How do Brits See the UK’s Place in the World?

As the G7 in Cornwall comes to an end, this weekend’s polling by Opinium for The Observer provides insights into how the public view the UK’s place in the world.

The survey of 2,002 adults took place between the 10th and 11th June.

Asked to say how influential various countries were on the world stage, the USA led the pack, with 79% saying it was influential, followed by 72% who said the same about China. 66% said Germany was influential with 61% saying Russia was. The UK came fifth, with 60% saying it was influential, ahead of counties including France, India and Japan.

Focussing on the UK only, whilst 19% of respondents said the country had become more influential over the past ten years, 41% argued that it has become less so. Overall, 26% agreed that Brexit had made the UK more influential on the world stage, with 35% arguing it had made it less so. 27% said that leaving the European Union had made no difference to the UK’s standing in the world.

Asked to say if they felt various modern day Prime Ministers had been influential, Tony Blair led the pack, with 59% saying he was influential, followed by the 41% saying the same about Boris Johnson. This was followed by the 34% saying David Cameron was influential in the world, 28% saying the same about Gordon Brown and just 23% who felt Theresa May had been influential on the world stage.

YouGov also this week had some fascinating polling looking at how those in the UK and Untied States perceived the state of relations between the two countries.

It noted: “Four in ten Americans (40%) say that the UK and the US do have a particular bond and a ‘special relationship’.  This is, however, twice as many as the 19% of Britons who say the same.”

It went on to say: “Britons are more likely to regard the two countries as close allies, but that the relationship between the two is not necessarily ‘special’ - 48% say this, compared to 32% of Americans.  A further 20% of Britons don’t even think the countries are that close anymore, an opinion with which just 8% of Americans agree.”

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