According to a recent Gallup poll, Americans view North Korea, Russia, Iran and China as the nation’s top four greatest enemies.
Gallup reports, “Americans are less likely than ever to agree on which country is the greatest enemy of the U.S., but the four countries that crowd the top of the list this year are the same as in Gallup polls in 2014 and 2015: North Korea (16%), Russia (15%), Iran (14%) and China (12%).”
“Americans are continuing last year's trend of identifying a wide array of entities -- including, for the second year in a row, the Islamic State group -- as the United States' greatest enemy,” Gallup continues. “Though the responses are more dispersed, there is continuity at the top.”
“With almost three-fourths (73%) of the public thinking all four nations are, at the least, an important threat to the U.S., the reason no single nation is thought of as the greatest enemy may not be because Americans see so few threats, but because they see so many," the research entity argues.
While most Americans view each of the top four countries unfavorably, their reasons vary based on military power, economic power, and the capability to develop nuclear weapons.
According to the poll data,
- A majority of U.S. adults (58%) regard North Korea’s military power as a “critical” threat.
- Russia’s military power is viewed as either an “important” (47%) or “critical” (39%) threat.
- Iran’s development of nuclear weapons constitutes a "critical" threat to 75% of Americans.
- A combined 86% view China’s economic power as an "important" or "critical" threat to the U.S.
Favorability ratings also vary according to current events, such as Russia's involvement in Syria.
Check out the favorability trends below.
