Immediately following President George W. Bush’s State of the Union Address in January 2002, in which he branded Iran, Iraq, and North Korea as constituting an “Axis of Evil,” Gallup surveyed Americans’ favorability toward various countries (it has done so annually since 2000). Not surprisingly, Americans’ perceptions of these countries in early February 2002 reflected the president’s disposition: Iran’s favorability was 11%/84%; Iraq’s was 6%/88%; and North Korea’s was comparatively better off at 23%/65%. Fifteen years later, and perhaps not surprisingly, Americans’ perceptions of these countries remain largely negative. CONT.
Kyle Clark, Public Opinion Strategies