Canada Viewed as Most Positive Leader on World Stage

Canada remains the top country expected to have a positive influence on world affairs over the next decade.  

New polling of more than 22,000 people across 30 countries by Ipsos for the Halifax International Security Forum was done amid ongoing diplomatic tensions between Canada and India. Relations have been frosty between the two countries since Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau accused India of being involved in the killing of a Sikh separatist leader in June 2023 on Canadian soil, which Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has vehemently denied. 

In 2024, an average of 79% (-one percentage point versus 2023) say that Canada will have an overall positive influence on world affairs over the next decade. The proportion that predicts India will have a positive influence fell two points to 48%. Out of 30 countries, people in India are the least likely to say Canada will have a positive influence (+five pts to 62%) while only 35% (+two pts) of people in Canada say India will have a positive influence.
 

And the survey, conducted on Ipsos’ Global Advisor online platform between Sept. 20 and Oct. 4, 2024, finds “my country” (-one pt to 74%) just inching ahead of Germany (-two pts to 73%) on average across 30 countries this year. Coming in fourth place is the European Union at 69% (-three pts), with the United Nations (-three pts to 68%) and France (-two pts at 68%) tying for fifth place. 

Based on the 20-country average* Canada has enjoyed the most positive ranking since 2015, while Iran has consistently been at the bottom of the rankings.

The usual suspects

Iran (-two points to 25%) on average across 30 countries is once again considered the least likely country to have a positive influence on world affairs, with Pakistan (-two pts to 28%) and Israel (-12 pts to 28%) coming in right behind Iran this year. 

Following the October 7 attack in 2023 and the ensuing Israel-Hamas conflict the perception of Israel dramatically dropped year-over-year, Russia’s reputation took a similar dive in the immediate wake of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, dropping fifteen points on average across 20 countries* in 2022 but has since slowly seen its positive ranking improve. In 2024, Russia (+two pts to 32%) comes in well below Saudi Arabia (-one pt to 43%) to round out the bottom five. 

In 2019, before the World Health Organization declared a global pandemic, 46% on average across 20 countries* thought China would have a positive influence on world affairs. After a global pandemic was officially declared in March 2020, the proportion who thought China would have a positive influence dropped ten pts to 36% but has since ticked back up slightly as the coronavirus crisis moves further into the rearview mirror. China now now sits at 39% (+three pts).

Sliding scale

Meanwhile, the proportion who think the U.S. will have a positive influence on world affairs dropped slightly from 2023 to 2024 (-two pts to 60%) under U.S. President Joe Biden’s leadership. This year’s polling was completed on October 4, 2024, just over a month before Donald Trump bested U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris to clinch a second, non-consecutive term as U.S. president.

The last time current President-elect Donald Trump won the keys to the White House in November 2016 America’s reputation on the world stage took a dive, with the proportion of people who thought the U.S. would have a positive influence sliding 11 points in 2017 to 55%, on average across 20 countries*, and then hovered around the 50 percent mark throughout Trump’s first term. The global proportion who thought the U.S. would have a positive influence then jumped back up in 2021 (+13 points to 63%) after now-current U.S. President Joe Biden was elected. But after hitting 64% in 2022 there’s been a gradual downward slide as Biden wraps up his one-term presidency.

Influence of one’s own country

The perception of one’s own country runs the gamut. Residents in Singapore (-three pts to 90%), Indonesia (-six pts to 87%) and New Zealand (-two points to 86%) are the most optimistic about the positive influence of their own country in the world.

While 60% (-two pts) on average across 30 countries in 2024 think America will have a positive influence on the world over the next decade, 77% (+one pt) of Americans think their country will have a positive impact. 

Meanwhile, those in Hungary (-one pt to 43%), France (-three pts to 63%), Türkiye (+one pt to 64%), and Italy (-two pts to 64%) are least optimistic about their country’s role on the global stage. And while 79% (-one pt) on average across 30 countries think Canada will have a positive impact, the proportion of Canadians thinking this rose slightly to 80% (+two pts) in 2024. 

Looking inward and outward

There’s an inherent tension between globalism and isolationism, and we see it in our survey results this year.

Close to four in five (-one pt to 78%) believe given the difficult economic issues in their country today the focus should be less on the world and more at home. Yet almost the same proportion (-three pts to 75%) say their country should work with other countries towards global goals even if their country doesn’t always get exactly what it wants. At the same time there’s been a big dip over the past year with two in three (-11 pts to 66%) now believing economic power is more important in world affairs than military power.

Appetite for strong leadership

In these tense times true character emerges. And the vast majority (-two pts to 70%) still agree their country has a responsibility to be a moral leader in the world and set an example for other countries to follow, with Indonesians (-four pts to 86%) and Singaporeans (no change at 84%) leading on this. 

There’s been a drop (-seven pts to 51%) in the global proportion that think the U.S. is the most reliable leader for democratic nations. That’s down two pts to 62% among Americans, compared to 47% (-10 pts) among its neighbours to the South in Mexico and 42% (-five pts) among America’s Northern neighbours in Canada.

Table of Contents

1. Canada Viewed as Most Positive Leader on World Stage

2. HISF-Ipsos Threat Index Finds Disinformation, Hacking Seen as Top Threats

3. Eight in Ten Believe Democracy, Human Rights and Rule of Law are Universal Values All Nations Can Aspire to

4. Worry About Possible World War III Drops as Regional Conflicts Rage On

About the Study

These are the results of a 30-country survey conducted by Ipsos on its Global Advisor online platform and, in India, on its IndiaBus platform, between Friday, September 20 and Friday, October 4, 2024. For this survey, Ipsos interviewed a total of 22,989 adults aged 18 years and older in India, 18-74 in Canada, Malaysia, South Africa, Türkiye, and the United States, 20-74 in Thailand, 21-74 in Indonesia and Singapore, and 16-74 in all other countries. 

The sample consists of approximately 1,000 individuals each in Australia, Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, Great Britain, Italy, Japan, New Zealand, Spain, and the U.S., and 500 individuals each in Argentina, Belgium, Chile, Colombia, Hungary, Indonesia, Ireland, Israel, Malaysia, Mexico, the Netherlands, Peru, Poland, Singapore, South Africa, South Korea, Sweden, Thailand, and Türkiye. The sample in India consists of approximately 2,000 individuals, of whom approximately 1,800 were interviewed face-to-face and 200 were interviewed online. 

Samples in Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Canada, France, Germany, Great Britain, Hungary, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, Poland, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, and the U.S. can be considered representative of their general adult populations under the age of 75. Samples in Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Indonesia, Israel, Malaysia, Mexico, Peru, Singapore, South Africa, Thailand, and Türkiye are more urban, more educated, and/or more affluent than the general population. The survey results for these countries should be viewed as reflecting the views of the more “connected” segment of their population.

India’s sample represents a large subset of its urban population — social economic classes A, B and C in metros and tier 1-3 town classes across all four zones. 

The data is weighted so that the composition of each country’s sample best reflects the demographic profile of the adult population according to the most recent census data. “The Global Country Average” reflects the average result for all the countries and markets in which the survey was conducted. It has not been adjusted to the population size of each country or market and is not intended to suggest a total result.

When percentages do not sum up to 100 or the ‘difference’ appears to be +/-1 percentage point more/less than the actual result, this may be due to rounding, multiple responses, or the exclusion of “don't know” or not stated responses.
The precision of Ipsos online polls is calculated using a credibility interval with a poll where N=1,000 being accurate to +/- 3.5 percentage points and of where N=500 being accurate to +/- 5.0 percentage points. For more information on Ipsos' use of credibility intervals, please visit the Ipsos website.

The publication of these findings abides by local rules and regulations.

*Change for 20-country average is based on the countries which were in all editions of the Ipsos for the Halifax Security Forum report.