If you think you have a sharp mind for facts on world affairs,
then you might want to try these questions on for size: Who's the
current U.S. Secretary of State? Who's the prime minister of
Canada? How about the leader of Cuba? Can you name the Russian
president? A February Gallup Poll* put Americans' knowledge to the
test, by asking them if they know the names of various foreign
leaders. While knowledge of specific leaders varies greatly, public
awareness of foreign leaders has generally improved since the last
time Gallup asked these questions in May 2000.
Current foreign policy tensions have helped raise the public
visibility of some figures. When asked to name the U.S. Secretary
of State, more than half the public (57%) correctly answered Colin
Powell, 6% named someone else, and 37% didn't have an answer. The
percentage correctly naming Powell is significantly higher than it
was for his predecessor, Madeleine Albright. Just 33% correctly
named her as Secretary of State in 2000. This may be due, at least
in part, to Powell's general popularity.
However, Americans do not do nearly as well when they are asked
to identify the leader of their neighbor to the north. Just 6% of
the public correctly named Jean Chretien as the prime minister of
Canada, although this is an improvement over the 2% who named
Chretien in 2000.
Improved Awareness of Other International Leaders
The survey also asked Americans to name the leaders of Russia,
England, Israel, and Cuba. The percentage correctly naming Vladimir
Putin of Russia (40%) and Tony Blair of England (51%) both
increased dramatically since 2000. The percentage identifying Fidel
Castro as the leader of Cuba dipped slightly (from 76% to 71%),
while 37% correctly cited Ariel Sharon as the prime minister of
Israel.
The rise in awareness of Putin as the Russian president is not
surprising, considering the fact that he had been president for
fewer than two months when Gallup first asked the question in May
2000. The 29-point increase in the public's awareness of Blair as
the prime minister of England is more likely attributable to
Blair's recent backing of the United States and President Bush in
both the war on terrorism and the stand-off with Iraq.
Increased Interest in News From Foreign Countries
The general increase in the public's knowledge of foreign
leaders is reflective of an increase in how closely Americans
follow news about foreign countries. Specifically, the percentage
saying they follow news about foreign countries "very closely" has
doubled since May 2000, while the percentages saying "not too
closely" have been cut nearly in half.
The most substantial increase in the American public's following
of foreign news came between February 2001 and February 2002, no
doubt a result of the explosion in news coverage of U.S. foreign
policy following the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.
Bottom Line
The terrorist attacks of 2001, the war on terrorism, and the
increased tension around the world have significantly contributed
to an increase in public awareness of foreign countries. The fact
that Americans are far more likely to identify the leaders of
England, Russia, and Israel than to identify the leader of Canada,
their closest neighbor, suggests Americans' awareness of foreign
leaders is driven more by the extent of each country's role in
world affairs than by their geographic proximity to the United
States.
*Results are based on telephone interviews with 1,001 national
adults, aged 18 and older, conducted Feb. 3-6, 2003. For results
based on the total sample of national adults, one can say with 95%
confidence that the maximum margin of sampling error is
±3%.
