China is now viewed more positively than the US in most of the 36 countries surveyed by the Pew Research Center in early 2026, with similar patterns seen in views of their leaders, Donald Trump and Xi Jinping.Pew’s latest global poll of 42,151 adults in 36 countries and territories, conducted between February 8 and May 13, 2026, finds that favorable views of China have reached record highs in many places, while perceptions of the US have worsened. In 25 of the 36 countries, more people say they have a favorable view of China than of the US, marking the first time Pew has recorded such a result in so many countries since it began tracking these attitudes in 2002.
Only six countries still view the US more positively than China: Poland, the Philippines, South Korea, India, Japan and Israel.
Respondents were asked whether they held a very favourable, somewhat favourable, somewhat unfavourable or very unfavourable opinion of each superpower.Spain, Indonesia, Italy, Greece and Canada are among the countries that have seen the starkest swings toward China, with Canada and Mexico now viewing China more positively than their close neighbor, the US.Only six countries still view the US more positively than China: Poland, the Philippines, South Korea, India, Japan and Israel, all of them longstanding US partners or allies.Separately, Pew’s broader trend data show that the median favorable opinion of the US across many countries has declined in recent years, while the median favorable opinion of China has risen.Pew’s findings show that middle‑income countries generally tend to have more positive views of China, while wealthier countries are more skeptical. Some of the most positive ratings for China come from Asia‑Pacific and developing nations, including Pakistan, Indonesia, Malaysia, Nigeria and Turkey, where favorable views have reached new highs.At the same time, some high‑income countries in Europe and the Asia‑Pacific remain more negative toward China, even though their views of the US have also cooled. Singapore stands out as a notable exception: it has one of the highest GDPs per capita among the surveyed countries yet maintains a high level of positivity toward China.
Comparing Trump and Xi
The survey also compares confidence in US President Donald Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping to “do the right thing” in world affairs, finding low overall confidence in both men.
In most countries, confidence scores for both leaders are below 50%
In most countries, confidence scores for both leaders are below 50%, indicating widespread skepticism of their international decision‑making.Despite this, more countries report higher confidence in Xi than in Trump.In 22 of the 36 countries and territories surveyed, views of Xi are more favorable than views of Trump, including in Canada, Mexico and major European powers like France, Germany and the United Kingdom, though Xi’s ratings rarely reach majority levels. Xi’s highest confidence rating in the survey comes from Pakistan, at around 83%, while Japan records the lowest, at about 7%.
Views of China have turned more positive with 46% of people surveyed now saying they have a favourable view of the nation.
Trump’s ratings show a similar pattern of extremes.His highest rating in the Pew polling is 68% in the Philippines, while one of the lowest measurements is just 4% in the West Bank and East Jerusalem. In several countries, especially in Europe, neither leader enjoys majority‑positive ratings, but Xi still tends to lead Trump by double‑digit margins.Researchers note that many respondents do not have particularly strong or well‑formed views of Xi compared with their opinions of other leaders. In contrast, people are more likely to express views on Trump—and to choose more extreme positive or negative positions—reflecting his high profile and polarising image.
Personal freedoms: US still ahead, gap narrowing
One area where the US continues to be rated more positively than China is respect for personal freedoms.For more than a decade, Pew has asked whether people believe the US and Chinese governments respect the personal freedoms of their citizens, and the US has consistently scored higher.However, the gap has been shrinking sharply since the question was last asked in 2021.Across nearly every country surveyed, fewer people now say the US government respects personal freedoms than did so five years ago, with declines of 25 percentage points or more in countries such as Sweden, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, South Korea and Spain.At the same time, modest increases in the share who say China respects personal freedoms have been recorded in several countries, including Australia, contributing to the narrowing divide.In Mexico, around a third (35%) say the Chinese government respects its people’s personal freedoms, while only 20% say the same about the US government.A few countries show especially large contrasts: 80% of Israelis say the US respects the freedoms of its people, compared with just 15% who say the same of China, while Japan reports a similarly wide gap of 61% versus 6%.
Foreign interference & reliability
Pew also explored perceptions of the two powers’ foreign policy roles, including in several Latin American and middle‑income countries. In these places, the public previously tended to see the US as a more reliable partner than China, but recent results suggest views are now split, with no clear consensus.
The public previously tended to see the US as a more reliable partner than China, but recent results suggest views are now split, with no clear consensus.
When asked about interference in other countries’ affairs, a median of 75% of respondents say the US interferes “a great deal” or “a fair amount” in other nations, compared with 45% who say the same about China.This indicates that while China is being viewed more favorably overall in many countries, the United States continues to be perceived as the more interventionist power.Other global polling backs the Pew findings. Gallup reports that China has recently surpassed the US in global leadership approval ratings, with the widest gap in China’s favour recorded in nearly two decades, driven by declining approval of US leadership and modest gains for China.Together, these surveys show a significant shift in how the public see the US and China and how they compare Trump and Xi, with China and its leader now often rated more positively than the US and its president, even as confidence in both remains limited.
