Government

Afghans' Approval of Their Leadership Falls to 33%

Majority disapprove of Karzai for the first time

July 27, 2010

Afghans' approval of their country's leadership fell to a record-low 33% in April. Approval of Afghan President Hamid Karzai is also down, to 44%. More Afghans now approve of U.S. leadership than they do their own.More ...

Pakistanis, Afghans Unconvinced by Gov't Anti-Terror Efforts

Half say government isn't doing enough

March 17, 2010

Gallup surveys in Pakistan and Afghanistan last year show citizens' evaluations of how their governments are fighting terrorism changed little despite major military operations and troop surges. Half of residents in each country said their respective government isn't doing enough to combat terrorism.More ...

Taliban Increasingly Unpopular in Pakistan

Four percent say Taliban's presence is positive influence

March 17, 2010

Gallup surveys show the Taliban lost much of the little favor they had in Pakistan between June and December last year. Four percent of Pakistanis in late 2009 said the Taliban has a positive influence in some areas of the country, down from 15% earlier in the year.More ...

Fewer Afghans See Corruption Increasing in Their Country

Most still perceive corruption as widespread in government, business

March 4, 2010

Gallup surveys document some positive momentum in Afghans' views about the level of corruption in their country following the country's election in August 2009. The number of Afghans saying corruption levels were higher than they were five years ago continued to decline, dropping below 50% for the first time.More ...

Global Perceptions of U.S. Leadership Improve in 2009

A world median of 51% approves of the leadership of the U.S.

February 10, 2010

The U.S.-Global Leadership Project, a partnership between the Meridian International Center and Gallup, finds median global approval of the performance of U.S. leadership at 51% in 2009, a 17-percentage-point increase from 2008.More ...

In U.S., More Support for Increasing Troops in Afghanistan

Americans now tilt slightly toward sending in new troops as opposed to reducing number

December 2, 2009

Nearly half of Americans (47%) would now advise President Obama to increase the number of U.S. troops in Afghanistan, while 39% would advise him to reduce U.S. troop levels. Earlier this month, Americans tilted more toward a troop reduction than a troop increase, 44% to 42%.More ...

Karzai Faces Steep Climb to Curb Perceptions of Corruption

Pre-election surveys show Afghans perceive widespread government corruption

November 10, 2009

With newly re-elected Afghan President Hamid Karzai promising to fight corruption in his country, Gallup surveys underscore the extent of the challenge he faces. Before the marred election season, 81% of Afghans said corruption was widespread and 69% said their government wasn’t doing enough to fight it.More ...

Many in Asia Wait to Rate New U.S. Administration

Approval down in three of eight countries polled

September 23, 2009

Across eight Asian countries Gallup surveyed, approval of U.S. leadership is down slightly in 2009 compared with 2008, in large part attributable to an increase in the percentage who did not have an opinion. In Afghanistan and Pakistan, approval of U.S. leadership remains steady.More ...

Before Attacks, Indonesians Commended Anti-Terror Efforts

Sixty-eight percent said government doing enough to fight terrorism

July 24, 2009

Indonesians surveyed only a few months before the bombings in Jakarta last week gave their government high marks on combating terrorism. More than two-thirds of Indonesians (68%) said their government was doing enough, which is up markedly from 51% two years ago.More ...

Before Attacks, 55% of Indians OK With Anti-Terror Efforts

Fewer Indians say Pakistan is doing enough to fight cross-border terror

November 30, 2008

A Gallup Poll in India shows that before the terrorist attacks in Mumbai, a slim majority of Indians (55%) felt their government was doing enough to fight terrorism.More ...