Filipinos view Pope Francis as ‘most favorable’ world leader

MANILA, Philippines — Nearly nine out of 10 Filipinos have favorable image of Pope Francis, according to polling firm Gallup International Association.

GIA’s 41^st Annual Global End of Year Survey showed that 87 percent of Filipinos surveyed have a positive opinion on Pope Francis. Only seven percent expressed negative opinion on the pontiff.

Pope Francis garnered a +80 net score in the Philippines—a predominantly Roman Catholic nation in Asia. He visited the country in 2015. 

He also recorded the highest level of favorability among world leaders with a net score of +38. Of the 53,769 persons surveyed in 55 countries, 56 percent hold favorable view of Pope Francis against the 18 percent who have negative image of him.

French President Emmanuel Macron with a net score of +21 (45 percent favorable, 24 percent unfavorable) and German Chancellor Angela Merkel recording a net score of +20 (49 percent favorable, 29 percent unfavorable) trail Pope Francis in the global ranking.

Top world leaders such as Chinese President Xi Jinping obtained +6 net score (37 percent favorable, 31 percent unfavorable) while Russian President Vladimir Putin garnered a net score of +3 (43 percent favorable, 40 percent unfavorable).

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and British Prime Minister Theresa May have net scores of +8 and +7, respectively.

United States President Donald Trump did not poll favorably—31 percent holding a favorable view of him, 58 percent an unfavorable view. He recorded a net score of -27.

“President Trump is clearly dividing people in the way his predecessor did not. This means that the world is looking to other world leaders to fill this key role. Russian President Putin has seen his favorability increase significantly but he still needs to convince others as he remains divisive,” GIA President Kancho Stoychev said.

Filipinos on Trump, Putin, Xi

A huge proportion of Filipinos have positive perception of Trump.

Seventy-two percent have positive image of Trump, while only 23 percent viewed him negatively. He posted a net score of +49.

This is despite him banning refugees from entering the United States, building a wall between the US-Mexico border, bombing at least seven countries in Asia and the Middle East in 2017 alone.

Nearly half of Filipinos (47 percent) expressed approval on Putin, while 27 percent expressed negative view. The leader from Russia obtained a net score of +20.

Xi, on the other hand, garnered a -1 net score in the Philippines. Thirty-five percent of Filipinos hold favorable view of Xi, one point lower than those who have unfavorable image of him.

China and the Philippines have eased for the past year their dispute over rights to the Scarborough Shoal and the surrounding waters as President Rodrigo Duterte “renewed” his friendship with Xi.

Filipinos also found May (net score of +9), Merkel (+5) and Macron (+4). 

Here's how Filipinos viewed other world leaders in 2017: 

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