News summary produced by Claude AI
The Pew Research Center released findings indicating a significant global shift in perceptions of the United States and China. The research, which polled more than 42,000 people across 36 countries between February and May, reveals that favorable views of China have reached record levels in numerous nations while American favorability has declined.
Among the 36 countries surveyed, 25 now express more favorable views toward China than toward the United States. This represents the first time since the organization began tracking these sentiments in 2002 that so many countries simultaneously favor China over the US. Notable shifts toward China were recorded in Spain, Indonesia, Italy, Greece, and Canada. Only six countries—Poland, the Philippines, South Korea, India, Japan, and Israel—continue to view the US more favorably. Researchers noted that middle-income countries tend to hold more positive views of China, while wealthier nations generally view it less favorably, with Singapore being a notable exception.
Confidence in national leaders also showed disparities between the two superpowers. While confidence levels in both President Donald Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping remained generally low across surveyed nations, Xi received higher confidence ratings overall. Respondents from Pakistan showed the highest confidence in Xi at 83 percent, while Japan recorded the lowest at 7 percent. For Trump, the Philippines gave his highest rating at 68 percent, while West Bank/East Jerusalem gave his lowest at 4 percent.
When asked about specific governance attributes, respondents still believed the US government respects personal freedoms more than China’s government, though the gap has narrowed. However, concerning foreign interference, a median of 75 percent felt the US interferes in other countries’ affairs substantially, compared to 45 percent saying the same about China. Dr. Chong Ja Ian of Carnegie China attributed the shift partly to perceived US policy volatility, while noting that China may be viewed as more predictable despite concerns about authoritarianism under Xi’s leadership.