MOSCOW, July 18 (RIA Novosti) - US President Barack Obama remains popular around the world, with a 57 percent approval rating in 43 countries, although he has lost nearly half his support in several countries in the past year, according to a survey by Pew Research Center.
"Half or more of the public in 27 of 43 countries surveyed by the Pew Research Center in 2014 said they had confidence in him [Obama] to do the right thing in world affairs – his median positive approval rating is 55 percent, similar to the American public’s view of his handling of foreign policy," Bruce Stokes, director of global economic attitudes at the Pew Research Center, wrote on CNN.
The survey showed that while Obama's image improved in Israel and China and changed little in most nations, his popularity dropped heavily in Brazil, Germany, Argentina, Russia and Japan.
In Russia, 29 percent approve of Obama's performance, down 14 percent from last year's figures, "a likely casualty of the Ukraine confrontation," according to Pew.
"Obama’s handling of that crisis has not won the US president much support in Ukraine, either, where only 44 percent gave him a positive grade," Stokes said.
A similar fall in popularity was seen in Germany – the only EU country where Obama's rating fell by double digits, in this case 17 points – which might be explained by the recent espionage scandal, in which Berlin accused US security services of spying in Germany.
Western Europe showed the strongest approval of the US president's foreign policy, with eight out of 10 respondents supporting him in France and three-quarters in Italy and the UK. Some Asian countries, such as the Philippines and South Korea, demonstrated a nearly 90-percent approval rate.
Middle Eastern countries balanced the scales, with Obama receiving 7 percent support in Pakistan, 13 percent in Palestine and 19 percent in Egypt.
Yet, Obama's rating remains three times higher than his predecessor, George Bush, received. In his last year as president, Bush received a 19-percent approval rating in 20 countries.
At home in the United States, Obama has 44 percent of the public approving of his job and half the population disapproving of it, according to Pew.
Obama is serving his second term as US president, which ends in 2016.
