According to a new BBC World Service survey of international opinion, Germany is held in higher regard than any other large country when it comes to influencing global politics.

According to the survey which was carried out in 34 countries, the global view of Germany's influence is predominantly positive. On average, 56 percent of people questioned had a positive opinion of Germany, compared to only 18 percent who did not.

The BBC survey has been tracking opinion across the globe since 2005, with 23 countries regularly polled while others change from year to year. This year is the first time that it included Germany and it made the surprising discovery that Germany is viewed more positively than negatively in all 34 countries -- something no other country in the survey can boast.

Germany enjoys the highest opinion in its European partner countries: 82 percent of Italians, 74 percent of French and 62 percent of British people had a favorable view of the country.

While the United States can hardly boast that level of popularity, the survey did show that the country's image is starting to improve, with an increase in 4 percent since last year. An average of 32 percent of the population in the countries polled had a positive view of the US, up from 28 percent a year ago. Pollsters involved in the project put this down to US presidential elections.

"Views of the US are being mitigated by hope that a new administration will move away from foreign policies that have been so unpopular in the world," Steven Kull, director of the Program on International Policy Attitudes (PIPA) at the University of Maryland told Reuters.