Mexican Views of the U.S. Turn Sharply Negative

FOR RELEASE SEPTEMBER 14, 2017

Mexican Views of the U.S. Turn Sharply Negative

Widespread dissatisfaction with economy and political leaders

BY Margaret Vice and Hanyu Chwe

FOR MEDIA OR OTHER INQUIRIES: Margaret Vice, Senior Researcher Rhonda Stewart, Senior Communications Manager 202.419.4372

RECOMMENDED CITATION: Pew Research Center, September, 2017, "Mexican Views of the U.S. Turn Sharply Negative"



1 PEW RESEARCH CENTER

About Pew Research Center

Pew Research Center is a nonpartisan fact tank that informs the public about the issues, attitudes and trends shaping America and the world. It does not take policy positions. The Center conducts public opinion polling, demographic research, content analysis and other data-driven social science research. It studies U.S. politics and policy; journalism and media; internet, science and technology; religion and public life; Hispanic trends; global attitudes and trends; and U.S. social and demographic trends. All of the center's reports are available at . Pew Research Center is a subsidiary of The Pew Charitable Trusts, its primary funder. ? Pew Research Center 2017



2 PEW RESEARCH CENTER

Table of Contents

Overview: Mexican Views of the U.S. Turn Sharply Negative

3

1. Dramatic shifts in how Mexicans see the U.S.

6

Mexicans less interested in moving to the U.S. without authorization

9

2. Mexicans are downbeat about their country's direction

11

Growing sense that corruption is a major problem

13

3. Poor ratings for Pe?a Nieto, political parties

15

Institutions generally seen as having a positive impact in Mexico

17

Acknowledgments

18

Methodology

19

Topline Questionnaire

20



3 PEW RESEARCH CENTER

Mexican Views of the U.S. Turn Sharply Negative

Widespread dissatisfaction with economy and political leaders

More Mexicans view the United States unfavorably than at any time in the past decade and a half. Nearly twothirds of Mexicans (65%) express a negative opinion of the U.S., more than double the share two years ago (29%). Mexicans' opinions about the economic relationship with their country's northern neighbor are also deteriorating, though less dramatically: 55% now say economic ties between Mexico and the U.S. are good for their country, down from 70% in 2013.

This erosion of Mexico's goodwill toward the U.S. coincides with low approval of American President Donald Trump and one of his signature policies. An overwhelming 94% of Mexicans oppose Trump's proposed border wall and only 5% have confidence in him to do the right thing regarding world affairs, Trump's lowest rating among 37 nations

U.S. image in Mexico hits a low point

Views of U.S. 100%

64

Favorable

69

56 47

66 63 66 56 52 56

65

41 44

41

25

Unfavorable

35 27

34 30 31 29

0 2002

2005

2008

2011

Source: Spring 2017 Global Attitudes Survey. Q12a. PEW RESEARCH CENTER

2014

30 2017

In Mexico, image of U.S. president at record low

Confidence in the U.S. president to do the right thing regarding world affairs

100 % 77

93 No confidence

67

55 43 54 46 49 52 49

28

33

43 38

42 39 40 45 Confidence

16 0

2007

2009

Bush

2011

2013

Obama

2015

Source: Spring 2017 Global Attitudes Survey. Q30a. PEW RESEARCH CENTER

5

2017 Trump



4 PEW RESEARCH CENTER

polled in 2017. President

Barack Obama's lowest rating Increasingly grim public mood in Mexico

in Mexico was 38%, in 2011.

__ with the way things are going in our country today

(For more on America's

100%

image around the world, see

Dissatisfied

78 79 76

85

"U.S. Image Suffers as Publics

79

66 68

69 63

67

72

Around World Question

Trump's Leadership.")

Despite the negative shift in Mexican attitudes about the U.S., the share who believe that Mexicans who move to the U.S. have a better life has increased by 7 percentage points since 2015, reaching a level last seen in 2012.

16

0 2002

Satisfied

30

30 20

19

22

34 29

30

27

2005

2008

2011

2014

Source: Spring 2017 Global Attitudes Survey. Q2. PEW RESEARCH CENTER

13 2017

A third of Mexicans say they would move to the U.S. if given the opportunity, a figure that has remained relatively steady since Pew Research Center began measuring in 2009. However, Mexicans express less of a willingness to live and work in the U.S. without authorization than they did in 2015, with only 13% saying that they would do so, down from 20% two years ago.

These are among the major findings from a Pew Research Center survey conducted among 1,000 respondents in Mexico from March 2 to April 10, 2017.

Overall, the national mood in Mexico is grim: 85% are dissatisfied with the way things are going in Mexico generally, and perceptions of the national economy are not much better, with seven-in-ten believing the economic situation is bad.

Today, Mexicans are most concerned with crime, political corruption, cartel-related violence and rising prices, though corrupt police officers and a lack of employment also alarm many. Lowerlevel but still significant concerns include poor-quality schools and the wealth gap.

President Enrique Pe?a Nieto's popularity is at its lowest since Pew Research Center began asking about him in 2011, a year before he took office. Just over a quarter of Mexicans have a favorable view of Pe?a Nieto today, down from a peak of 61% in 2011. The president's favorability is eroding



 ................
................

In order to avoid copyright disputes, this page is only a partial summary.

Google Online Preview   Download