To many, America is synonymous with freedom. The country dubbed itself the "land of the free" and, when trying to reclaim sliced and fried potatoes from the French, briefly attempted to rename "French fries" as "freedom fries."
Yet America's global reputation for personal freedom has taken a beating over the last couple of years. Data from Pew Global Research suggests a dramatic fall in the number of people around the world who say the U.S. government respects the freedom of its people.
The issue may be most stark in Germany. Back in 2013, a whopping 81 percent of Germans polled by Pew thought that the U.S. government respected personal freedom. Then, in 2014, it was 58 percent. Now, according to figures released by Pew this week, just 43 percent of Germans think the U.S. government respects the freedom of its citizens. Fifty-three percent think it doesn't.
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