A survey by American polling firm and think tank Pew Research Center shows that the proportion of people worldwide holding a positive view of China is higher than that of the United States, marking the first time this has occurred since at least 2023. Even among U.S. allies, there has been a shift in public opinion.
With the deterioration of the U.S. image, among the 36 countries surveyed this year, China received higher favorability ratings than the United States in most countries, including U.S. allies such as Canada, Australia, France, and Germany.
China's advantage is especially evident in Asia-Pacific and Middle Eastern countries. Only in India, Japan, the Philippines, South Korea, Israel, and Poland do views of the United States surpass those of China.
In the 20 countries with data traceable back to 2023, nearly half of respondents hold a positive view of China, while only 36% have a positive view of the United States.
Three years ago, the proportions were 32% for China and 58% for the United States, respectively. This also marks an improvement in China's international image after it hit historic lows during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The report notes: “After Trump began his second term last year, global views of the United States further deteriorated, but most people at that time still rated the U.S. higher than China. This is no longer the case this year.”
Another China-focused survey from Pew shows that in many countries, including some European nations, favorability toward China has reached or is close to record highs.
The research also found that, at least since the latter part of President Biden's term, global confidence in U.S. leaders has continued to decline.
On foreign policy, respondents from 17 middle-income countries expressed more concerns about the United States than China. In these countries, more people view China as a “reliable partner,” and more believe that compared to the U.S., China “makes a major” or “considerable” contribution to global peace and stability.
The United States still leads China in the “respect for individual freedom” metric, with more respondents believing the U.S. offers greater respect for personal liberties, but the gap between the two is also narrowing.
Pew Research Center surveyed more than 42,000 people from February 8 to May 13, during which the United States launched a war against Iran.