Gallup - March 04, 2003
Can Americans Name Key Foreign Leaders? by Darren K. Carlson, Government and Politics Editor
If you think you have a sharp mind for facts on world affairs, then you might want to try these questions on for size: Who's the current U.S. Secretary of State? Who's the prime minister of Canada? How about the leader of Cuba? Can you name the Russian president? A February Gallup Poll* put Americans' knowledge to the test, by asking them if they know the names of various foreign leaders. While knowledge of specific leaders varies greatly, public awareness of foreign leaders has generally improved since the last time Gallup asked these questions in May 2000.
Current foreign policy tensions have helped raise the public visibility of some figures. When asked to name the U.S. Secretary of State, more than half the public (57%) correctly answered Colin Powell, 6% named someone else, and 37% didn't have an answer. The percentage correctly naming Powell is significantly higher than it was for his predecessor, Madeleine Albright. Just 33% correctly named her as Secretary of State in 2000. This may be due, at least in part, to Powell's general popularity.
However, Americans do not do nearly as well when they are asked to identify the leader of their neighbor to the north. Just 6% of the public correctly named Jean Chretien as the prime minister of Canada, although this is an improvement over the 2% who named Chretien in 2000.
Improved Awareness of Other International Leaders
The survey also asked Americans to name the leaders of Russia, England, Israel, and Cuba. The percentage correctly naming Vladimir Putin of Russia (40%) and Tony Blair of England (51%) both increased dramatically since 2000. The percentage identifying Fidel Castro as the leader of Cuba dipped slightly (from 76% to 71%), while 37% correctly cited Ariel Sharon as the prime minister of Israel.
The rise in awareness of Putin as the Russian president is not surprising, considering the fact that he had been president for fewer than two months when Gallup first asked the question in May 2000. The 29-point increase in the public's awareness of Blair as the prime minister of England is more likely attributable to Blair's recent backing of the United States and President Bush in both the war on terrorism and the stand-off with Iraq.