Politics
Charted: How Much Do Countries Trust the United Nations?
See this visualization first on the Voronoi app.
How Much Do Countries Trust the United Nations?
This was originally posted on our Voronoi app. Download the app for free on iOS or Android and discover incredible data-driven charts from a variety of trusted sources.
Do you trust the United Nations (UN) in carrying out its objectives of maintaining peace and security, protecting human rights, and upholding international law?
Survey results from Edelman’s 2024 Trust Barometer Global Report show that some countries’ citizens believe strongly in the UN to “do the right thing,” while others are less trusting.
Ranked: 28 Countries Trust Levels in the United Nations in 2024
To gauge trust in the United Nations, Edelman surveyed more than 32,000 respondents between 28 countries in November 2023. Each country sample of 1,150 people is statistically significant and representative.
According to the results, respondents from Japan and Argentina had the least amount of trust in the UN when it came to “doing the right thing.”
| Country | % who trust the UN to "Do the right thing" |
|---|---|
| 🇯🇵 Japan | 38% |
| 🇦🇷 Argentina | 38% |
| 🇮🇹 Italy | 48% |
| 🇺🇸 U.S. | 50% |
| 🇪🇸 Spain | 50% |
| 🇮🇪 Ireland | 50% |
| 🇩🇪 Germany | 50% |
| 🇫🇷 France | 51% |
| 🇨🇴 Colombia | 51% |
| 🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia | 52% |
| 🇦🇺 Australia | 52% |
| 🇿🇦 South Africa | 53% |
| 🇨🇦 Canada | 54% |
| 🇰🇷 South Korea | 56% |
| 🇬🇧 UK | 57% |
| 🇲🇾 Malaysia | 59% |
| 🇧🇷 Brazil | 59% |
| 🇸🇬 Singapore | 60% |
| 🇳🇱 Netherlands | 60% |
| 🇲🇽 Mexico | 61% |
| 🇸🇪 Sweden | 63% |
| 🇮🇩 Indonesia | 65% |
| 🇦🇪 UAE | 66% |
| 🇳🇬 Nigeria | 71% |
| 🇹🇭 Thailand | 75% |
| 🇨🇳 China | 76% |
| 🇰🇪 Kenya | 77% |
| 🇮🇳 India | 77% |
Just 38% of Japanese and Argentinian people had faith in the UN, by far the lowest levels of trust. Only one other country was below the 50% trust mark: Italy at 48%.
Many major economies and G7 countries had trust levels hovering between 50–60%, including the U.S. and Germany at 50% and the UK at 57%.
Meanwhile, India and Kenya had the highest levels of trust in the UN at 77%, with China right behind at 76%. In general, African and Asian nations tended to have higher levels of trust in the UN, though there were exceptions like South Africa (53%) and South Korea (56%)
It’s also worth noting that views within countries can differ significantly. Separate data on this topic from Pew Research shows that public opinion of the UN is split along ideological lines. In the U.S., there’s a 45 percentage point difference, with more conservative respondents having significantly lower trust in the UN.
United States
Charted: What Southeast Asia Thinks About China & the U.S.
A significant share of respondents from an ASEAN-focused survey are not happy about rising American and Chinese influence in the region.
What Southeast Asia Thinks About China & the U.S.
This was originally posted on our Voronoi app. Download the app for free on iOS or Android and discover incredible data-driven charts from a variety of trusted sources.
This chart visualizes the results of a 2024 survey conducted by the ASEAN Studies Centre at the ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute. Nearly 2,000 respondents were asked if they were worried or welcoming of rising Chinese and American geopolitical influence in their country.
The countries surveyed all belong to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), a political and economic union of 10 states in Southeast Asia.
Feelings Towards China
On average, a significant share of respondents from all 10 countries are worried about rising influence from both the U.S. and China.
However, overall skepticism is higher for China, at 74% (versus 59% for U.S.).
| Country | Worried About Growing 🇨🇳 Influence | Welcome Growing 🇨🇳 Influence |
|---|---|---|
| 🇧🇳 Brunei | 58% | 42% |
| 🇰🇭 Cambodia | 66% | 34% |
| 🇮🇩 Indonesia | 57% | 43% |
| 🇱🇦 Laos | 68% | 32% |
| 🇲🇾 Malaysia | 56% | 44% |
| 🇲🇲 Myanmar | 95% | 5% |
| 🇵🇭 Philippines | 81% | 19% |
| 🇸🇬 Singapore | 74% | 26% |
| 🇹🇭 Thailand | 84% | 16% |
| 🇻🇳 Vietnam | 96% | 4% |
| Average | 74% | 27% |
The recently-cooled but still active territorial concerns over the South China Sea may play a significant role in these responses, especially in countries which are also claimants over the sea.
For example, in Vietnam over 95% of respondents said they were worried about China’s growing influence.
Feelings Towards America
Conversely, rising American influence is welcomed in two countries with competing claims in the South China Sea, the Philippines (69%) and Vietnam (55%).
| Country | Worried About Growing 🇺🇸 Influence | Welcome Growing 🇺🇸 Influence |
|---|---|---|
| 🇧🇳 Brunei | 73% | 27% |
| 🇰🇭 Cambodia | 58% | 42% |
| 🇮🇩 Indonesia | 73% | 27% |
| 🇱🇦 Laos | 79% | 21% |
| 🇲🇾 Malaysia | 68% | 32% |
| 🇲🇲 Myanmar | 45% | 55% |
| 🇵🇭 Philippines | 32% | 69% |
| 🇸🇬 Singapore | 37% | 63% |
| 🇹🇭 Thailand | 80% | 20% |
| 🇻🇳 Vietnam | 45% | 55% |
| Average | 59% | 41% |
Despite this, on a regional average, more respondents worry about growing American influence (59%) than they welcome it (41%).
Interestingly, it seems almost every ASEAN nation has a clear preference for one superpower over the other.
The only exception is Thailand, where those surveyed were not a fan of either option, with 84% worried about China, and 80% worried about the U.S.
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