Today our consulting firm Vianovo — in partnership with leading ad agency GSD&M — is releasing a new in-depth survey of U.S. attitudes toward Mexico that underscores the enormity and urgency of that challenge (see full survey toplines and charts).

The online, national survey, conducted last month among 1,000 U.S. adults via YouGov, reveals that half of Americans have an unfavorable opinion of Mexico, only 17% view its economy as modern, and 72% believe it is unsafe for travel.

Maybe most startling is where our southern neighbor ranks relative to ten other countries measured in the survey. On the above three measures, Mexico most closely resembles Colombia and El Salvador, while significantly trailing Brazil, its chief rival for Latin American leadership (43% see Brazil’s economy as modern and only 33% think it is unsafe for travel).

via How Americans View Mexico – In One Word.