How Canadians Feel About America

Pew asks the question that's been on everyone's mind:

...the most recent Pew Global Attitudes survey, conducted in May and June of this year, finds that 68% of Canadians now have a favorable view of the U.S., while just 28% express an unfavorable opinion.

Ratings for the U.S. are slightly less positive among younger Canadians -- 58% of those ages 18-29 have a positive view, compared with 69% of 30-49 year-olds and 70% of those ages 50 and older. Residents of Quebec (56% favorable) and British Columbia (57%) also tend to give slightly less positive ratings than those from other regions.

However, as we've seen in Europe, these newfound positive feelings don't translate into material support for the war in Afghanistan:

While Obama and his overall foreign policy are very popular, his approach to Afghanistan, where nearly 3,000 Canadian troops are currently deployed, is not. Half of Canadians say U.S. and NATO forces should withdraw as soon as possible, while just 43% believe troops should remain until the situation has stabilized. And most (55%) say they disapprove of Obama's decision earlier this year to send additional troops to Afghanistan; only 42% approve.

Canadians are somewhat less likely than publics in some other key NATO allies to say troops should stay in Afghanistan -- 50% in France, 48% in Germany and 46% in Britain think troops should stay in Afghanistan until it is more stable. When the poll was conducted in May and June, 57% of Americans wanted troops to remain, although a recent ABC News poll, conducted Aug. 13-17, suggests American support for the war is declining.

There are clear differences on this issue among supporters of the two major Canadian political parties. A majority (56%) of those who identify with Prime Minister Harper's Conservative Party say the U.S. and NATO should keep troops in Afghanistan, compared with just 44% of those who identify with the opposition Liberal Party.

It's better to be liked than loathed, but progressive supporters of the president elevated international approval of the U.S. into something of a strategic doctrine. And the gains just haven't materialized.

(Photo: David Paul Ohmer under a CC License)