The Week in Charts

Welcome to The Week in Charts, where we break down Gallup's latest insights on our constantly evolving world. Here are the five insights you shouldn't miss this week:

1. Threats to America

Bar Chart: Top 11 critical threats to America, ranked by importance, in 2023.

Every few years, we ask Americans to rate the threat level posed by various risks to U.S. vital interests. This year, cyberterrorism ranks first, deemed a critical threat by 84%. Nuclear weapons, whether brought to you by the regimes in Tehran or Pyongyang, tie for second. Terrorism dropped below 70% for the first time to tie China's military power.
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2. Life for Iraqis

Line Chart: 74% of Iraqis said they felt comfortable walking alone at night in 2022.

As some have observed the 20-year "anniversary" of the U.S. invasion of Iraq, few have focused on what Iraqis have to say about it. For the past two decades, we have been on the ground across the land of the two rivers asking people how their lives are going. This is what we learned: Many of the emotional scars of that war are still with Iraqis. But today, Iraq no longer leads the world in our Negative Experience Index. Iraqis also feel safer than they have in decades, as most (74%) now say they feel safe walking alone at night where they live.
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3. America's Mojo Rising

Line Chart: 44% of Americans expect the U.S. to be the world's leading economic power in 20 years.

Whether due to China's recent economic trouble or America's too-hot-to-handle recovery, Americans are more likely than usual this year to correctly identify the U.S. as the world's leading economy. This trend always fascinates me, as Americans' ever-changing perception of who's ahead seems related more to how they perceive China than to any classic economic metrics.
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4. Dems Shifting on Israel

Line Chart: 49% of Democrats sympathize more with Palestinians in the Middle East situation in 2023.

It's a short list of topics that unite D's and R's, but sympathies with Israel in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict have always been on it — until now. Our 20-year trend has documented a consistent and significant shift among Democrats toward sympathy with the Palestinians. This year marks the first time that more Democrats say their sympathies lie with them than with Israel in the conflict.
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5. Is Corruption Widespread in Your Government?

Bar Chart: 10 OECD countries with the highest perceptions of widespread corruption in government.

As a sendoff this week, we take a look at that question across the more developed economies of the world. Across all OECD nations, these are the top-ranking nations where people say corruption is widespread in their government. The largest economy, the U.S., makes the top five list.

And that's The Week in Charts!

Mohamed Younis
Editor-in-Chief
Gallup

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