As Obama heads to Latin America, only Argentina views the U.S. negatively

Latin America likes the U.S., generally — (Image credit: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

President Obama landed in Jamaica late Wednesday, his first stop en route to a Summit of the Americas in Panama City. America is pretty popular in the region, especially among the young, wealthy, and more educated Latin Americans, according to a 2014 Pew Research Center survey:

In all, a median 65 percent of Latin Americans surveyed had a favorable opinion of the U.S., ranging from 80 percent of Salvadorans to 36 percent of Argentinians. In fact, of the nine countries surveyed in Central and South America, only Argentina had a net negative view of the U.S. — and even the poor 36 percent number is a big improvement from Pew's 2007 survey, which found 16 percent favorable views in Argentina. The 2014 poll was conducted before Obama's diplomatic thaw with Cuba, a move viewed favorably throughout Latin America.

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Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.