The Poynter Institute Menu Donate State Editions * California * Florida * Iowa * Michigan * New Hampshire * New York * North Carolina * Pennsylvania * Texas * West Virginia * Wisconsin Issues * All Issues * Online hoaxes * Coronavirus * Health Care * Immigration * Extremism * Taxes * Marijuana * Environment * Crime * Guns * Foreign Policy * LGBTQ+ People * Joe Biden * Kamala Harris * Donald Trump * Mitch McConnell * Hakeem Jeffries * Ron DeSantis Media * PunditFact * Tucker Carlson * Sean Hannity * Rachel Maddow * Bloggers * PolitiFact Videos Campaigns * 2024 Elections Truth-o-Meter * True * Mostly True * Half True * Mostly False * False * Pants on Fire Promises * Biden Promise Tracker * Trump-O-Meter * Obameter * Latest Promises About Us * Our Process * Our Staff * En Español * Who pays for PolitiFact? * Advertise with Us * Suggest a Fact-check * Corrections and Updates * Newsletters Donate #### Follow us The Facts Newsletter Sign up English Español ### Get PolitiFact in your inbox. * Weekly Email Newsletter * Daily Email Newsletter Your Email Address Sign Up ![](\\" billclinton/3519a6d5f637e82c4fcbd0a3315f3d6c.jpg\\") ![](\\" billclinton/2166774c394aa66b290ebcd9e8135009.jpg\\") Bill Clinton stated on July 26, 2016 in a speech at the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia: \"The approval of the United States was 20 points higher when (Hillary Clinton) left the secretary of state\'s office than when she took it.\" ![\\"true\\"](\\" half-true/6479cbc723379f0ee49c269b0b9790b7.jpg.\\") ![\\"half- true\\"](\\" true.jpg\\") * National * Foreign Policy * Polls and Public Opinion * Bill Clinton ![\\"Bill](\\" Bill Clinton gives the headlining address at the Democratic National Convention\'s second night in Philadelphia on July 26, 2016. (New York Times) ![\\"Louis](\\" By Louis Jacobson July 27, 2016 # Bill Clinton exaggerates increase in world opinion of U.S. under Secretary of State Hillary Clinton During Bill Clinton’s Democratic convention speech about Hillary Clinton, the former president touted his wife’s efforts as secretary of state to improve the levels of support for the United States across the globe. He cited his wife as \"one of the reasons the approval of the United States was 20 points higher when she left the secretary of state\'s office than when she took it.\" We decided to check whether the approval ratings he cited were accurate. We found four surveys that asked questions on a regular basis about how the United States is seen in other countries. We’ll go through them one by one. Pew Research Center We found Pew data for surveys taken in 20 countries between 2008 and 2013. Respondents were asked, \"Please tell me if you have a very favorable, somewhat favorable, somewhat unfavorable or very unfavorable opinion of the United States.\" The figures in the chart below show the change in the favorable ratings -- either up or down -- between 2008, the year before Clinton became secretary of state, and 2013, the year she stepped down from the post. The countries are listed in descending order from the most positive change to the most negative change during her tenure. Country Change in approval of U.S., 2008-13* Spain +29 Indonesia +24 Germany +22 France +22 Australia +20 Argentina +19 Japan +19 Mexico +19 South Africa +12 Tanzania +10 Turkey +9 #### Featured Fact-check ![](\\" ![](\\" Donald Trump stated on August 15, 2024 in a news conference California law lets you “rob a store as long as it’s not more than $950” and “not get charged.” Kamala Harris “did that.” ![\\"true\\"](\\" false/33efdb6633e5e2fdc2d4e2f63383a1e0.jpg.\\") ![\\"false\\"](\\" false.jpg\\") By Jeff Cercone • August 19, 2024 South Korea +8 Russia +5 United Kingdom +5 Poland -1 China -1 Lebanon -4 Jordan -5 Egypt -6 Pakistan -8 Median country, not weighted for population +10 * except Tanzania, which is for the years 2008 to 2014 So eight countries met or came close to the 20-point increase Clinton cited, but 12 did not. Taking into account the whole list of 20 countries, the median change for the countries surveyed was a gain of 10 percentage points. That’s a significant increase, but it’s not the 20 percentage-point increase Clinton cited. BBC As we have previously noted, the BBC World Service/Globescan survey undertakes an annual country ratings poll that asks about respondents’ view of various countries’ \"influence in the world\" -- either \"mostly positive\" or \"mostly negative.\" In 2008, the poll found that 35 percent of people said world influence of the United States was \"mostly positive\" and 47 percent said it was \"mostly negative.\" In the late 2012-early 2013 poll, that number had risen to 45 percent. That’s an increase of 10 percentage points during Clinton’s tenure -- in line with the median country in the Pew survey, but still half of what Bill Clinton said. Gallup Finally, every year, Gallup has asked respondents in various countries, \"Do you approve or disapprove of the job performance of the leaders\" of various countries, including the United States. In 2008, the United States had a 34 percent approval rating. By 2013, that had risen to 46 percent. That’s an increase of 12 percentage points -- once again, roughly in line with the Pew and BBC polls and less than what Clinton said. ![](\\" Meridian International Center When we asked the Clinton campaign for supporting evidence, they pointed to a survey by the Meridian International Center and Gallup’s U.S.-Global Leadership Project. Between 2008 and 2013, they said, the median U.S. approval rating in Europe grew from 18 percent to 41 percent. That’s a 23-point increase--but it’s also just for Europe, a limitation Clinton didn’t specify. And the data for Asia in the same poll and the same time frame, according to the campaign, showed an increase from 31 percent to 45 percent. That’s a rise of 14 points, which is less than the 20-point benchmark Clinton used. So we don’t see the Meridian International Center data as supporting Clinton’s assertion. Our ruling Bill Clinton said, \"The approval of the United States was 20 points higher when (Hillary Clinton) left the secretary of state\'s office than when she took it.\" The approval ratings for the United States did go up on Hillary Clinton’s watch, and the Pew poll found that in some countries they did go up by 19 points or more. Still, the median increase in the Pew polling was a more modest 10 points, and the increases in the BBC and Gallup polls were in the same ballpark -- 10 to 12 points. On balance, we rate Clinton’s claim Half True. #### Read About Our Process The Principles of the Truth-O-Meter ### Our Sources Bill Clinton, speech at the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia, July 27, 2016 Pew Research Center, \"Opinion of the United States,\" accessed July 26, 2016 BBC World Service, \"Views of China and India Slide While UK’s Ratings Climb: Global Poll,\" May 22, 2013 Gallup, \"Russia Receives Lowest Approval in World; U.S. Highest,\" April 21, 2015 PolitiFact, \"Gretchen Carlson: Most polls show world has \'lower regard\' for U.S. now under Obama than under Bush,\" June 4, 2015 ## Browse the Truth-O-Meter ### More by Louis Jacobson ![](\\" ![](\\" Jon Tester stated on September 8, 2024 in a Facebook ad: Tim Sheehy “would let politicians like him ban abortion, with no exceptions for rape or to save a woman’s life, and criminalize women.” ![\\"barely-true\\"](\\" th.jpg\\") ![\\"barely-true\\"](\\" barely-true.jpg\\") By Louis Jacobson • September 12, 2024 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The approval of the United States was 20 points higher when Hillary Clinton left the secretary of state's office than when she took it