Global Consumer Boycott Risk & Anti-Americanism Amid the Iran Conflict
”Brand USA” just hit a tracking low. Global average net favorability of the United States has fallen to its lowest recorded level in Morning Consult's tracking history. Our weekly data shows a clear inflection point at the Iran strikes, compounding declines that began with Liberation Day tariffs and the Venezuela intervention. At the same time, the global average share of consumers who say they are reducing spending on U.S. brands "a lot" has increased again.
Authors
Jason McMann
Head of Global Intelligence
Sonnet Frisbie
Principal, Global Intelligence
What’s Inside the Report
Impact of the Iran Strike: The U.S. strikes on Iran in early 2026 marked an inflection point in global consumer sentiment and views of the United States. This section tracks how confidence, favorability, and brand risk shifted in the immediate aftermath — and how that shock layered on top of already-deteriorating baselines from Liberation Day tariffs and the Venezuela intervention.
Anti-Americanism Rising: Anti-Americanism was already trending in the wrong direction before the Iran strikes — but the conflict has deepened negative views across nearly every region. Europe leads in the severity of its unfavorable views, while MENA markets have seen the most acute post-strike deterioration. This section examines how views of the United States have shifted by region and country.
Global Boycott Propensity: Deteriorating views of the U.S. are translating directly into consumer behavior. After a brief stabilization in February, boycott propensity ticked back up in March — with the Americas most exposed in aggregate, driven by Canada. This section examines the global and regional boycott landscape and the structural drivers behind it.