BBC poll ranks Israel third in list of worst countries worldwide

A poll conducted by the BBC World Service has ranked Israel in third place among the worst countries in the world, keeping company with North Korea and only just ahead of Iran and Pakistan.

The results of the global poll, organised by the BBC and covering 22 countries, showed that Israel stands among the countries with the most negative influence on the world and those which are being viewed negatively.

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Iran took top spot as it was described by 55 per cent of the respondents as a “negative” state, while Pakistan was voted in second place by 51 per cent; Israel occupies third place with 50 per cent of respondents voting it as “negative”. 

According to the poll website, the facts about Israel’s position in world public opinion are disturbing; although the opinion of Israel in the past year was negative, it has actually got worse, rising by 3 per cent of respondents from 47 to 50 per cent.

When asked for the reason for having such a negative view of Israel, 45 per cent of the participants said that it comes from the policies of the Israeli government; 27 per cent said that it was due to the “bad relationship” between Israel and its citizens.

Such a negative view was expressed by just 21 per cent of respondents from the USA, Kenya and Nigeria. America, in fact, had the most positive view of Israel, with 50 per cent of the respondents in the US regarding Israel in a good light; the highest negative percentage came from Egypt, where 85 per cent hold a negative view.

The poll showed a significant deterioration in the status of Israel in European public opinion. The results were as follows: Spain 74 per cent, France 65 per cent and Germany 69 per cent. In Britain, 68 per cent of the respondents said that their view of Israel is negative.

The negative perception of Israel among the emerging countries of the world came through as 29 per cent in India, 45 per cent in China and 58 per cent in Brazil. In Russia, the “negative” figure was 26 per cent.

The poll was an initiative of the BBC World Service and was conducted by GlobeScan poll institute with participation from the University of Maryland in the United States. It was undertaken between December 2011 and February 2012; more than 24,000 persons from 22 countries around the world took part.