Global Pew Survey Finds China Viewed More Positively Than US in Many Countries
Brief By Newsbrief / 5:42 PM on 16 Jul 2026
A new global survey by the Pew Research Center suggests that public perceptions of China have improved across many parts of the world, while opinions of the United States have weakened in several countries. The survey, conducted between February 8 and May 13, 2026, covered 42,151 adults across 36 countries and territories. According to the findings, respondents in 25 of the 36 surveyed countries expressed a more favourable view of China than of the United States, indicating a noticeable shift in global public opinion.
The survey found particularly strong improvements in China's image in countries such as Spain, Indonesia, Italy, Greece, and Canada. It also reported that respondents in Canada and Mexico viewed China more positively than the United States. Meanwhile, only six countries—India, Japan, South Korea, the Philippines, Poland, and Israel—expressed a more favourable opinion of the US than China. Pew noted that many of these countries are long-standing US allies or strategic partners. The study also observed that middle-income and developing nations generally held more positive views of China, while many higher-income countries remained cautious about Beijing.
The survey also compared confidence in Chinese President Xi Jinping and US President Donald Trump regarding international affairs. Overall confidence in both leaders remained below 50% in most surveyed countries. However, Xi Jinping received higher confidence ratings than Donald Trump in 22 of the 36 countries included in the survey, including Canada, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, and Mexico. Pakistan recorded the highest confidence in Xi, while Japan reported the lowest. Donald Trump received his highest confidence rating in the Philippines. Despite these findings, the survey also showed that respondents continued to rate the United States more favourably than China on protecting individual freedoms. On foreign policy, many participants viewed the US as more likely than China to intervene in the affairs of other countries, reflecting the mixed and evolving nature of global public opinion.