President Obama is scheduled to be the first U.S. chief executive to chair a meeting of the Security Council, but the views most U.S. voters have of the United Nations remain largely unchanged.

A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that just 29% of voters see the United Nations as an ally of the United States, while 15% regard the international organization as an enemy. For 47%, the U.N. falls somewhere in between the two.

In April, 27% said ally, 17% enemy and 49% somewhere in between.

As is often the case, the partisan and ideological divide is notable. Forty-six percent (46%) of Democrats view the U.N. as an ally, a view shared by just 17% of Republicans and 22% of voters not affiliated with either party. Fifty-four percent (54%) of liberals agree, while 26% of conservatives say the U.N. is an enemy of America.

But 63% of all voters say the United States should continue to participate in the United Nations, compared to 60% in April and 66% in March. Twenty percent (20%) say America should not be part of the U.N., and 17% are undecided.

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Seventy-three percent (73%) of Democrats favor continued involvement in the U.N., compared to 53% of GOP voters and 61% of unaffiliateds. Liberals by a two-to-one margin – 90% to 45% - over conservatives say the United States should continue to participate in the U.N.

Americans are almost evenly divided in their views of the U.N., although those who don’t like the organization feel more strongly about it. Forty-seven percent (47%) now have at least a somewhat favorable opinion of the U.N., and 48% have an unfavorable view. Yet while 11% rate their opinion as very favorable, 27% say they regard the U.N. very unfavorably.

These numbers are roughly comparable to the findings in the earlier surveys this year. But in April 2004, as the U.N. was plagued with scandal and dithered over the Iraq situation, just 38% of voters held a favorable opinion of it. By September 2006, that number had fallen to 31%.

Seventy-three percent (73%) of Democrats now view the U.N. favorably, but just 28% of Republicans and 33% of unaffiliated voters agree. Forty percent (40%) of GOP voters and 38% of unaffiliated voters have a very unfavorable opinion of the U.N.

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