Environment and US policy top global fears

· Worldwide support for withdrawal of Iraq troops
· But Putin scores worse than Bush in huge survey

Growing numbers of people worldwide view environmental problems, pollution, infectious diseases, nuclear proliferation and the widening gap between rich and poor as the most menacing threats facing the planet, according to a 47-nation survey published yesterday by the US-based Pew Global Attitudes Project.

The survey, which conducted more than 45,000 interviews, finds that global opinion is increasingly wary of the world's dominant countries but also unimpressed by aspiring leaders in Iran and Venezuela who challenge the international status quo. In contrast, the UN receives strong support.

The US comes in for sharp criticism. "Global distrust of American leadership is reflected in increasing disapproval of the cornerstones of US foreign policy," the survey says. "Not only is there worldwide support for a withdrawal of US troops from Iraq but there is also considerable opposition to US and Nato operations in Afghanistan ... The US image remains abysmal in most Muslim countries in the Middle East and Asia and continues to decline among the publics of America's oldest allies."

Nine per cent of Turks, 13% of Palestinians and 15% of Pakistanis take a favourable view of the US. In Germany, the figure is 30%, in France 39% and in Britain 51% - all down on previous surveys. Only in Israel, Ghana, Nigeria and Kenya do majorities believe US forces should stay in Iraq.

In an implicit rejection of the Bush administration's "freedom agenda", the survey also finds "a broad and deepening dislike of American values and a global backlash against the spread of American ideas and customs. Majorities or pluralities in most countries surveyed say they dislike American ideas about democracy."

And among key allies in western Europe, the view that the US unilaterally ignores the interests of other countries is deep-rooted. Overall attitudes to the US are broadly positive in most African countries, Japan, South Korea and Poland.

Rising powers such as China and Russia get mixed reviews. Russia's Vladimir Putin scores worse than George Bush in terms of confidence that he will "do the right thing" in world affairs - 30% believe he will, against 45% for Mr Bush.

China's expanding military and economic power is also viewed with suspicion, except in Africa, where it has launched trade and aid initiatives.

Huge majorities in most countries, notably in the Arab Middle East, say they do not trust Iran's president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Venezuela's Hugo Chávez inspires similar suspicion, even in Latin America.

Rising alarm about environmental problems registers across the board. Thirty-seven per cent of Americans name the issue as the top global threat, up 14% in five years. In China, another big polluter, 70% agree. In Britain, the figure is 46%. Aids and other infectious diseases are viewed as the dominant threat in Africa and, increasingly, in Latin America.