A majority of Britons believe the United States is a force forgood in the world, but President Bush's approval ratings have hitrock-bottom just as he arrives on the island nation as an invitedguest of Queen elizabeth II.
The polling data, from London's The Guardian newspaper, showsabout 62 percent of the British believe the United States is"generally speaking a force for good, not evil, in the world."
Bush's general popularity, however, has plumeted, with only 10percent of people polled expressing their approval.
"Bush is generally not very popular in England," said RobertBlanton, University of Memphis political science professor. "Butthe British generally have a deep-seeded trust and admiration forthe United States."
The general attitude of younger students is causing the largestshift in the opinion polls, according to the study. A majority of"twenty-somethings" welcomed Bush's visit, while English peopleover the age of 65 tended to harbor hostility toward him.
"Personally, I am against Bush," said Mohammad Al-Baghdadi, alaw student at Thames Valley University in London, a college thathas a study abroad relationship with The U of M. "But most of thepeople I know who were against America are now for America and forthe war."
Young people may not agree with the policy in Iraq and areskeptical of Bush's role in the war but generally remain loyal tothe United States because the two countries have been allies for solong, Blanton said.
"The British are generally more skeptical of the war," he said."They have been much more militant about putting Tony Blair to taskfor the whole process of going to war. But the polls show there isonly about a 10 point gap between the opinion polls of the Britishand the Americans regarding the war."
Opposition to the war has gone down by 12 points, but despitethe growing support for the war, protestors continue to voiceanti-American and anti-Bush sentiments.
Bush's speech today will be met by protestors who plan to teardown a statue of Bush in a parody of the incident in Baghdad, inwhich Saddam's statue was torn down.
"I will be there," Al-Baghdadi said. "But three of my friendswho protested against the war with me in the spring won't be."
