Americans Like England, Canada Best

Americans have the warmest feelings about England, Canada and Israel, and good feelings have improved about China and India more than any other country since an August poll, according to a survey measuring U.S. attitudes toward foreign nations.

The survey, released Thursday by the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute, found that Cuba, Iran and North Korea received the coolest ratings when Americans were asked to rank how they felt about foreign nations. Iraq, North Korea and Venezuela were said to be the countries with ratings that fell the most.

Since an August survey, the university found that the ratings for 13 nations had improved. The "Global Thermometer" measured the warmth of U.S. voters' feelings about 16 foreign countries, the United Nations and the Palestinian government.

In order of ranking, they were England, Canada, Israel, Germany, India, Mexico, the United Nations, Russia, France, China, Saudi Arabia, Venezuela, Iraq, Syria, the Palestinian government, Cuba, Iran and North Korea.

Peter Brown, the institute's assistant director, said Democrats generally give foreign nations higher ratings than Republicans. "The poll was taken after an election in which Democrats triumphed, so perhaps that is what we are seeing," he said of the improvement in U.S. attitudes.

Democrats wrested control of both houses of the U.S. Congress from Republicans in elections this month.

The survey's results came from interviews conducted Nov. 13-19 with 1,623 registered voters across the country. There is a margin of error of plus or minus 2.5 percentage points.