Last week’s release of the Pew Global Attitudes Survey provides the most vivid evidence of a new worldwide consensus. But — and here’s the bad news — it highlights the fact that that the United States is becoming the odd country out.

The most striking statistic in the survey has to do with trade. Thumping majorities everywhere said that growing trade ties between countries are “very good” or “somewhat good” — 91 per cent in China, 85 per cent in Germany, 88 per cent in Bulgaria, 87 per cent in South Africa, 93 per cent in Kenya and so on. Of the 47 countries surveyed, the one that came in dead last was — America, at 59 percent.

Take a look at the attitudes toward foreign companies. When asked if they had a positive impact, a surprisingly large number of people agreed. South Asia’s traditional unease has some basis; those countries were colonised by a multinational corporation. And yet, 73 per cent in India, 75 per cent in Bangladesh, 70 per cent in Brazil and 82 per cent in Nigeria favour these companies. The number in America, however, is 45 per cent, which places us in the bottom five. We expect the world to welcome US companies with open arms and yet do not reciprocate the hospitality. The United States has always thought of itself as exceptional.

But nowadays we are standing apart for the wrong things. America has typically been seen as the place where the boundaries of personal freedom were being stretched, where women’s liberation was forged, where wacky new lifestyles and crazes were most enthusiastically adopted. For much of the world, America was the future. That is not the impression you would come away with, looking at this survey. For example, America has an unusually regressive attitude on whether homosexuality should be “accepted,” a much tamer question than whether to approve civil unions or gay marriages: 49 per cent say yes, and 41 per cent, no. On what has become a crucial test of a society’s inclusiveness and tolerance, the United States lags well behind every Western European country, as well as many Eastern European and most Latin American countries. Catholic Mexico is far more accepting, with 60 per cent saying yes, and only 31 per cent, no.

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