WASHINGTON – China and its leader, Xi Jinping, are viewed more favorably than the United States and President Donald Trump in many parts of the world, according to a new Pew Research Center survey, marking the first time in roughly two decades that Beijing has surpassed Washington in global public opinion.
The findings, released Wednesday, indicate that favorable views of China now exceed those of the United States in 25 of the 36 countries and territories surveyed. The shift reflects changing perceptions during a period marked by geopolitical tensions, strained U.S. relations with some allies, and evolving views of China’s international role.
According to the survey, the United States is viewed more positively than China in only six countries.
Pew says global attitudes have shifted toward China
Pew surveyed more than 42,000 respondents across 35 countries, as well as the West Bank and east Jerusalem, between February and May. The polling period coincided with the conflict involving the United States, Israel and Iran.
Laura Silver, associate director of Pew’s Global Attitudes Research and one of the study’s researchers, said this is the first time since the organization began tracking international opinion that China has achieved a clear advantage over the United States in global favorability.
Silver said the change follows the fading impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on public perceptions and a broader decline in international confidence in the United States.
“There was just an actual relationship between the outbreak of the war and the sense that the U.S. is just not contributing to peace and stability and that people have less confidence in Donald Trump,” she said.
She also cited Trump’s comments about Greenland, the U.S. military raid that captured Venezuela’s then-leader Nicolás Maduro, and Washington’s handling of the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza as factors contributing to declining international approval.
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“The U.S. has done a lot in terms of global engagement in recent months to years that is not being perceived positively internationally,” Silver said.
Xi receives stronger ratings than Trump in many countries
The survey found that respondents in 22 of the 36 countries and territories expressed greater confidence in Xi than Trump, including in Canada, Mexico, France, Germany and the United Kingdom. Even so, Pew noted that confidence in both leaders remained relatively low across many surveyed countries.
Silver said China has also benefited from comparisons with the United States, with respondents in many countries viewing Beijing as a more reliable international partner.
“By comparison, we know that China is seen to be a more reliable partner in many places. It’s more likely to be seen to contribute to global peace and stability,” she said.
The White House rejected the findings’ broader implications.
White House spokesperson Olivia Wales said Trump “has done more for global stability than anyone else,” pointing to what she described as the president’s role in “obliterated Iran’s nuclear facilities” and “eliminated hundreds of narcoterrorists.”
“President Trump is the leader of the free world, and thanks to his bold leadership the United States of America has never been stronger,” Wales said.
The Chinese Embassy in Washington said the survey “demonstrates that China’s governance achievements and development progress are widely recognized.”
Allied countries show significant changes in opinion
Some of the largest shifts were recorded among traditional U.S. allies.
In Canada, favorable views of the United States declined to 33% from 57% in 2023, while positive opinions of China increased from 14% to 44% over the same period.
Relations between Washington and Ottawa have been strained after Trump imposed tariffs on Canadian goods and repeatedly suggested Canada could become “the 51st state.”
Several major European countries—including France, Germany, Spain, Italy, Sweden and the Netherlands—also shifted toward viewing China more favorably than the United States.
In the United Kingdom, where about six in ten respondents viewed the United States positively in 2023, opinions of China and the United States are now roughly equal. Three years earlier, the United States held a 32-percentage-point advantage.
U.S. retains advantage on personal freedoms
Despite China’s improved standing, respondents continued to rate the United States more favorably on respect for personal freedoms, although Pew said that advantage has narrowed since 2021.
The report attributed the shrinking gap primarily to declining confidence that the U.S. government respects the personal freedoms of its own citizens rather than to a substantial improvement in perceptions of China’s record.
Israel recorded the strongest support for the United States among surveyed countries, with about eight in ten respondents expressing favorable views of America compared with 19% for China.
The other countries where the United States remained more popular than China were Japan, India, South Korea, the Philippines and Poland, although Pew found that favorable views of the United States have declined in those countries in recent years as well.
Pew said the survey carries margins of error ranging from 2.3 to 5.5 percentage points, depending on the country.
This report is based on reporting by The Associated Press.
Article Topics: China | United States | Global Public Opinion | Xi Jinping | Donald Trump | Pew Research Center | International Relations | Public Diplomacy
