The world has largely viewed the United States more favourably than China for years, but that perception has now reversed, with Beijing seen more positively than Washington, according to a new study by the Pew Research Center.
The findings by the US-headquartered think tank suggest that the global standing of the United States has taken a hit as President Donald Trump’s administration continues its “America First” narrative, while China under the leadership of President Xi Jinping has been receiving favourable views in many countries.
Methodology and survey outcomes during geopolitical conflict
The Pew Research Center polled more than 42,000 people in 36 countries between February and May, a period during which the US and Israel were engaged in a war with Iran.
Across 37 countries surveyed, a median of 51% have a favorable view of China, while 39% have an unfavorable view. pic.twitter.com/FLzIYsncMH
— Pew Research Center (@pewresearch) July 16, 2026
The think tank found that more people had favourable views of China than the United States in 25 nations out of the 36 countries and territories that were surveyed.
Leadership confidence and public freedom rankings
However, the respondents in the survey showed low confidence in both Trump and Xi Jinping, though the Chinese President scored higher than the US President.
After approaching historic lows in many countries during the COVID-19 pandemic, global views of China are improving and, in some places, even reaching new highs. pic.twitter.com/oiVRC9oWuo
— Pew Research Center (@pewresearch) July 15, 2026
Washington was viewed as the nation that respects personal freedoms more than Beijing, while China was seen as interfering less in other countries’ internal affairs.
Coalition of nations leaning toward a positive view of China
Among the countries that were favourably positive toward China are
- Indonesia
- Italy
- Greece
- Spain
- Canada
Countries maintaining stronger support for the United States
In only six countries, in the survey released on Wednesday, people see the United States more positively than China, and they are
- Philippines
- Poland
- South Korea
- India
- Japan
- Israel
Historic milestone in two decades of public opinion polling
In the past two decades that Pew has been tracking global opinions, it is the first time that China has emerged as more favourable than the United States, said Laura Silver, associate director of Pew’s Global Attitudes Research and one of the researchers on the study, AP reported.
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“There was just an actual relationship between the outbreak of the war and the sense that the US is just not contributing to peace and stability and that people have less confidence in Donald Trump,” Silver added.
