March 2008 – BBC reports Israel still most unpopular state in the world

A majority of people believe that Israel and Iran have a mainly negative influence in the world, a poll for the BBC World Service suggests.

The poll asked 28,000 people in 27 countries to rate a dozen countries plus the EU in terms of whether they have a positive or negative influence.

In January, the BBC World Service revealed polling results that suggested most people think the US has a mainly negative influence in the world – and that the numbers had increased significantly in the last couple of years.

But it also suggests that two countries are viewed even more negatively – first Israel, and then Iran.

Iran and North Korea have both been at the centre of international disputes over their nuclear programmes.

Israel is viewed most negatively in the Muslim countries of the Middle East, although also in Europe.

BBC full report