saudi arabia

Americans' views of eight important Mideast countries were fairly stable over the past year, after a decade that saw shifts in several of their ratings.

Thriving levels in different elements of well-being varied worldwide in 2013. Panamanians have the highest levels, while Syrians and Afghans have the lowest. Regionally, residents of sub-Saharan Africa are least likely to be thriving.

Before the 2015 Houthi rebellion, Yemenis felt less safe and were less confident in their country's security forces than they were either before or during the popular uprisings that ended President Saleh's reign in 2012.

Between potentially earning better pay in the private sector and job security in the government sector, Saudis choose the latter.

Only 17% of unemployed Saudis would opt for private-sector employment, compared with 81% who prefer government jobs.

In 2015, the percentage of Yemenis rating their lives poorly enough to be considered "suffering" jumped 14 percentage points to 41%. This is a high for the country and one of the highest rates in the world last year.

Shortly after the announcement of "Vision 2030," Saudi residents saw a marked improvement in life evaluations. Saudi nationals were most responsible for a boost in the rate of thriving.

Nearly nine in 10 Americans view Iran unfavorably, making it the worst rated country of 22 asked about. They also have largely unfavorable images of Libya, Iraq, Afghanistan, the Palestinian Authority, Syria, Pakistan, and North Korea.

About 138 million adults would like to move to the United States permanently -- more than want to move to any other country in the world. Ten million or more of these adults would come from China, Nigeria, and India.

Americans' views of eight important Mideast countries were fairly stable over the past year, after a decade that saw shifts in several of their ratings.

Between potentially earning better pay in the private sector and job security in the government sector, Saudis choose the latter.

Only 17% of unemployed Saudis would opt for private-sector employment, compared with 81% who prefer government jobs.

Shortly after the announcement of "Vision 2030," Saudi residents saw a marked improvement in life evaluations. Saudi nationals were most responsible for a boost in the rate of thriving.

Americans continue to consider Mexico to be an ally or friend (76%) rather than unfriendly or an enemy (26%), but fewer view it positively than in the past.

After a year of escalating trade disagreements between the U.S. and China, Americans' views of the country have dropped sharply to their lowest levels since 2012.

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