Pew Research: Most Germans Don’t See the U.S. as a Good Partner for Human Rights

Last month, the Pew Research Center published fascinating new data suggesting that the road to re-establishing U.S. relations with its traditional European partners may be a long one.  According to the poll, American perceptions of partnership potential with Germany on a range of issues have remained relatively steady over time.  In fact, nearly three-quarters of Americans say that relations with Germany are good, with 19 percent deeming the relations very good. 

The Germans surveyed hold a very different view.  Among Germans, 79% say that the relationship with the U.S. is bad, a 15 percentage point increase since 2019 .  On specific issues, the perceptions are equally skewed.  For example, only 12% of Germans say that the U.S. is a partner on protecting the environment, compared with 76% of Americans who say the same about Germany.  Pertinent to this blog’s readers, clear majorities in Germany do not see the U.S. as a partner on protecting democracy and human rights.

These findings are based on a Pew Research Center survey of 1,007 adults conducted in the U.S. from Sept. 22-28, 2020, a Körber-Stiftung survey of 1,005 adults conducted in Germany from Sept. 10-17 and another survey in Germany of 1,058 adults from Nov. 6-10, 2020.