A new study by the Pew Research Center indicates that more people around the world now hold favorable views of China than of the United States, a notable shift in global sentiment. The survey, which tracked opinions across 36 countries, found that respondents in 25 of those nations expressed a preference for China over the U.S.
This marks the first time the research center, which has been monitoring global perceptions of the two superpowers since 2002, has recorded such a result in a majority of surveyed countries. Jonathan Schulman, one of the study's researchers, highlighted the significance of this finding.
While positive views of the U.S. have seen declines in the past, notably during the end of George W. Bush's administration in 2008 and at the beginning of Donald Trump's first term in 2017, favorable views of China previously tended to be roughly equal to or slightly lower than those of the U.S., according to Schulman. The current survey suggests a more pronounced shift.
Countries such as Spain, Indonesia, Italy, Greece, and Canada reported some of the largest increases in favoring China. Conversely, only six nations in the current survey continue to express a greater preference for the U.S. These are primarily strong U.S. allies, including Poland, the Philippines, South Korea, India, Japan, and Israel.
An analysis of the data shows a steady decline in the median favorable opinion of the U.S. across 20 countries in recent years, while the median favorable opinion of China has been on an upward trajectory. The survey also indicated that global confidence in Chinese President Xi Jinping exceeds confidence in former U.S. President Donald Trump.