Global public opinion has experienced a significant shift, with China now viewed more favorably than the United States in 25 out of 36 countries and territories surveyed by the Pew Research Center. This development, which marks the first time such a trend has appeared in roughly 20 years of polling, reflects a notable decline in the global standing of the US under the Trump administration.
The study, conducted between February and May, highlights that in 22 of the 36 regions, Chinese leader Xi Jinping is also viewed more favorably than US President Donald Trump. While confidence in both leaders remains low in many nations, the findings suggest that the US is increasingly perceived as failing to contribute to global peace and stability. Researchers pointed to specific geopolitical events, including the US handling of the Israeli-Hamas war in Gaza, the capture of former Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro, and Trump's demands to control Greenland, as factors contributing to low approval ratings.
Laura Silver, associate director of Pew’s Global Attitudes Research, noted that the decline in US favorability is tied to the sense that Washington is not a reliable partner. In contrast, China is increasingly seen as a more stable contributor to international affairs. The shift is particularly stark in countries like Canada, where positive views of the US dropped from 57% in 2023 to 33%, while favorability toward China rose from 14% to 44% during the same period. Tensions, including US tariffs on Canadian goods and rhetoric regarding Canada potentially being the “51st state,” have further strained these relationships.
Major European powers—including Germany, France, Italy, Spain, the Netherlands, and Sweden—have also pivoted their views on the two global superpowers. Currently, only six countries, including Japan, India, South Korea, the Philippines, Poland, and Israel, continue to view the US more positively than China. While the US maintains a slight edge regarding government respect for personal freedoms, the report indicates that this gap is steadily narrowing. The survey included more than 42,000 respondents, with margins of error ranging between 2.3 and 5.5 percentage points.
The shift follows the Covid-19 pandemic becoming a distant issue and as global views of the US have soured, Silver said.
People in the US, where about 6 in 10 held positive views of the US in 2023, now view China and the US similarly. Three years ago, the spread was 32 percentage points in Washington’s favour.
