Poll: Americans' satisfaction with U.S. world standing at 17-year high

Feb. 27 (UPI) -- Americans are more satisfied today with the United States' present standing in the world than they have been in nearly 20 years, a new survey showed Thursday.

Gallup said in its poll 53 percent of respondents said they're satisfied -- a share that includes 85 percent of Republicans, but less than a fifth of Democrats. The overall mark is an 8 percent increase over the last 12 months and the highest percentage since 2003.

However, the poll results show a majority of adults in the United States -- 61 percent -- believe President Donald Trump is not respected by leaders in the international community -- compared to 37 percent who said he is.

Nearly three-quarters of Republicans and 6 percent of Democrats agree that Trump is respected among his foreign counterparts.

"The 68-point gap between Republicans and Democrats on this measure is not uncommon over the past two decades, though it is at the higher end," Gallup author Megan Brenan said. "While the current overall 37 percent reading is a high for Trump, it is far from the highs recorded for his two most recent predecessors -- George W. Bush (75 percent in 2002) and Barack Obama (67 percent in 2009)."

The research may be a positive signal for Trump's re-election campaign.

"As Trump fights to stay in the White House and remain the leader of the free world, Americans are feeling more positive about the United States' global image than they have since 2003," Gallup wrote. "The readings about global perceptions of the U.S. among all Americans are roughly in line with those in 2004 when Bush won a second term in office."

Gallup polled more than 1,000 U.S. adults for the survey, which has a margin of error of 4 points.