern about the loss of tradition also is a little less widespread in the Middle East than in other regions, with fairly modest majorities in Israel (56%), Egypt (56%), Jordan (53%) and the Palestinian territories (51%) saying that their traditional ways of life are getting lost.

Not only do most people believe they are losing their way of life, they also want to take steps to protect it from foreign intrusion. At least half of those surveyed in 46 of 47 countries agree with the statement, “Our way of life needs to be protected against foreign influence.” Throughout much of the developing world, large majorities voice concerns about foreign threats to their traditions. More than 85% in India, Tanzania, Kenya, Indonesia, Turkey and Egypt agree that their traditions must be protected. However, there are a few exceptions, particularly in Latin America, where Venezuelans and Peruvians are divided on this issue.

Fully eight-in-ten in Italy and 72% in Spain agree that their way of life needs protection from foreign influence. But these concerns are generally less prevalent in other Western nations. In Great Britain and Germany, narrow majorities agree that their way of life needs protection (54%, 53%, respectively). Opinions are almost evenly divided in France, a country famous for vigilantly protecting its language and culture; 52% of French say their way of life needs protection, while nearly as many (48%) disagree.

Again, the clear outlier is Sweden, where only 29% are worried about foreign influence – a much lower level of concern than in any of the other 46 countries included in the study.

In the United States, Canada, Japan, and much of Europe, young people are less concerned about foreign influence. Among both Americans and Japanese, there is a 15-point gap between older people and younger people on this question. Meanwhile, less than half of Swedes, Britons, Germans and French under age 40 think their way of life should be protected against outside forces. Younger people in parts of Eastern Europe also are less worried – there are significant age gaps on this issue in Bulgaria, Poland and Ukraine, although in all three countries solid majorities of both age groups still say their way of life should be protected. The pattern is not uniform in Europe, however, as 18-39 year-olds in Italy, Slovakia and the Czech Republic actually are slightly more worried about foreign influence than are those over age 40.

Attitudes toward foreign influence are closely linked to opinions about immigration. In nearly every country surveyed, people who believe there should be tighter restrictions on immigration are also more likely to say their way of life must be protected against foreign influence. For instance, in the United States, 70% of those who agree with the statement “We should restrict and control entry of people into our country more than we do now” also agree that their way of life needs protection from foreign influence, compared to just 39% of those who do not favor stronger immigration restrictions. (See Chapter 2 of this report for more analysis of opinions about immigration and the relationship between these views and concerns about foreign influence.)

As with opinions on trade, American attitudes toward foreign influence vary by age, income and party. As noted above, younger Americans and wealthier Americans are more pro-trade, and these same groups are also less worried about threats to the culture from abroad. Roughly half (51%) of those younger than 30 say their way of life needs protecting compared to roughly two-thirds (68%) of people age 50 and older. Similarly, just over half of Americans with household incomes of $75,000 or more worry about foreign influence, while seven-in-ten of those with incomes below $30,000 are concerned.

Partisan divisions are somewhat different from the international trade issue. While Democrats are particularly worried about foreign trade, they are less concerned than Republicans about foreign influences on our culture – seven-in-ten Republicans say their way of life must be protected against foreign influence, compared to six-in-ten Democrats. Meanwhile, independents’ attitudes about foreign trade closely mirror those of Republicans, but on this question, independents are very similar to Democrats.

When asked why people leave their country to live in another country, solid majorities in every Latin American, Eastern European, and African country surveyed, as well as in several Middle Eastern and Asian countries, say it is for job opportunities. This opinion is nearly unanimous in Senegal, Bolivia, Poland, Morocco, Bangladesh, Peru, Ivory Coast, Brazil, Slovakia, and Mali, where more than nine-in-ten say jobs are the main reason people emigrate.

The survey also finds that more than one-in-five in eleven countries, including nearly half in Lebanon (47%) and Bangladesh (45%), say they receive money from relatives living in another country.

Widespread Support for Restricting Immigration

Support for tighter border control is high both in the affluent countries of the West and in the developing world. With the exception of Japan, South Korea and the Palestinian territories, majorities in every country polled say their countries should restrict immigration more than they do now. This view is particularly widespread in Africa, where at least three-quarters in seven of the countries surveyed agree that the entry of people into their country should be more restricted, and in southern Asian countries. More than nine-in-ten in Ivory Coast (94%) and almost as many in South Africa, Indonesia and Malaysia (89% each) agree.

Majorities of Americans and Canadians also say that there should be more restrictions on people entering their countries than there is today. Three-quarters of Americans and 62% of Canadians express that opinion. These concerns are shared by Latin American publics as well. About three quarters of Venezuelans (77%), Chileans (74%) and Bolivians (73%) agree that their countries should restrict and control immigration more than they do today, as do solid majorities of Brazilians (72%), Mexicans (71%) and Argentines (68%) and just slightly more than half of Peruvians (51%).

Among European publics, Italians express the most concern about the levels of immigration to their country. Fully 87% of Italians agree that their country should restrict and control the entry of people more than it does today. (Italians also are more likely than any other public surveyed to say immigration is a very big problem in their country; for more details see “ Global Opinion Trends 2002-2007: A Rising Tide Lifts Moods in the Developing World ,” released July 24.)

This sentiment is shared by more than seven-in-ten in Spain (77%), Britain (75%), the Czech Republic (75%) and Russia (72%), and more than six-in-ten in France (68%), Germany (66%), Slovakia (64%) and Ukraine (63%). Narrow majorities in Sweden, Bulgaria and Poland (53% each) also agree that there should be more restrictions on immigration to their country.

Publics in Western nations for which trends are available are somewhat less likely than they were five years ago to agree that their country should impose tighter restrictions on immigration, as are publics in twelve other countries included in the 2002 poll. But concerns about levels of immigration have risen considerably in some parts of the world in the last five years. For example, in Jordan, where an influx of Iraqis since the start of the war led the government to tighten border regulations in 2006, the percent saying their country should restrict and control the entry of people more than it does now is up 22 points. In 2002 the Jordanian public was divided – 48% agreed that tighter restrictions were needed and 52% disagreed. Today seven-in-ten Jordanians want more border regulations and fewer than three-in-ten (29%) disagree. Support for increased border control is also up dramatically in Bangladesh (+25 points), Tanzania (+22 points), and Pakistan (+16 points).

Views on Immigration and Worries About Culture

As noted in Chapter 1, opinions about immigration are closely linked to perceptions about threats to a country’s culture. In 46 of 47 countries, those who favor stricter immigration controls are also more likely to believe their way of life needs to be protected against foreign influence.

In every region, this relationship is generally strong and consistent. In Western European nations, Canada, and the United States the pattern is especially clear – in each of these countries, the percentage of respondents who support protecting their way of life against foreign influence is at least 30 points higher among those who favor tighter immigration restrictions than among those who oppose such restrictions.

The relationship between views on immigration and cultural threats is also strong in Israel and Lebanon, although elsewhere in the Middle East it is somewhat muted. This is due to the fact that concerns about foreign influence are high among both those who want more restrictions on immigration and those who do not. This is especially true in Egypt – the only country in the survey where there is no link between opinions about immigration and attitudes toward influence from abroad.

Mixed Views about Key Immigrant Groups in Europe

Publics in Western Europe offer mixed opinions about immigration from the Middle East and North Africa and from East European countries. Of the six Western European publics polled, the Swedes are the most welcoming. More than six-in-ten in that country (63%) say immigration from Eastern Europe is a good thing and just slightly fewer (57%) express that opinion about immigration from the Middle East and North Africa.

By contrast, Italian and German respondents offer overwhelmingly negative views of immigrants. Two-thirds of Italians say it is a bad thing that people from the Middle East and North Africa and from Eastern Europe come to live and work in their country. Germans express similarly negative opinions. Nearly six-in-ten (58%) say immigration from East European countries is a bad thing and an even larger share say the same about immigration from the Middle East and North Africa (64%).

In France and Britain, majorities offer positive opinions about key immigrant groups, but the percentage of respondents in those countries who say immigration from the Middle East and Africa and from Eastern Europe is a good thing has dropped since last year. Following a slight increase in the proportion of the French public expressing positive views about immigrants in 2006, the French are now as likely as they were in 2005 to say immigration from the Middle East and North Africa and from East European countries is a good thing. Just over half of the French express positive views about key immigrant groups (53%) today. In 2006, nearly six-in-ten (58%) said immigration from the Middle East and North Africa and from Eastern Europe was a good thing.

Positive opinions about immigration have been declining gradually among the British since 2005, and this is especially the case when it comes to views of immigrants from the Middle East and North Africa. Two years ago, 61% of British respondents said it was a good thing that people from the Middle East and North Africa came to live and work in their country. In 2006, slightly fewer than six-in-ten (57%) shared that view. Today, a narrow majority (51%) in Britain says immigration from the Middle East and North Africa is a good thing.

Spanish respondents are the most divided when it comes to key immigrant groups. Virtually the same number says it is a good thing that people from the Middle East and North Africa (44%) and Eastern Europe (45%) come to live and work in their country as say it is a bad thing (45% say that about people from the Middle East and North Africa and 43% offer that opinion about people from East European countries). This is a sharp decline from just a year ago, when about six-in-ten in Spain viewed immigration from the Middle East and Africa (62%) and from Eastern Europe (60%) positively.

North Americans More Welcoming Than Europeans

Americans and Canadians continue to be generally more welcoming to newcomers than Europeans. As in 2005, solid majorities in both countries say it is a good thing that people from Asia and from Mexico and Latin America come to live and work in their countries. About six-in-ten Americans express positive views about Asian (61%) and Latin American (57%) immigrants. Canadians are even more welcoming – about seven-in-ten say immigration from Asia (71%) and from Latin America (72%) is a good thing.

In the United States, views about immigration from Mexico and other Latin American countries are somewhat reflective of partisan differences. More than six-in-ten Democrats (61%) welcome immigrants from those countries, compared with a narrower majority of Republicans (53%). But when it comes to Asian immigrants, Democrats and Republicans offer nearly identical views. Fully 62% of Democrats and 59% of Republicans say it is a good thing that Asians come to live and work in the United States.

Negative Views about Immigration in Israel

Immigration has long been a topic of heated political debate in Israel. Most recently, a decision by the Israeli government to turn away refugees from Darfur entering the country illegally through the Egyptian border has drawn criticism from some in Israel who say their country has a duty to offer a safe haven to refugees because of its history. The poll finds that the Israeli public expresses overwhelmingly negative views about immigration from Africa. More than six-in-ten Israelis (63%) say it is a bad thing that people from African countries come to live and work in Israel and only about a quarter (26%) say immigration from Africa is a good thing.

But Africans are not the only immigrants Israelis express reservations about – a narrow majority of Israelis also see immigration from Eastern Europe as a bad thing. Opinion about immigrants from East European countries is more positive than opinions about African immigrants, but fewer than four-in-ten Israelis (37%) say it is good that people from Eastern Europe come to live and work in their country. Slightly more than half of Israelis (52%) say it is a bad thing.

Reasons for Emigrating

Majorities in 32 of the 36 countries where respondents were asked about the main reason people leave their country to live elsewhere, including overwhelming majorities in every Latin American, East European, and African country surveyed, say people emigrate in pursuit of job opportunities. But considerable minorities in parts of Asia, Africa and the Middle East also cite education and nearly three-in-ten (28%) in Lebanon say safety is the main reason people leave their country to live elsewhere.

In Kuwait, the only country where more people say something other than jobs is the main reason people leave their country, more than a quarter (27%) say people leave to get an education elsewhere. Education is also mentioned by a considerable minority in Jordan (33%), Malaysia (26%), Kenya (25%), Egypt (22%) and China (19%).

Lebanese respondents are the most likely to say safety is the main reason people leave their country. Nearly three-in-ten (28%) in Lebanon offer that opinion. Christians and Sunni Muslims in Lebanon are considerably more likely than Shia Muslims to say people leave mainly for safety reasons. Close to four-in-ten (37%) Lebanese Christians and three-in-ten Lebanese Sunnis say that is the case, compared with just 17% of Lebanese Shia.

Many Receive Money from Abroad

Each year, migrant workers send more than $230 billion to their families in their home countries, according to the World Bank. The Pew Global Attitudes survey finds that more than one-in-five respondents in 11 of the 36 developing countries polled, including nearly half in Lebanon (47%) and Bangladesh (45%), say they receive money from relatives living in another country. This is especially common in Africa, where sizable minorities in Mali (42%), Nigeria (38%), Senegal (37%), Ethiopia (35%), Ghana (33%) and Ivory Coast (27%) say they receive money from relatives living abroad at least occasionally.

Among Latin Americans, Mexicans are the most likely to say they receive money from relatives living abroad. About a quarter (23%) of Mexicans say that is that case. In the Middle East, more in Lebanon (47%) and Egypt (30%) than in any other country say they receive remittances from family members. And in Asia, Bangladesh (45%) and Pakistan (27%) are the only countries where sizable minorities receive money from relatives living in other countries.

However, in the relatively wealthy and secular nations of Western Europe, large majorities suggest that morality is possible without faith and believe homosexuality should be accepted. The belief that moral values do not require faith is also common in formerly communist Eastern Europe, but attitudes in the region toward homosexuality are more mixed.

In the Americas, including the United States, views on these issues are also mixed. And in many countries, there is a significant age gap, with younger people significantly more likely to reject the notion that morality requires a belief in God, and considerably more likely to be tolerant of homosexuality.

A global consensus does emerge, however, regarding the separation of religion and the state. In nearly every country surveyed, majorities agree that religion is a matter of personal faith that should be unconnected to government policies.

Finally, as the survey reveals, many in the Muslim world see a struggle taking place between fundamentalists and those who want to modernize their countries.

Is Faith Necessary for Morality?

Throughout most of Africa, Asia, and the Middle East, there is widespread agreement that faith in God is a prerequisite for morality. For example, in all 10 African countries included in the study, at least seven-in-ten respondents agree with the statement “It is necessary to believe in God in order to be moral and have good values.” In Egypt, no one in the sample of 1,000 people disagrees. Out of the 1,000 Jordanians interviewed, only one person suggests it is possible to not believe in God and still be a moral person.

In the four predominantly Muslim Asian countries – Indonesia, Bangladesh, Pakistan and Malaysia – huge majorities also believe morality requires faith in God. Elsewhere in Asia, however, opinions are a bit more mixed. Majorities in Japan and China, as well as substantial minorities of Indians and South Koreans, reject the notion that believing in God is required for morality.

In Arab countries there is a strong consensus that faith is necessary, although in Lebanon there are substantial differences among the country’s three major religious communities – Shia Muslims (81% agree), Christians (65%), and Sunni Muslims (54%). In neighboring Israel, a slim majority (55%) think faith in God is not necessary for moral values.
In Europe, the consensus view is just the opposite: throughout Western and Eastern Europe, majorities say faith in God is not a precondition for morality. This is true across Europe, regardless of whether a country’s primary religious tradition is Protestant, Catholic or Eastern Orthodox. And it is true regardless of which side of the Iron Curtain a country was on. Still, even within Europe there is some variability – Swedes, Czechs, and the French emerge as the most likely to reject the necessity of religion, while Ukrainians, Germans, and Slovaks are the least likely.

Meanwhile, in the Americas there are considerable differences among countries. While Brazilians, Venezuelans, Bolivians, and Peruvians tend to believe faith is a necessary foundation for moral values, Mexicans, Chileans, and Argentines are more divided on this issue. Only 30% of Canadians suggest morality is impossible without faith, compared to nearly six-in-ten Americans (57%).

Over the last five years, there has been no clear overall pattern of change on this question. The percentage of people who think believing in God is necessary has increased in nine countries, stayed about the same in ten, and declined in 13. While there may be no clear global trend, however, there have been important shifts in a few countries.

Venezuelans are significantly more likely now than in 2002 to say a person must be religious to be moral. Tanzanians, Ivoirians and Germans are also more likely to hold this view.

However, several countries show a steep decline in the number of people who feel morality requires a belief in a higher power. Decreases are particularly common in Eastern Europe – Ukrainians, Slovakians, Bulgarians and Poles have grown less inclined to tie religion and morality. Indians and Kenyans are also now less likely to say faith is necessary for a moral life.

Sharp Differences Over Homosexuality

Many of the patterns regarding views about religion and morality also characterize opinions about homosexuality. In Western Europe, clear majorities say homosexuality is a way of life that should be accepted by society. Among Eastern Europeans, however, opinions are more diverse: Czechs and Slovaks strongly believe homosexuality should be accepted, while Poles and Bulgarians are closely divided on this issue, and Russians and Ukrainians tend to oppose acceptance.

Opinions are also divided in the Americas. Seven-in-ten Canadians believe society should accept homosexuality, compared to roughly half of Americans (49%). In Argentina, Brazil, Chile, and Mexico tolerant attitudes toward homosexuality prevail, while in Peru, Venezuela, and Bolivia views are more divided.

In Africa, Asia and the Middle East, attitudes toward homosexuals are overwhelmingly negative. In eight of 10 African publics, less than 5% feel society should accept homosexuality. Of the 24 nations from Africa, Asia, and the Middle East where this question was asked, Japan is the only country in which a plurality (49%) believe it should be accepted.

Since 2002, several Latin American countries – Brazil, Argentina, Mexico and Peru – have developed more tolerant attitudes toward homosexuals. In Bolivia, however, the trend is in the opposite direction – in 2002, 55% said homosexuality should be accepted by society, compared to only 44% today.

Other publics have become less tolerant on this issue as well, especially South Africa, Turkey, South Korea and Italy. Overall, among the 32 countries where trends are available, 12 have become less tolerant, six more tolerant, and in 14 countries there has been no significant change.

An Age Gap on Religion, Homosexuality

Throughout North and South America and Europe, there is a consistent age gap on views about religion and homosexuality. In each country from these regions, people under age 40 are less likely than those age 40 and over to think a belief in God is necessary for morality, and more likely to believe that society should accept homosexuality.

In some cases, the gap between young and old is quite large. For example, nearly half (45%) of Germans age 40 or older think a person must believe in God to be moral, compared to only 23% of those under 40. And while 54% of younger Bulgarians think homosexuality should be accepted, only 31% of older Bulgarians agree.

In the United States, there is a slight age gap on the issue of homosexuality and a larger gap on the relationship between religion and morality. As with many social issues, there are also considerable differences along party lines – Republicans are more likely to say that a belief in God is required for good values (64%) and less likely to say homosexuality should be accepted (33%) than are Democrats (59% must believe in God to be moral, 56% society should accept homosexuality) or independents (48% must believe in God, 57% should accept homosexuality).

Most Want Religion and Government Separate

There is a consensus across regions that religion and governing do not mix. In 46 of 47 countries, majorities agree with the statement “Religion is a matter of personal faith and should be kept separate from government policy.”

However, while support for keeping religion and state policies separate generally remains high, the intensity of that support has declined. The percentage of people who completely agree with this principle has dropped in 17 of 33 nations where there are trends from 2002, while remaining basically stable in eight countries and increasing in another eight.

Support for keeping politics and religion separate tends to be somewhat lower in the Middle East. In Jordan, only 17% completely agree with this principle, and Jordan is the only country in the survey where a majority (53%) disagree. In neighboring Egypt, 49% disagree, and in the Palestinian territories, where the Islamist group Hamas controls the Gaza Strip, 42% disagree.

The trend on this question is moving in different directions in two major Muslim countries that are key allies of the United States: Turkey and Pakistan. Support for separation has declined considerably in traditionally secular Turkey, which recently handed a moderate Islamist party, the Justice and Development Party (known by its Turkish acronym AKP), its second straight national election victory. On the other hand, support for keeping mosque and state separate has increased in Pakistan, which has experienced considerable political tensions in recent months, including armed conflict between government forces and extremist groups.

Elsewhere in Asia, the percentage of people who completely agree that religion should be disconnected from policy is relatively small. Fewer than one-in-three Chinese, Indonesians, South Koreans and Malaysians completely agree with this perspective. Worries about mixing religion and public policy have declined steeply in India, where the Hindu nationalist party, the Bharatiya Janata Party or BJP, was defeated in the 2004 national elections.

Several African publics have become less supportive of separation, especially Uganda, South Africa and Ghana. Elsewhere on the continent, however, support remains quite high. Indeed, the three countries on the survey with the largest percentages endorsing separation are Ethiopia (85%), Senegal (81%) and Ivory Coast (78%).

Throughout Europe, Canada, and the United States, majorities completely back the separation of religion and politics, although these majorities are notably slim in Italy (59%), Bulgaria (57%), Russia (55%), the U.S. (55%), and Spain (51%).

Modernizers and Fundamentalists in the Muslim World

In nations with large Muslim populations, a significant number of people feel a struggle is taking place between Islamic fundamentalists and groups that want to modernize their country. In 11 of the 16 nations where this question was asked, at least three-in-ten Muslims say there is a conflict between fundamentalists and modernizers. In 10 of 16 countries, those who believe there is a struggle tend to identify with the modernizers, while in six countries a plurality favor the fundamentalists.

The perception that a struggle is taking place is particularly common in Lebanon, a country rife with political and sectarian conflict. However, the country’s two main Muslim communities see this issue very differently. Lebanese Sunni strongly believe there is struggle and tend to side with modernizing groups, while most Shia do not believe there is a struggle.

Just over half (52%) of Turks see a conflict in their country, where there has been considerable tension in recent months between followers of the ruling AKP party and the country’s traditional secular elites over issues involving religion and politics, such as the wearing of veils by Muslim women.

African Muslims are somewhat less likely to perceive a struggle, especially in Senegal, Ethiopia and Mali. Perceptions of a struggle are somewhat more common in Nigeria and Tanzania, where roughly one-in-three Muslims say there is a conflict.

America More Religious Than Other Wealthy Nations

Throughout much of the world, there is a strong link between wealth and religiosity, with religion playing a much less central role in the lives of people in richer countries. In poor countries in Africa, the Middle East, and Asia, religion remains extremely important in the lives of individuals, while in wealthy nations, secularism is more common. One very wealthy nation, however, does not fit the pattern: the United States. Americans are considerably more religious than their level of prosperity would predict.

To examine the relationship between wealth and religious belief, a three-item index was created, with “3” representing the most religious position. Respondents were given a “1” if they believe faith in God is necessary for morality; a “1” if they say religion is very important in their lives; and a “1” if they pray at least once a day.

Consistently, poor countries receive higher scores on the scale, with Senegal (mean of 2.81) and Indonesia (2.81) receiving the highest scores of all. On the other hand, wealthy countries tend to receive lower scores. The six relatively rich Western European countries, for instance, are among the most secular included in the survey, and with a mean score of .24, Sweden is the most secular. Other wealthy nations, such as Canada, Japan and Israel, also have low levels of religiosity.

However, the wealthiest nation of all, the United States, is in the middle of the pack on the religiosity index. The level of religiosity in the U.S. is similar to less economically developed countries, such as Mexico, Venezuela and Lebanon.

Oil-rich and predominantly Muslim Kuwait is another country with a much higher level of religiosity than its economic situation would predict. This also is true of Malaysia and South Africa. Meanwhile, the formerly communist nations of Eastern Europe are somewhat less religious than might be expected based on their per capita GDPs.

Americans More Individualistic

Individualism has long been considered a core American value, and as this survey highlights, a widespread belief in individual responsibility sets Americans apart from much of the world. Along with their Canadian neighbors, Americans are more likely than other publics included in the survey to disagree (64%) with the notion that success in life is determined by forces outside of our control.

American views vary somewhat, however, according to partisanship and income. Just over four-in-ten Democrats (42%) agree with the idea that success is determined by outside forces, compared with 29% of independents and 22% of Republicans. People with household incomes below $30,000 (44%) are more likely than those earning $30,000-74,999 (31%) or those with incomes of $75,000 or more (21%) to say that success is often beyond control of the individual.

Outside of North America, there are large variations within regions. In Western Europe, 71% of Italians say success depends on forces outside of a person’s control, but only 33% of Swedes agree. In Asia, eight-in-ten Bangladeshis and Indians agree with this perspective, while the Japanese, Malaysians, and Indonesians are roughly split on this question. And in the Middle East, while 69% of Lebanese feel success in life is often beyond a person’s control, but this view is shared by only 37% of Egyptians.

Since 2002, the percentage of people who agree with the notion that success is beyond an individual’s control has increased in 13 countries, remained basically the same in 15, and declined in seven. Declines in agreement have been particularly steep in Lebanon (-12 percentage points) and Ivory Coast (-10), two countries that have experienced considerable turmoil and violence in recent years.

U.S. More Likely To See Force as Necessary

Americans are among the most likely to believe military force is sometimes required in world affairs. More than three-in-four Americans (77%) agree with the statement, “It is sometimes necessary to use military force to maintain order in the world,” and 35% completely agree with this perspective. And despite sharp divisions along party lines over the current conflict in Iraq, partisan differences on this question are relatively muted. Republicans (90%) are more likely to believe military force is sometimes justified, but even among Democrats (73%) and independents (77%), large majorities agree with this position.

Especially when compared to publics of NATO allies, Americans are more likely to think military force is sometimes needed. Turkey is the only other NATO country in the survey where a similar share of the public completely agrees with this principle.

In Germany, where an aversion to military force has been widespread since the end of World War II, nearly six-in-ten (58%) reject the notion that war is necessary to keep order, setting Germans apart from their fellow Western Europeans. Similar attitudes are found in other nations as well, including Egypt (59%), Jordan (58%) and South Korea (53%).

Overall, however, there is a consensus among most of the publics surveyed that military force is sometimes justified. In 39 of 47 countries, a majority agree that order must occasionally be maintained through military force. The countries most likely to agree with this principle include several that have been deeply involved in military conflicts in recent years, such as Kuwait, the United States, and Israel, as well as several that have not, including Brazil and Sweden. Publics in longtime rivals India (90%) and Pakistan (72%) are also among the most likely to agree that military force is sometimes necessary.

Cultural Superiority

Americans are also more likely than most Western Europeans to think their culture is better than others. Over half of Americans (55%) agree with the statement, “Our people are not perfect, but our culture is superior to others,” a larger percentage than in Canada, Spain, Germany, France, Britain and Sweden. But Italians are even more confident than Americans in their cultural pre-eminence; 68% of Italians believe their culture is superior.

In the context of all 47 nations, however, Italians are in the middle of the pack. The belief in a country’s cultural superiority is common across all regions. Germany, France, Britain and Sweden are the only countries where more than half disagree with this notion, and in 20 countries more than seven-in-ten agree their culture is best.

When it comes to marriage, opinion is largely in favor of women choosing their own husbands. Majorities in 28 of the 36 countries where people were asked if a woman should choose whom she marries or if it is better for her family to choose for her say women should choose. But majorities in Egypt (53%) and Bangladesh (52%) and considerable minorities in several other countries say both a woman and her family should have a say, and a majority of Pakistanis (55%) say a woman’s family should choose her husband.

The survey also finds that Muslims in the Middle East, Asia and Africa generally support a woman’s right to decide whether or not to wear a veil, but a majority of Ethiopians (59%) and nearly half of Nigerians (48%) disagree that women should have that right. At the same time, large proportions of Muslims in most countries with sizable Muslim populations included in the poll believe there should be restrictions on men and women being employed in the same workplace.

Widespread Support for Educating Boys and Girls

The view that it is equally important for boys and girls to be educated receives nearly unanimous support around the world, even in regions where girls have traditionally not had the same access to education as boys. In sub-Saharan Africa, more than nine-in-ten in Ivory Coast (95%), Kenya (94%), Uganda (94%), South Africa (93%) and Tanzania (91%) say it is just as important for girls to get an education as it is for boys. That opinion is also widespread in South Asia and the Middle East. In Morocco, for example, where men are more than one and a half times more likely than women to be literate, 89% say it is equally important for boys and girls to receive an education.

Egyptians, Jordanians, Pakistanis, Palestinians and Malians are the least likely to say that education is equally important for boys and girls. Still, nearly three-quarters in those countries share that view. About one-in-five in Pakistan (17%), Jordan (19%) and Egypt (22%) think it is more important for boys to be educated. In no country do more people say it is more important to educate girls than say it is more important for boys to receive an education.

In Egypt, the opinion that it is more important for boys to be educated is considerably more popular among men. Nearly three-in-ten Egyptian men (27%) share that view, compared with 18% of women. Gender differences on the issue of educating boys and girls are less pronounced but also significant in the Palestinian territories, where 17% of men and 10% of women say it is more important for boys to be educated. In the other countries surveyed, gender is generally not an important factor in people’s views about educating children.

Women and Political Leadership

Publics in most countries surveyed say that women and men make equally good political leaders, but majorities in six countries and significant minorities in about half of the countries surveyed say men are better political leaders. Opinions about political leadership are often split along gender lines, with men more likely than women to say men make better political leaders and women more likely than men to say women make better leaders or that both are equally good.

Western European and North and Latin American publics top the list of those who see men and women as equally good political leaders. Eight-in-ten in Canada and even a greater proportion in France (81%), Venezuela (82%), Spain (83%), Britain (83%), Peru (83%), Bolivia (85%) and Sweden (90%) express that view. Three-quarters of Americans say men and women make equally good political leaders, while 16% say men are better leaders and only 6% say women are better than men.

By contrast, majorities in Mali (65%), the Palestinian territories (64%), Kuwait (62%), Pakistan (54%), Bangladesh (52%) and Ethiopia (51%) say men make better political leaders than women, as do nearly half of Jordanians (49%) and Nigerians (48%). Russians are also divided – 44% say men and women make equally good leaders while 40% say men are better. Only in Brazil do more people say women make better political leaders than say men do – 15% of Brazilians say women make better political leaders and 10% say men are better leaders.

Throughout Africa, as well as in several Asian, Middle Eastern, and Eastern European countries, views about political leadership vary by gender. In Senegal, for example, a majority of men (51%) say men make better political leaders than women, but fewer than a quarter (23%) of Senegalese women share that view. Women in that country are much more likely to say both men and women are equally good (59% of women express that opinion vs. 37% of men).

In the United States, where Hillary Clinton currently leads the Democratic primary field, opinions about gender and political leadership reflect partisan rather than gender differences. Nearly three-in-ten (29%) Republicans say men make better leaders, compared with one-in-ten Democrats. A similar proportion of Democrats also say women would make better leaders (9%), and nearly eight-in-ten (78%) say both men and women are equally good. By contrast, only 2% of Republicans say women make better political leaders and about two-thirds (65%) say both are equally good.

Should Women Choose Their Own Husbands?

Majorities in every Latin American, Eastern European and African country surveyed as well as in China, Indonesia, Malaysia, Turkey and Morocco say women should choose their own husbands. That view is less popular in South Asia and in most Arab countries, but only in Pakistan does a majority say a woman’s family should choose whom she marries.

The view that women should choose their husbands is nearly unanimous in the Czech Republic (98%), Slovakia (98%), Brazil (97%), Bulgaria (93%), Poland (92%) and Chile (92%). Large majorities in most other countries where the question was asked also share that view, but considerable minorities in most of those countries also say that both a woman and her family should have a say about whom she marries. For example, while 57% in Malaysia, 58% in Turkey, and 65% in Venezuela believe that a woman should choose her own husband, more than three-in-ten in those countries say both a woman and her family should have a say.

Publics in South Asia and in Arab countries, with the exception of Morocco, are considerably more likely to say a woman’s family should choose her husband or that both should have a say. The Lebanese are the most divided – 47% say a woman should choose and the same number say her family should also have a say. Only 6% in Lebanon believe a woman’s family alone should choose whom she marries. Lebanese Christians are somewhat more likely than Muslims in that country to say a woman’s family should choose – 12% of Christians hold that view, compared with only 3% of Muslims.

Only in Pakistan does a majority (55%) say that it is better for a woman’s family to choose her husband. Women in that country are slightly more likely than men to express that opinion – 57% of women and 53% of men say a woman’s family should choose whom she marries. This view is especially prevalent among married women. Nearly six-in-ten (59%) married Pakistani women say it is better for a woman’s family to choose, while about a third (32%) say both a woman and her family should have a say. Women who have never been married are more divided; 42% say a woman’s family should choose her husband and 42% say both should have a say. Pakistani women who have never been married are nearly twice as likely as married women in that country to say a woman should choose her own husband (13% of unmarried vs. 7% of married women).

Morocco is the only Arab country included in the survey where a majority (63%) says it is better for a woman to choose her husband and the only country where there is a double-digit gender gap on the subject. Nearly three-quarters of Moroccan women (73%) say women should choose whom they marry; just over half of men in that country (53%) agree. Moroccan men are about two and a half times more likely than women to say it is better for a woman’s family to choose (27% of men say that is the case vs. 11% of women) and virtually the same proportion of Moroccan men and women say both should have a say (17% of men and 16% of women). The gender gap is considerably less pronounced in other countries.

Differences of opinion in Morocco also reflect a generational divide. Seven-in-ten 18-29 year-olds in that country say that women should choose their own husbands, while six-in-ten (62%) 30-49 year-olds and just over half (53%) of those fifty or older share that view. The generational gap is even wider in Kenya, where fully 85% of 18-20 year-olds think women should choose whom they marry, compared with seven-in-ten 30-49 year-olds and 59% of those fifty or older. Young people in Bolivia, Peru, Russia, Ukraine, Turkey, Lebanon, Indonesia, Ghana and Senegal are also considerably more likely than older generations to say that women should choose their own husbands.

Wearing the Veil: Who Should Decide?

With the exception of Ethiopia, majorities of Muslims in countries with sizable Muslim populations included in the survey agree with the statement “Women should have the right to decide if they wear a veil.” Turkish and Indonesian Muslims are the most likely to hold that view. In Turkey, where women are banned from wearing a head scarf in public buildings, 93% say women should have the right to decide if they wear a veil. In Indonesia, where wearing a head scarf is mandatory in the Aceh province and encouraged in several others, a similar proportion agrees that women should have the right to decide (91%).

Nigerian Muslims are the most divided on whether women should have the right to decide if they wear a veil. Just over half (51%) say women should have that right and 48% disagree. Only in Ethiopia does a majority of Muslims disagree that women should have the right to decide whether or not to cover their heads. Nearly six-in-ten in that country (59%) disagree and only 39% agree that women should have that right.

Muslim women are generally more likely than Muslim men to say that women should have the right to decide if they wear a veil. Gender differences are especially notable in Morocco, where women express that opinion nearly unanimously (96%), while 71% of men agree. In Ethiopia, where Muslim men are solidly opposed to women having the right to decide – 71% disagree that women should have that right and 28% agree – women are divided. Half of Muslim women in that country disagree and 49% agree that women should have the right to decide if they wear a veil.

The opinion that women should have the right to decide if they wear a veil is more popular than it was five years ago in most countries where trends are available. The change is especially dramatic in Bangladesh, where Islamic fundamentalists have threatened to attack women with sulfuric acid for not covering their faces. In 2002, about six-in-ten Bangladeshi Muslims (59%) said women should have the right to decide if they wear a veil. Today, that number is up to 89%. In Pakistan, where a government official and women’s rights activist was shot dead earlier this year for refusing to cover her head, seven-in-ten Muslims say women should have the right to decide, up from just over half (52%) five years ago.

Divided Views on Women and Men Working Together

When it comes to men and women working together, Muslim publics offer mixed opinions. Solid majorities of Muslims in Indonesia (77%), Tanzania (75%), Turkey (73%), Senegal (69%), and Lebanon (60%) disagree with the statement “There should be restrictions on men and women being employed in the same workplace.” In contrast, clear majorities in Malaysia (80%), the Palestinian territories (77%), Ethiopia (70%), Pakistan (61%), Jordan (60%) and Kuwait (57%) say such restrictions should be in place. In Mali, Bangladesh, Nigeria and Egypt, Muslims are more divided over whether or not there should be restrictions on men and women working together.

Morocco is the only country included in the survey where neither position is endorsed by a majority, but the balance of opinion in that country is in favor of restrictions on men and women being employed in the same workplace. Close to half of Moroccan Muslims (47%) agree that restrictions should be in place, while 37% do not.

While there is no clear consensus among Moroccan Muslims on the question of men and women working in the same workplace, Muslim women in that country are clearly in favor of workplace restrictions. Fully 57% of Muslim women in Morocco express that view, compared with 38% of Muslim men. Women in Lebanon, Tanzania and Nigeria are also considerably more likely than men in those countries to say there should be restriction on men and women being employed in the same workplace.

On the other hand, Muslim women in Turkey, Egypt, Jordan, Kuwait, Pakistan, Ethiopia, and Mali are significantly more likely than Muslim men to disagree with such restrictions. For example, in Kuwait, Muslim women are divided, with 48% saying there should be restrictions and 47% saying there should not. Among Muslim men in that country, however, 64% agree that there should be restrictions and 35% disagree.

In five of the eight countries for which trends are available, Muslims today are less likely to agree that there should be restrictions on men and women being employed in the same workplace than they were five years ago. The sharpest drop has been in Tanzania, where about a third of Muslims (34%) agreed with workplace restrictions in 2002 and fewer than one-in-five (19%) express that view today. But in Bangladesh, Jordan and Pakistan more say they agree that there should be restrictions on men and women working together.

An impartial judiciary and religious freedom are generally more highly valued than are free elections, free speech and a free press, but majorities in most developing countries surveyed say it is very important for them to live in a country where these principles apply. At the same time, majorities in just six countries believe it is very important that the military be under the control of civilian leaders. Civilian control of the military is the only democratic value, of six mentioned, that is not strongly endorsed by publics in a majority of the countries surveyed.

While most people throughout the developing world say it is very important to live in a country that nurtures and protects basic democratic values, relatively few say they live in a country where the judicial system is fair, elections are honest, free speech is protected, and the media is free from government censorship.

Impartial Judiciary Highly Valued

Across all regions, the surveyed publics place great value on a fair judicial system. Strong support for an impartial judiciary is nearly unanimous in Ethiopia (91% very important), and at least eight-in-ten in 10 other countries, including Egypt (88%), Tanzania (87%) and Lebanon (86%), share this view. Only in Bolivia do fewer than half (48%) say it is very important to live in a country where the judicial system treats everyone the same.

Freedom of religion also is highly valued in most countries where the question was asked. This freedom is seen as particularly important in Africa and throughout the Muslim world, while publics in Eastern Europe are significantly less likely to say it is very important for them to live in a country where they can practice their religion freely. For example, nine-in-ten or more in Senegal (95%), Ethiopia (92%), Tanzania (92%), Egypt (90%) and Kuwait (90%) say freedom of religion is very important, but fewer than half in Bulgaria (49%), the Czech Republic (48%) and Russia (45%) share this opinion.
In general, the publics of the 35 developing countries surveyed place less importance on other democratic rights, though majorities in every country rate each of these freedoms – with the notable exception of civilian control of the military – as at least somewhat important.

Honest elections featuring at least two parties are valued particularly highly in Lebanon, where 81% rate this as very important. In addition, majorities in every African country surveyed say it is very important to live in a country where honest competitive elections are held regularly. By contrast, only about four-in-ten people in Indonesia (39%), Russia (41%) and Bolivia (41%) view honest elections as very important.

There are also substantial differences in attitudes about the importance of freedom of speech. Again, overwhelming majorities in Lebanon (86%) and Egypt (80%) say it is very important to live in a country where people can openly say what they think and are free to criticize the government. On the other hand, only about a third in Malaysia (33%) and Russia (34%) say this is very important. Notably, fewer than half in each of the six Eastern European countries surveyed – including Russia – regard the freedom to criticize the government as very important.

Majorities in most of the developing countries surveyed say it is very important for them to live in a country where the media is free to report the news without government censorship. A free press is viewed particularly important in Latin America, where majorities in six of the seven countries surveyed endorse this core value. In contrast, freedom of the press is a lower priority in Asia: only about half say this is very important in India (51%) and Pakistan (50%), and the importance of a free press is even lower in Indonesia (33%) and Malaysia (32%).

Civilian control of the military is generally viewed as less important than other democratic principles. Fewer than half in 28 of the 35 developing countries say civilian control is very important. Opinions on this issue vary widely – the share of the public saying this is very important ranges from just 3% in Jordan to 65% in Senegal.

Regional Differences in Democracy Views

Views about the importance of democratic values vary considerably among different regions of the world. In general, the emerging democracies of Africa and the Middle East offer the strongest support for the six principles tested while Eastern Europeans and Asians express the least. In Russia, for example, when the median across all six values is taken, fewer than half (41%) say these democratic principles are very important to them.

There also are substantial differences in these opinions within regions. In Latin America, Chileans generally view all six democratic rights as very important; the median rating is 71%. By contrast, the median number in Bolivia viewing these rights as very important is just 44%.

Median support for democratic principles surpasses 60% in eight of 10 African countries surveyed. In South Africa, however, the median number rating democratic principles as very important is just 50%. Moreover, just 22% of South Africans view civilian control of the military as very important, by far the lowest percentage among African countries surveyed.

There also are sharp differences in opinions about the importance of democratic rights among publics in the Middle East. In Lebanon, a country rocked by political instability since the assassination of Prime Minister Rafik Hariri in 2005, the median number rating democratic principles as very important is 83%. That is the highest median among 35 countries surveyed, and fully 32 percentage points higher than the median number viewing democratic values as very important in Kuwait (51%).

The Democracy Gap

While publics throughout the developing world view most democratic rights as very important, they generally believe their countries are not doing very well in providing these basic rights. The only area where people highly rate the efforts of their countries is in ensuring freedom of religion. Majorities in 26 of the 35 developing countries surveyed say the phrase “you can practice your religion freely” describes their country very well.

By contrast, majorities in only three publics say their countries have done very well in holding honest multiparty elections. Rather, the prevailing view among most surveyed publics is that their countries have done at least somewhat well in this regard. And in several countries, including Nigeria and Uganda, majorities say their countries have done not too well or not at all well.

Palestinians are the only public surveyed in which a majority (64%) says the phrase “there is a judicial system that treats everyone in the same way” describes their government very well. Most publics express negative views of their countries efforts to establish an impartial judiciary. Majorities in five of six Eastern European nations say their countries have done not too well or not at all well in ensuring equal justice for all.

The Pew survey finds that the “democracy gap” – the difference between what people find very important and how well it describes conditions in their country – is greatest on the issue of whether a country’s judicial system treats everyone the same. This gap is especially notable in Eastern Europe. In the Czech Republic, for example, 84% say is it very important to live in a country with a fair judicial system, but just 8% say that such a system describes their country very well, a 76-point difference.

Publics across the developing world also are considerably more likely to say that honest multiparty elections are very important to them than to say this tenet of democracy describes their country very well. In Lebanon, for example, where 81% strongly endorse the principle of free elections, fewer than one-in-five (17%) say that right is fully afforded to them. This gap is also wide in Latin America, where it ranges from 25 points in Bolivia to 53 points in Argentina. Only in the Palestinian territories and in Kuwait is there no gap between the percent who say honest multiparty elections are very important and the percent who say the phrase “honest elections are held regularly with a choice of at least two political parties” describes their country very well.

There also are substantial differences between the broadly shared support for freedom of speech and views of how well countries are doing in providing this right. In the Middle East, 80% of Egyptians strongly value free speech, but just 14% describe their country as one that fully affords this right. Similarly, the rights gap on free speech stands at 50 percentage points in Lebanon (86% strongly want the right, 36% say it describes their country very well) and at 45 points in Morocco (63% vs. 18%).

People also are more likely to rate a free media as very important than to say that this feature of democracy describes their country very well. This is especially the case in Latin America, where the democracy gap on this issue is 40 points or more in Argentina, Chile, Venezuela and Peru.

The democracy gap is smallest as it relates to the right to practice one’s religion freely.
The difference in the percent who say this core democratic value is very important to them and those who say this principle is firmly in place in their country is most apparent in Turkey (39 points), Egypt (35 points) and Ethiopia (34 points). In the Czech Republic, however, more say the phrase “You can practice your religion freely” describes their country very well (64%) than say it is very important for them to live in a country where this is the case (48%).

Basic Needs vs. Basic Rights

Respondents in all 47 nations surveyed, developing and developed countries alike, were asked to identify which of four alternatives is personally most important to them: being free to say what they want in public; being free to practice their religion; being free from hunger and poverty; or being free from crime and violence. The findings suggest that both in the developed and developing world, basic human needs – the desire to be free from hunger, poverty, crime and violence – tend to be as important as political rights and freedoms, and often are more important.

In the United States, 28% say freedom from crime and violence is most important to them, the same proportion that places the highest value on religious freedom. Another 22% say being free from hunger is most important, while 18% name free speech. Taken together, slightly more Americans would appear to choose basic needs (50%) over basic rights (46%), a pattern repeated in many countries around the world. Overall, majorities in 29 of the 47 countries choose either freedom from hunger and poverty, or freedom from crime, as most important, while in 15 countries majorities name free speech or freedom of religion. In the remaining three countries opinion is divided. (Freedom of religion was not offered as a response category in China.)

Other patterns emerge from these data. Basic human needs trump democratic principles in Africa, where hunger and crime remain chronic problems. In seven of the 10 African countries surveyed, majorities or pluralities choose freedom from hunger as most important, including 55% in Kenya, 54% in Ghana, and 53% in Ethiopia. In South Africa, where violent crime remains a serious problem, freedom from crime and violence narrowly tops freedom from hunger and poverty (32% vs. 29%) as most important.

Among Eastern Europeans, freedom from hunger leads the list in five of six countries; in the Czech Republic, comparable numbers rate freedom from hunger and freedom from crime as most important (38%, 40%, respectively). But elsewhere no clear regional patterns emerge, with many countries roughly dividing between those who place the greater value on personal security and those who value free speech or religious freedom. In Western Europe, freedom from hunger is the top priority in four of the six countries surveyed, including France where 56% name it as most important. But in Germany and Italy, pluralities prioritize free speech.

Good Democracy or Strong Economy? Opinion is Divided

The advantages of a good democracy and the benefits that flow from a good economy pull the publics in the developing world in very different directions. Majorities in fewer than half the developing countries surveyed (15 of 35) say a good democracy is more important to them than a strong economy, including more than eight-in-ten in Bangladesh (82%) and Venezuela (81%).

But majorities in 14 countries put greater value on a strong economy, a view that is especially common in Eastern Europe, where majorities in four of six countries prefer a strong economy. Among the 47 publics surveyed, Indonesians are the most likely to choose prosperity – 77% prefer a strong economy, while only 21% say a good democracy.

Five years ago, the developing world also was divided on this question: majorities in 11 countries of the 26 countries where the question was asked preferred a good democracy while 10 favored a strong economy.

As with the overall results, trends in preferences since 2002 are mixed but modestly favorable to democracy. In 13 of the 26 countries where data is available, the proportion saying that a good democracy is more important than a strong economy has increased in the past five years, including double-digit gains in Venezuela (+13), Uganda (+11), Slovakia (+10) and Bolivia (+10). But in eight others, the proportion that prefers a good democracy has declined, including Indonesia (-9), Turkey (-8) and Jordan (-7).

There is no clear correlation between prioritizing “being free from hunger and poverty” and prioritizing a strong economy over a good democracy. Freedom from hunger is most valued in 19 of the developing countries where the two questions were asked. Of these, majorities or pluralities in nine countries prefer a strong economy over a good democracy. But in seven other countries, most favor a good democracy. When the analysis is expanded to include countries where freedom from hunger is not the most-valued principle, a general pattern emerges: as concern over hunger and poverty increases, the preference for a strong economy rises modestly and the proportion preferring a good democracy declines.

The Prosperity Gap

In nearly every developing country surveyed, there is a “prosperity gap” – the difference, often substantial, in the proportion of people who say it is very important to live in a country with a prosperous economy and the proportion describing their country’s economy as very prosperous. The gap exists in virtually every country surveyed, but is particularly striking in Egypt, Bulgaria and Lebanon. More than nine-in-ten Egyptians (92%) rate economic prosperity as very important, but just 7% say the phrase “there is economic prosperity” describes their country very well. The prosperity gap is nearly as large in Bulgaria (84 points) and Lebanon (80 points).

Publics in eight of the 10 countries with the largest prosperity gaps name freedom from hunger and poverty as more important to them than religious freedom, free speech or freedom from crime and violence. In Bulgaria, where there is a huge prosperity gap, 59% most value freedom from poverty and hunger, the largest proportion in any country in the survey to say this is more important than freedom of religion, free speech, or freedom from crime and violence. A plurality of Egyptians also chooses freedom from hunger over other freedoms.

Democracy vs. Strong Leader

Most of the publics in developing countries believe that a democratic form of government, rather than a “leader with a strong hand,” is the best approach for solving their countries’ problems. But there are a number of notable exceptions, including Russia, where public preference for a strong leader is most extensive among the 35 countries where the question was asked. More than twice as many Russians believe that a strong leader, rather than democracy, can solve the nation’s problems (63% vs. 27%).

The belief that democracy is better for solving national problems is most prevalent in Slovakia (88%), the Czech Republic (85%), Ivory Coast (85%) and Venezuela (84%). Venezuelans prefer democracy over a strong leader by greater than five-to-one, by far the largest margin of Latin American countries surveyed.

Majorities in nine of 10 African countries say they prefer a democratic form of government over a strong leader. But South Africans are evenly divided, with roughly half saying the country should rely on democracy to solve problems and about the same number saying strong leader (49% vs. 48%).

Among predominantly Muslim publics of the Middle East, democracy also is generally favored. However, the Palestinians favor a strong leader to solve problems, rather than democracy (by 52% to 36%).

In some countries, there have been striking changes in opinions on this measure since 2002. Five years ago, Poles were divided over whether democracy (41%) or a strong leader (44%) was the better approach to the nation’s problems. In the current survey, however, a solid majority in Poland (57%) prefers democracy. Support for democracy over a strong leader also has increased in Nigeria (by 13 percentage points) and Uganda (13 points). In Kenya, by contrast, significantly fewer people favor democracy to solve the nation’s problems than did so in 2002 (77% then, 59% today).

Democracy in the Muslim World

People in predominantly Muslim countries in Asia and the Middle East continue to express strong belief that democracy is not just a Western way of doing things and that it can work in their countries. Solid majorities in Kuwait (81%), Lebanon (79%), Jordan (70%), Malaysia (69%), Bangladesh (67%), the Palestinian territories (60%), Egypt (59%), Indonesia (58%), and Morocco (57%), and nearly half (48%) in Pakistan, say democracy is not just for the West.

Still, considerable minorities in several countries, and fully half in Turkey, express skepticism that democracy can take root in their countries. More than one-in-five in Indonesia (24%), the Palestinian territories (25%), Jordan (27%), Egypt (35%), and Turkey (50%) say democracy is a Western way of doing things.

Views about democracy have changed dramatically in Turkey since the question was last asked one year ago. In 2006, Turks were nearly divided – 38% said democracy was just for the West and 44% said it could work in their country. Today, however, just 31% of Turks believe democracy can work in Turkey, while half say it is a Western way of doing things. Publics in Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, and Indonesia are also significantly less likely to say that democracy can take root in their country than in recent Pew Global Attitudes surveys. In contrast, higher proportions of Palestinians and Bangladeshis say that democracy can work in their countries than in previous surveys.