On DW’s social channels, some readers express clear irritation with frequent US coverage: “Should we really be interested in what’s happening in the US? … Please, DW, stop fixating on everything American,” one comment reads, while another calls it “America fatigue” spreading across Europe and beyond.
For much of the postwar era the United States held strong appeal around the world. In West Germany and elsewhere, American culture arrived with occupying troops and quickly became influential: chewing gum, chocolate, jazz, rock ’n’ roll, blue jeans and Coca‑Cola shaped a new popular lifestyle. Structural support such as the Marshall Plan helped rebuild Western Europe, stabilizing democracies and spurring economic recovery that in countries like West Germany contributed to an ‘‘economic miracle’’ and a pro‑Western orientation.
“That’s where the US were really innovative,” says Frank Mehring, professor of American Studies at Radboud University, pointing to the US use of arts and culture to push back against narrow nationalism and help craft a new European identity. Pro‑American sentiment in West Germany reached very high levels in the early 1960s, buoyed by figures like John F. Kennedy. Later developments such as the Vietnam War provoked criticism, yet American music, film, television and sports stayed culturally prominent.
Today, however, the global image of the United States has deteriorated markedly. Recent polling shows significant drops in positive perceptions: two‑thirds of Germans now view the US negatively (Statista, 2025), and the Democracy Perception Index — the largest annual global study of views on democracy — reported that only 45% of respondents worldwide had a positive impression of the US, down sharply from the previous year. The DPI also identified leadership perceptions as a key factor: 82% of respondents had a negative view of US President Donald Trump, a far higher negative-rating than for other world leaders included in the survey. These findings predate later events that likely intensified criticism.
This decline in image is having practical effects. Interest in the US as a destination for study abroad has weakened. Although the United States still tops lists for German teenagers planning semesters or years abroad in 2026–27, applications are falling. At a January sector event, most of about 45 organizations reported fewer applicants, according to Thomas Terbeck, managing director of education consultancy Weltweiser. Many young people now favor other English‑speaking countries, especially Canada, or opt to stay in their home countries. “Many parents don’t have a good feeling about the US anymore — especially due to Trump,” Terbeck told DW.
Mehring warns that declining travel driven by fear is problematic: “Fear is the greatest enemy of freedom and democracy.” He stresses that fears are often exaggerated and that many Americans remain politically active, informed and engaged in defending democratic norms. At the same time he acknowledges serious and persistent problems affecting Indigenous communities and ethnic minorities in parts of the US.
Mehring doubts that global indifference to the United States is likely. The country polarizes opinions, he says, but outright apathy is rare. He recalls how German peace activists in the early 1980s drew on American cultural symbols — jeans, Bob Dylan, Woodstock — to criticize US policy while still remaining fascinated by American culture. Today’s “America fatigue,” he argues, is closely tied to the prominence of Donald Trump and intense media focus on him. US approval ratings have shifted before with different administrations: perceptions worsened under George W. Bush and later improved under Barack Obama.
That suggests current negative views may be contingent: they reflect specific leaders, policies and media cycles rather than a permanent global turn away from the United States. Whether those perceptions reverse will depend on future politics, leadership and actions both in Washington and in the way US culture and values are projected overseas.
This article was originally written in German.