Americans grow warm towards India

The "Global Thermometer survey" by Quinnipiac University, released on Thursday, said the Americans' warmth towards India and China has grown the most since a previous poll conducted in August.

However, several nations still get the cold shoulder, according to the study.

The Global Thermometer measured the warmth of American voters' feelings toward a list of foreign nations on a scale of 0 - 100. It found that the ratings for 13 nations increased since the August 28 survey by the independent Quinnipiac University poll.

England, Canada and Israel remained the nations generating the warmest feelings among Americans. Americans' warmth toward China, India and Israel grew the most.

Iran and North Korea remain at the bottom of the rankings. North Korea, Iraq and Venezuela were the nations whose ratings fell.

"Although the changes are in some cases quite small, the trend is unmistakable," said Peter Brown, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute.

"What we have found in the past is that, in general, Democrats give foreign nations higher ratings than do Republicans. The poll was taken after an election in which Democrats triumphed so perhaps that is what we are seeing."

"Israel's rating of 68.2 is a substantial increase since the last survey, and even more impressive when compared to its rating of 62.9 in the June poll, which was before its war with Hezbollah in Lebanon," Brown said.

From November 13 - 19, Quinnipiac University surveyed 1,623 registered voters nationwide. The survey has a margin of error of +/- 2.4 percentage points.

The nations and the mean score of the warmth of American voters' attitudes, and in parentheses the mean score from August 28 are:

• England - 78.9 (78.3)
• Canada - 73.4 (71.7)
• Israel - 68.2 (65.9)
• Germany - 58.1 (first time included)
• India - 56.6 (53.4)
• Mexico - 51.4 (51.4)
• United Nations - 50.4 (49.2)
• Russia - 46.2 (45.5)
• France - 44.6 (43.2)
• China - 44.2 (39)
• Saudi Arabia - 40.4 (38.2)
• Venezuela - 30.9 (35.9)
• Iraq - 25.9 (27.7)
• Syria - 24.3 (21.7)
• Palestinian Government - 23.8 (22.8)
• Cuba - 24.1 (24)
• Iran - 15.5 (13.9)
• North Korea - 13.5 (15)