Mexico and the World 2006

Mexico and the World 2006

United States-Mexico comparison

Mexicans and Americans are more internationalist than isolationist: majorities in both countries, 56% in Mexico and 69% in the United States, believe that their country should take an active role in world affairs.

Both Mexicans and Americans agree that the United States should play an active role in foreign affairs: 59% of Mexicans and 75% of Americans say that the United States should work together with other countries to solve world problems.

Mexicans and Americans agree on some of the serious threats their countries face: Mexicans and Americans both rank international terrorism and nuclear proliferation near the top of the potential threats their country faces.

Mexicans and Americans are both concerned about migration into their own countries. But even more Mexicans, 66%, are concerned about the toughening of U.S. immigration policy.

Both Mexicans and Americans are more concerned about security issues than about global economic competition. For example, only 47% of Mexicans and 36% of Americans say the rise of China as a global economic power is a concern.

Both Mexicans and Americans say the most important foreign-policy goals are those that have to do with economic wellbeing. 76% of Americans say protecting American jobs is an important foreign-policy goal and and the same percentage of Mexicans say promoting exports is a very important objective. For Mexicans, the second most important objective is protecting the interests of Mexicans who live abroad, with 73%.

Americans’ image of Mexico has worsened while Mexicans’ opinion of the United States has improved since the first study in 2004. Americans give Mexico 47 points on a favorability measure of 0 to 100, down 7 from 2004. That puts Mexico in sixth place among a selected group of countries. Mexicans give the United States 74 points, up 6 from 2004 and second after Canada.

Mexicans have ambivalent attitudes towards the United States. While 52% of Mexicans believe that being a neighbor of the United States is more of an advantage than a disadvantage, 53% distrust the United States. In response to the hypothetical proposal that Mexico and the United States should form a single country if it would raise Mexicans’ standard of living, a surprising 54% of Mexicans agreed. A third of Mexicans, 34%, say they admire the United States.

Both Mexicans and Americans agree that the United Nations should assume a prominient role in tackling global problems. Majorities in both countries agree that the United Nations Security Council should have the right to authorize the use of force to stop a country from acquiring nuclear weapons or supporting terrorism and to end grave human rights violations such as genocide.

There is more support in the United States than in Mexico for trade rules that guarantee labor and environmental standards: 93% of Americans and 67% of Mexicans say trade agreements should include minimum labor standards; 91% of Americans and 76% of Mexicans say agreements should include standards for environmental protection.

Majorities in both countries believe that foreign trade is generally beneficial; 59% of Mexicans and 54% of Americans agree that it is good for their own country’s economy.

But they differ on trade’s effect on job creation: 74% of Mexicans believe that foreign trade is good for job creation while 60% of Americans think it is bad.

The grass is always greener: 78% of Mexicans believe that foreign trade is good for the U.S. economy but fewer, 59%, believe that it is good for Mexico’s economy.

Majorities in both countries believe that there will be greater political and economic integration in North America in the future: 67% of Mexicans and 73% of Americans expect more economic integration while 61% of Mexicans and 57% of Americans expect more political integration.

They have different visions of globalization: 60% of Americans think globalization is good for their country while only 41% of Mexicans agree that it is good for Mexico.

There is little space for negotiation over migration: Only 13% of Americans think that legal immigration to the United States should increase while 46% disagree.

Nor is there space for an energy agreement: 52% of Mexicans would oppose an agreement under which Mexico would receive development financing from the United States in exchange for allowing foreign investment in the oil industry.

Mexicans are willing to cooperate with the United States on fighting terrorism, drug-trafficking and organized crime: 59% of Mexicans say they strongly agree with extraditing criminals to the United States.

The general public in China and South Korea favor more active participation in world affairs: 87% of the Chinese and 81% of South Koreans agree strongly or somewhat that their country should be active while the percentage is lower in India and Mexico, both with 56%.

More Mexicans see terrorism as a threat: 70% of Mexicans consider international terrorism to be a serious threat; 65% of Indians describe it as a threat compared to 42% of the Chinese and 49% of South Koreans.

For China and South Korea, economic interests in foreign policy are paramount: the three main objectives of foreign policy for China and South Korea are protecting jobs (71% and 68% respectively), promoting economic growth (64% and 79%), and assuring energy supplies (61% and 63%.)

In China’s case, security issues are secondary: the last two priorities are constructing greater military superiority in Asia, with 40%, and protecting weak nations from foreign aggression, also with 40%.

The greatest difference between Mexico and Asia is the public attitude towards globalization: while 87% of the Chinese and 86% of South Koreans believe that globalization is good for their country, only 54% of Indians and 41% of Mexicans agree.

Chinese and South Koreans also have more favorable opinions on the effects of international trade: in China, 88% of the public say that trade is good for China’s economy and 73% say that it is good for their own standard of living. In South Korea, 80% say it is good for the economy and 56% for their own standard of living. In India, 64% say trade is good for the economy and 54% say it is good for their own standard of living.

South Koreans and the Chinese favor a more active role for the United States in global affairs than do Indians and Mexicans: 79% of the general public in South Korea and 68% in China believe that the United States should participate with other countries to seek solutions to global problems; in Mexico 59% agree and in India only 42% do.

Mexicans have a very good opinion of China: Mexicans place China in fifth place on a 0-to-100 scale of favorable sentiments with 66 points.