Germany was the most positively viewed nation, with 56 percent of those asked having a favourable opinion and 18 percent a negative one. It was the first time Germany was included in the survey. None of the countries surveyed had negative majority view towards Germany.
“Germany’s global image is the most positive of all countries evaluated in this survey. In 20 of the 22 tracking countries the most common view is that Germany’s influence in the world is ‘mainly positive,’” the report said.
The most widespread positive views of Germany were amongst its European neighbours, including very large majorities in Italy (82 percent), Spain (77 percent), Portugal (76 percent), and France (74 percent). Significant numbers in Great Britain (62 percent) and Russia (61 percent) also held favourable views of Germany.
"We see these survey results as a clear indicator that the world sees Germany as an open and welcoming place for visitors and investors alike,” Todd Buell, a spokesman for business booster group Invest in Germany, told The Local.
Japan came in second in the survey with ratings of 56 percent positive and 21 percent negative.
The United States improved its ranking slightly from last year, but some 47 percent of those surveyed still said America had a negative influence on the world. Only 35 percent had a positive view.
The poll, which interviewed more than 17,000 people in 34 countries, is part of a regular survey by the BBC World Service. People were asked to measure the positive or negative influence of Brazil, Britain, China, France, Germany, India, Iran, Israel, Japan, North Korea, Pakistan, Russia, the United States and the European Union.
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