US President Barack Obama's ratings have plunged at home but he remains highly popular in Europe, with 75 per cent in 12 EU nations approving his handling of global affairs, a poll has said.
He is also much better liked than his predecessor George W Bush, whose rating in Europe was just 20 per cent in 2008, said the Transatlantic Trends poll by the German Marshall Fund
Since 2009, when Obama had a 80-90 per cent approval rating in Europe, his popularity has declined 17 points in Spain, 13 points in Slovakia and 12 points in France and Italy
But he still received an 82 per cent approval rating for international affairs in Portugal and 81 per cent in Germany and the Netherlands, with an average of 75 per cent across the 12 EU states surveyed.
Obama's success in eliminating Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden appeared to be a factor in his popularity in the EU, with 73 per cent backing his efforts to fight international terrorism.
In contrast, just 51 per cent approved of his handling of conflicts in Libya and Afghanistan.
