Europeans' opinions of the United States of America have undergone several noticeable shifts since the turn of the millennium. While in the early years of the ***** the United States' reputation took a hit due to many Europeans' unfavorable opinion on the military interventions in Afghanistan and Iraq, they subsequently improved following Barack Obama's election in 2008. Again, following Donald Trump's election in 2016, favorability dipped in Europe, but had subsequently improved during the Biden presidency. While public opinion in the five largest Western European countries tends to move in tandem on this issue, there is a noticeable difference between countries, with Germany and Spain having the lowest of the U.S., while Italy and the United Kingdom tend to have more favorable opinions. Low-points in the European-U.S. relationship A low-point for favorability of the U.S. in Europe came in March 2003, on the eve of the invasion of Iraq, as many Europeans saw the United States' actions as illegitimate due to the lack of a United Nations Security Council resolution to authorize military action. The reputation of the U.S. swiftly moved back to a more moderate stance in European countries up until 2009. Another low-point in Europeans' favorability of the U.S. occurred in 2017, following the election of Donald Trump as U.S. president - Trump's inflammatory rhetoric and his strong criticism of the foreign and security policies of European countries, particularly Germany, caused Europeans' favorability of the United States to plummet during the four years of his presidency. Many Europeans have come to view the Republican Party as being further right from the mainstream of European politics than the Democratic Party, who tend to promote politicies that are considered to be in the center-ground in Europe Pro-American sentiment more common under Democratic presidents The favorability of the United States in Europe has a clear political component to it, as the U.S. tends to be more in favor when there is a Democrat in the Oval Office, rather than a Republican. Europeans reported much more positive views directly after the election of Barack Obama to the presidency in 2008, with the share of respondents reporting favorable opinions jumping by over ** percent in some countries. This is particularly remarkable considering that this came during the global financial crisis, which had many of its root causes laying in the activities of American banks and financiers on Wall Street. Obama's promise to scale down the United States' military interventions in the Middle East, as well as his general reputation as being a president of change landed well with many Europeans. A similar effect can be seen in 2021, as Europeans reacted positively to the election of Joe Biden over the then-incumbent Donald Trump in November 2020.

Of the 34 countries in which the survey was conducted, Poland was the country where people had the most favorable view of the United States, with more than 85 percent. Tunisia was the country with the least favorable view.

According to a 2023 survey of adults in the United States, *** out of every ** respondents reported being in favor of the U.S. government banning the social video app TikTok. In contrast, almost ** percent of the respondents reported opposing suggesting that they do not support the idea of banning the social video platform in the country.

The level of trust in governments around the world varies from country to country. Interestingly, the more authoritarian countries have the highest levels of trust, which is most likely explained by an economic development in recent years and a lack of a critical press. On the bottom of the scale, South Africa and Argentina show 29 and 21 percent confidence, respectively. Both countries are troubled by high inflation and corruption. On average, the level of trust was just above 50 percent in the 27 countries surveyed.

In the academic year 2023/24, there were 331,602 international students from India studying in the United States. International students The majority of international students studying in the United States are originally from India and China, totaling 331,602 students and 277,398 students respectively in the 2023/24 school year. In 2022/23, there were 467,027 international graduate students , which accounted for over one third of the international students in the country. Typically, engineering and math & computer science programs were among the most common fields of study for these students. The United States is home to many world-renowned schools, most notably, the Ivy League Colleges which provide education that is sought after by both foreign and local students. International students and college Foreign students in the United States pay some of the highest fees in the United States, with an average of 24,914 U.S. dollars. American students attending a college in New England paid an average of 14,900 U.S. dollars for tuition alone and there were about 79,751 international students in Massachusetts . Among high-income families, U.S. students paid an average of 34,700 U.S. dollars for college, whereas the average for all U.S. families reached only 28,026 U.S. dollars. Typically, 40 percent of families paid for college tuition through parent income and savings, while 29 percent relied on grants and scholarships.

According to the Democracy Index, ****** was deemed the most democratic country in 2024. Countries are given a score from 0 to 10 with scores closer to 10 meaning the country is more democratic. In 2024, ****** scored **** points. New Zealand and Sweden followed behind. On the other hand, *********** was ranked as the least democratic country in the world with an index score of ****. Shrinking democratic space The world saw an increase in the number of democracies during the latter half of the previous century, but the trend has turned since the early 2010s. Democratically elected leaders in countries such as India and Hungary use their power to limit the space for political opposition. However, it is not only recently established democracies that experience democratic decline, but also long-standing democracies. Democratic decline in the U.S. The United States, seen by many as the oldest democracy worldwide, has seen decreasing levels of democracy in recent years. Increasing political polarization, limiting of voting rights, and a lack of trust in political institutions have put the American democracy to a test, and in 2016, the country was degraded from a liberal democracy to a flawed democracy on the Democracy Index.

Most of the latest online purchases from abroad among U.S. shoppers were made in China, according to a 2023 survey. 53 percent of the e-commerce users surveyed in the United States had made their most recent purchase from there. The United Kingdom ranked second, with 10 percent. In turn, the U.S. was the main market where Canadian cross-border shoppers last bought online.

According to a survey conducted in February 2023, 53 percent of all registered voters in the United States strongly supported banning assault-style weapons. Opinions were divided based on political party, with 73 percent of Democrats saying they strongly support an assault weapon ban and 29 percent of Republicans strongly opposing such a ban.

Gun laws by state

As the Second Amendment of the Constitution allows for citizens to own firearms, many citizens take advantage of that. Gun ownership rates across the country have fluctuated slightly over the past 30 years, with Texas being home to the highest number of registered guns in the country. However, gun ownership laws vary by state, as some states are stricter than others. The federal government does not have many laws that control gun sales, so it is up to the states to create their own legislation. States such as New York, New Jersey, and California have banned military-style weapons, while many other states such as Florida and Texas still allow them.

Political opinions

Gun ownership is a highly contentious topic between the two major parties in the United States. 78 percent of registered voters identifying themselves as Democrats strongly supported stricter gun control laws, while only 22 percent of Republican voters strongly supported stricter firearm legislation.

In 2023, Singapore dominated the ranking of the world's health and health systems, followed by Japan and South Korea. The health index score is calculated by evaluating various indicators that assess the health of the population, and access to the services required to sustain good health, including health outcomes, health systems, sickness and risk factors, and mortality rates. The health and health system index score of the top ten countries with the best healthcare system in the world ranged between 82 and 86.9, measured on a scale of zero to 100.

Global Health Security Index  Numerous health and health system indexes have been developed to assess various attributes and aspects of a nation's healthcare system. One such measure is the Global Health Security (GHS) index. This index evaluates the ability of 195 nations to identify, assess, and mitigate biological hazards in addition to political and socioeconomic concerns, the quality of their healthcare systems, and their compliance with international finance and standards. In 2021, the United States was ranked at the top of the GHS index, but due to multiple reasons, the U.S. government failed to effectively manage the COVID-19 pandemic. The GHS Index evaluates capability and identifies preparation gaps; nevertheless, it cannot predict a nation's resource allocation in case of a public health emergency.

Universal Health Coverage Index  Another health index that is used globally by the members of the United Nations (UN) is the universal health care (UHC) service coverage index. The UHC index monitors the country's progress related to the sustainable developmental goal (SDG) number three. The UHC service coverage index tracks 14 indicators related to reproductive, maternal, newborn, and child health, infectious diseases, non-communicable diseases, service capacity, and access to care. The main target of universal health coverage is to ensure that no one is denied access to essential medical services due to financial hardships. In 2021, the UHC index scores ranged from as low as 21 to a high score of 91 across 194 countries. 

As of June 2025, 56 percent of people in Great Britain thought that it was wrong to leave the European Union, compared with 31 percent who thought it was the right decision. During this time period, the share of people who regret Brexit has been slightly higher than those who support it, except for some polls in Spring 2021, which showed higher levels of support for Brexit. Is Bregret setting in? Since late July 2022, the share of people who regret Brexit in these surveys has consistently been above 50 percent. Additionally, a survey from January 2025 highlighted that most people in the UK thought that Brexit had had a mainly negative impact, especially on the cost of living and the economy. Despite there being a clear majority of voters who now regret Brexit, there is as yet no particular future relationship with the EU that has overwhelming support. As of late 2023, 31 percent of Britons wanted to rejoin the EU, while 30 percent merely wanted to improve trade relations and not rejoin either the EU or the single market. Leave victory in 2016 defied the polls In the actual referendum, which took place on June 23, 2016, Leave won 51.9 percent of the votes and Remain 48.1 percent, after several polls in the run-up to the referendum put Remain slightly ahead. Remain were anticipated to win until early results from North East England suggested that Leave had performed far better than expected, with this pattern replicated throughout the country. This event was repeated somewhat in the U.S. election of that year, which saw Donald Trump win several key swing states such as Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, despite predictions that these states would vote for Hillary Clinton.

As of May 2, 2023, the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) had been confirmed in almost every country and territory around the world. There had been roughly 687 million cases and 6.86 million deaths.

Vaccine approval in the United States The United States has recorded more coronavirus infections and deaths than any other country in the world. The regulatory agency in the country authorized three COVID-19 vaccines for emergency use. Both the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines were approved in December 2020, while the Johnson & Johnson vaccine was approved in February 2021. As of April 26, 2023, the number of COVID-19 vaccine doses administered in the U.S. had reached 675 million.

The difference between vaccines and antivirals Medications can help with the symptoms of viruses, but it is the role of the immune system to take care of them over time. However, the use of vaccines and antivirals can help the immune system in doing its job. The most tried and tested vaccine method is to inject an inactive or weakened form of a virus, encouraging the immune system to produce protective antibodies. The immune system keeps the virus in its memory, and if the real one appears, the body will recognize it and attack it more efficiently. Antivirals are designed to help target viruses, limiting their ability to reproduce and spread to other cells. They are used by patients who are already infected by a virus and can make the infection less severe.

From January 24, 2022, to February 28, 2025, the European Union (EU) institutions, such as the Commission and the EU Council, provided around 52.1 billion euros in bilateral financial, humanitarian, and military aid to Ukraine in view of the Russian invasion that started in February 2022. The highest value of allocations was recorded from the United States at over 114 billion euros. U.S. aid to Ukraine As of February 28, 2025, the value of U.S. bilateral aid allocations to Ukraine represented 0.53 percent of 2021 donor GDP. The U.S. donated the largest amount of bilateral military, financial, and humanitarian aid to Ukraine. Generally, U.S. foreign aid to Ukraine has increased since 2015. Where does military aid to Ukraine come from? The U.S., Germany, the United Kingdom (UK), and Denmark were the largest suppliers of military aid to Ukraine. In monetary terms, the U.S. bilateral military assistance to the country reached approximately 64.6 billion euros as of February 28, 2025. As part of that aid, the U.S. transported over 7,700 air defense missiles and over 1,600 air defense systems to Ukraine and other European partners as of January 2025. Furthermore, the U.S. delivered the most units of M777 howitzer artillery to the country.

In 2023, e-commerce comprised over 15.6 percent of total retail sales in the United States. Forecasts suggest that this proportion will continue to rise steadily in the coming years, reaching approximately 20.6 percent by 2027. Fashion fever The digital revolution has significantly changed how retail is done, impacting a wide range of product categories. Out of all e-commerce product categories, apparel and accessories are the most purchased online in the United States. As of February 2023, roughly 18 percent of all fashion retail sales took place online. Furniture and home furnishing, as well as computer and consumer electronics, ranked second, with over 15 percent of each product category purchased via the internet. The product categories that are least purchased online are office equipment and supplies (1.4 percent) and books, music, and video (5.1 percent). Shopping hotspots Amazon dominates the e-commerce industry in the United States, though other competitors still have significant market share. In December 2023, amazon.com was the most-visited e-commerce and shopping site in the United States. That month, around 45 percent of all visits to e-commerce sites were made to Amazon. Other popular shopping sites include ebay.com, walmart.com, etsy.com, and target.com. The staggering proportion of online retail sales in the country attributed to Amazon is quite remarkable. In 2023, Amazon's website accounted for almost half of all online computer and consumer electronics sales. Similarly, nearly one-third of online fashion purchases in the country were made on Amazon.

The share of American households owning at least one firearm has remained relatively steady since 1972, hovering between 37 percent and 47 percent. In 2023, about 42 percent of U.S. households had at least one gun in their possession. Additional information on firearms in the United States Firearms command a higher degree of cultural significance in the United States than any other country in the world. Since the inclusion of the right to bear arms in the Second Amendment to the Constitution of the United States, firearms have held symbolic power beyond their already obvious material power. Despite many Americans being proud gun-owners, a large movement exists within the country in opposition to the freedom afforded to those in possession of these potentially deadly weapons. Those opposed to current gun regulation have sourced their anger from the large number of deaths due to firearms in the country, as well as the high frequency of gun violence apparent in comparison to other developed countries. Furthermore, the United States has fallen victim to a number of mass shootings in the last two decades, most of which have raised questions over the ease at which a person can obtain a firearm. Although this movement holds a significant position in the public political discourse of the United States, meaningful change regarding the legislation dictating the ownership of firearms has not occurred. Critics have pointed to the influence possessed by the National Rifle Association through their lobbying of public officials. The National Rifle Association also lobbies for the interests of firearm manufacturing in the United States, which has continued to rise since a fall in the early 2000s.

In 2023, the United States recorded the highest score in the Travel & Tourism Development Index (TTDI), with **** points out of seven. That year, Spain and Japan followed behind, with a TTDI score of **** and ****, respectively. The Travel & Tourism Development Index analyzes a range of factors and policies supporting the development of the travel and tourism sector in a sustainable and resilient way. It covers 119 countries and is made up of five sub-indexes, addressing a series of relevant topics for the sector, such as safety and security, prioritization of travel and tourism, infrastructure, environmental sustainability, and more. The economic contribution of travel and tourism In 2023, the total contribution of travel and tourism to the global gross domestic product (GDP) was forecast to exceed nine trillion U.S. dollars, nearly catching up with the figure recorded in 2019, the year before the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Meanwhile, the number of travel and tourism jobs worldwide was expected to surpass 300 million in 2023, also remaining slightly below pre-pandemic levels. What is the number of international tourist arrivals worldwide? In 2023, the number of international tourist arrivals worldwide reached almost 1.3 billion. While this figure denoted a sharp annual increase, it did not catch up yet with the peak reported in 2019, when global inbound tourist arrivals totaled approximately 1.46 billion. Overall, both before and after the impact of the health crisis, Europe was the global region with the highest number of inbound tourist arrivals.

According to a survey conducted in June 2024, Americans were divided on whether it was more important to protect the right of Americans to own guns, or if it was more important to limit gun ownership. 48 percent of of respondents said that it was more important to limit gun ownership, while 51 percent felt it was more important to protect the right of Americans to own guns.

Demographics of gun ownership

Gun ownership varies among many demographics such as age, political party affiliation, and educational attainment. A majority of Republican respondents in 2022 said that they either owned a gun or lived in a gun household, while less than a third of Democrats said they owned a gun or lived in a gun household. Furthermore, it was those with some college, but no degree, and those between the ages of 35 and 54 years old who were more likely to own a gun compared to other education levels and ages.

Politics of gun ownership

Gun ownership is a highly partisan issue in the United States, with Democrats typically in favor of strong gun control laws, while Republicans are in favor of looser laws. The Second Amendment of the Constitution states that citizens have the right to bear arms, however, the interpretation of that has been highly contested across the country, largely in part due to the number of mass shootings that happen yearly. Those in favor of stricter gun control laws claim that fewer mass shootings would happen, while those opposed to these laws claim that the violence would just happen in another manner, anyway. Despite the high number of shootings, Congress has been unable to come up with federal bipartisan legislation to stop mass shootings.

This timeline shows the customer satisfaction with e-retail over the years, as measured in the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI) score. In 2024, customer satisfaction with electronic retail reached 80 points out of 100. A bustling e-commerce market With one of the largest economies globally, it is no surprise that the United States also is a leading market for e-commerce on the global scale. In 2023, the U.S. Census Bureau reported retail e-commerce sales reaching an estimated 275 million U.S. dollars, nearly doubling since 2019. This high number of sales is made possible by the 273 million e-commerce users in the country – over 80 percent of the population. U.S. online fashion shopping Of the most popular categories to buy online, apparel and accessories is by far the most popular. In 2024, apparel, footwear and accessories made up 20.2 percent of the country’s total retail e-commerce sales. In the same year, the category was forecast to generate a total 145 billion U.S. dollars in overall revenue.

In 2023, insurance penetration was highest in the South Africa where the value of insurance premiums accounted for almost ** percent of GDP. Insurance penetration is used as an indicator of insurance sector development within a country and is calculated as the ratio of total insurance premiums to gross domestic product in a given year. In 2023, the insurance penetration in United States equaled **** percent of its GDP. Thus, the value of insurance premiums written in United States in that year equaled more than one **th of its GDP. Auto insurance leads the U.S. P&C marketIn 2023, private passenger auto insurance held the largest share of net premiums written by property and casualty insurance companies in the United States. Additionally, commercial auto insurance also accounted for a significant portion of net premiums. Combined, these two insurance lines made up about ** percent of the property and casualty insurance market.United States' life insurance market Households often rely on life insurance to ensure financial stability for dependents and to cover obligations like debts, mortgages, and education costs. The number of life insurance companies in the United States has remained steady over the past five years. The United States' population has been gradually climbing during this time, which means that the number of potential insurance customers has also been increasing.

In 2024, around 54 percent of adults in the United States stated they considerd themselves pro-choice, meaning they would leave the decision to abort a pregnancy up to the pregnant woman. Pro-life supporters, which made up 41 percent at that time, oppose abortion altogether. Abortion in the United States Abortion and the question whether one is pro-life (and thus against abortion) or pro-choice (i.e. in favor of abortion) is a controversial topic in the United States and the subject of many heated discussions. Before the notorious “Roe vs. Wade” decision of the Supreme Court in 1973, abortion was illegal in most U.S. states and only legal under certain circumstances in others. In short, the case “Roe vs. Wade” was a milestone in granting women freedom over their own body, making abortion legal, as it ruled that a woman’s right to privacy included her unborn child, and set regulations for the availability of abortions. However, in June of 2022, the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, making it possible for states to choose to completely ban abortion. As a result, around half of U.S. states were expected to ban the procedure. Pro-life and Pro-choice Ever since this decision, there have been two main mindsets (with many variations) when it comes to abortion. One is the pro-life attitude, which deems abortion murder and considers life starting at conception. The other is the pro-choice movement, which focuses on the well-being of the mother and insists that the woman alone should decide whether she wants to keep a baby or not. Politically, pro-lifers are usually seen as conservative, often belonging to the Republican camp, while pro-choicers are usually regarded as liberals who lean towards the Democrats. Of course, exceptions are not uncommon.

In 2022, 31,103 White people in the United States died due to injuries caused by firearms. A further 14,189 Black people died due to injuries caused by firearms across the country in that year.