Global Attitudes Shift: China Surpasses the US in Favorability
Changing Global Perspectives
New Delhi: Recent findings from the Pew Research Center reveal a notable change in how countries perceive China compared to the United States. The survey, conducted from February 8 to May 13, 2026, involved 42,151 adults across 36 nations and territories. According to the results, 25 out of the 36 countries now view China more favorably than the US, marking the highest level of positive sentiment towards China since the center began its research in 2002. Countries such as Spain, Indonesia, Italy, Greece, and Canada showed significant shifts in their views favoring China. Interestingly, both Canada and Mexico reported a more favorable opinion of China than their neighbor, the United States.
Only six nations, including India, Japan, South Korea, the Philippines, Poland, and Israel, still regard the US more positively than China. The survey also highlighted that favorable opinions of China have reached unprecedented levels in various countries, while views of the US have declined in numerous regions.
Middle-Income Nations Favor China
The data indicates that middle-income countries tend to have a more positive outlook on China, whereas wealthier nations remain more skeptical. Notably, Pakistan, Indonesia, Malaysia, Nigeria, and Turkey reported some of the highest favorable ratings for China. Despite several high-income countries in Europe and the Asia-Pacific maintaining negative views of China, perceptions of the US have also worsened in these areas. Singapore stands out as an exception, showing a high level of favorability towards China despite its wealth.
Xi Jinping Outshines Donald Trump in Global Confidence
The Pew survey also assessed public trust in Chinese President Xi Jinping and US President Donald Trump regarding their ability to make the right decisions in global affairs. Overall, confidence in both leaders remained below 50% in most surveyed countries, indicating widespread skepticism. However, Xi received greater confidence than Trump in 22 out of the 36 countries. Nations where Xi outperformed Trump included Canada, Mexico, France, Germany, and the UK. Pakistan exhibited the highest confidence in Xi at approximately 83%, while Japan had the lowest at around 7%. Trump's strongest support came from the Philippines, where 68% expressed confidence in him, while his lowest rating was in the West Bank and East Jerusalem at just 4%.
US Maintains Edge on Personal Freedoms, But Gap Narrows
While the United States still ranks higher than China in terms of respecting personal freedoms, the gap has significantly narrowed since the last survey in 2021. In many countries surveyed, the percentage of people believing the US government respects personal freedoms has decreased. The most significant declines of 25 percentage points or more were noted in Sweden, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, South Korea, and Spain. Conversely, some nations, including Australia, reported slight increases in the belief that China respects personal freedoms. In Mexico, 35% of respondents felt the Chinese government respects personal freedoms, compared to 20% for the US government. The largest gaps favoring the US were found in Israel, where 80% believed the US respects personal freedoms compared to 15% for China, and in Japan, where the figures were 61% and 6%, respectively.
Perceptions of US Interventionism
The survey also explored views on foreign interference. A median of 75% of respondents indicated that the United States interferes "a great deal" or "a fair amount" in the affairs of other nations, while 45% felt the same about China. Although China's global image has improved in many regions, the findings suggest that the US is still perceived as the more interventionist power. This reflects a broader shift in international public opinion, with China gaining favor in many parts of the world, even as confidence in the leadership of both Beijing and Washington remains limited, according to the Pew Research Center.