Twelve Percentage Less Believe United States Is A Less Powerful World Leader

For the first time in surveys dating back nearly 40 years, a majority of Americans believe the United States is less powerful than it was a decade ago.

And an even larger majority think America is less respected than in the past, according to the new America's Place in the World survey from the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press.

The survey is conducted every four years in partnership with the Council on Foreign Relations, a think tank specializing in U.S. foreign policy.

In the new poll, 53 percent of respondents say as a world leader the United States is less powerful and less important than it was 10 years ago. That's up from 41 percent in 2009.

Just 17 percent say the United States is more powerful and important than 10 years ago, and the remainder think it is about the same.

Respondents differed sharply according to political affiliations. Among Republicans, 74 percent said America is less powerful, while just 33 percent of Democrats and 55 percent of independents agree.

Fully 70 percent of respondents say the United States is less respected internationally than 10 years ago, up from 56 percent in 2009. Again, Republicans were more pessimistic — 80 percent believe America is less respected by other countries. Among Democrats, 56 percent feel that way, as do 74 percent of independents.

Other findings of the Pew survey include:

52 percent agree that the United States should "mind its own business internationally and let other countries get along the best they can on their own," while just 38 percent disagree. This is the most lopsided result in the history of the surveys. But 66 percent say greater U.S. involvement in the global economy is a good thing because it exposes America to new markets and opportunities for growth. Just 25 percent believe it is a bad thing because its exposes the nation to greater economic risks and uncertainty. 51 percent believe the United States does too much in helping solve world problems, and nearly half of them, 47 percent, say problems at home, including the economy, should get more attention. 62 percent think more foreign companies setting up operations in America would mostly help the U.S. economy, while 73 percent say more U.S. companies setting up operations overseas would mostly hurt the economy. 56 percent of respondents disapprove of President Obama's handling of foreign policy, and 34 percent approve. Islamic extremist groups like al-Qaida pose the biggest threat to Americans, Pew discloses — 75 percent of respondents say it is a major threat, while 68 percent cite Iran's nuclear program, and 54 percent cite China's emergence as a world power. 83 percent say protecting the United States from terrorist attacks should be a top policy, and 81 percent say protecting American jobs should be a major concern. Just 18 percent say promoting democracy in other countries should be a top priority.