Gallup poll shows Trump leading, Xi down in PHL
POPE FRANCIS and US President Donald J. Trump are the two most favorable global leaders among Filipinos, Gallup International Association’s 41st Annual Global End of Year Survey results showed.
The survey found that 87% or almost 9 out of 10 Filipinos have expressed favorable opinion of Pope Francis, who had a net score of + 80, followed by Mr. Trump who garnered a favorable 72% and unfavorable 23% for a net score of +49.
On the other hand, Mr. Trump’s Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, had a net score of -1 among Filipino respondents, placing him on the tailend together with India’s Narenda Modi, Turkey’s Erdogan, Israel’s Benjamin Netanyahu, and King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud of Saudi Arabia.
In the international community, Mr. Trump “does not poll so favorably this year and having been in office for just over a year,” Gallup said, noting 31% holding a favorable view of him and 58% unfavorable for a net score of -27.
Mr. Trump ranked way below Mr. Xi’s +6 net score among world leaders, whereas Pope Francis had the highest net score at +38, followed by German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s +20.
Kancho Stoychev, Gallup president, said: “President Trump is clearly dividing people in the way his predecessor did not. This means that the world is looking to other world leaders to fill this key role.”
“Two years ago, just before he left office almost three in five (59%) of those polled throughout 65 countries around the world held a favorable view of US President Barack Obama,” Gallup noted.
Russian President Vladimir Putin had a net score of +3 worldwide and a considerable +20 in the Philippines, which is among the 55 nations polled in the period of October to December last year.
“President Putin polls favorably in most regions of the world except the US ( 14%) and EU-Europe (28%), but still higher than the 20% favorability for President Trump,” the poll noted, adding:
“Russian President Putin has seen his favorability increase significantly but he still needs to convince others as he remains divisive. Nevertheless, for the first time in a global poll, a Russian leader is ranked before the US one.”