Pew Survey Shows China at 46% Favorability, Overtaking US at 36%
Updated
Updated · South China Morning Post · Jul 15
Pew Survey Shows China at 46% Favorability, Overtaking US at 36%
3 articles · Updated · South China Morning Post · Jul 15
Summary
46% of respondents across 20 consistently tracked countries viewed China favorably, versus 36% for the US, reversing 2023 when the US led 54% to 19%.
More than 45,000 people in 37 countries were surveyed between February and May, and Pew said China’s image has steadily recovered from pandemic-era lows while confidence in the US has fallen sharply.
The study also found weakening faith in US leadership and in Washington as a reliable partner during a period when the US was increasingly entangled in the Iran conflict and other regional crises.
The shift gives China a stronger global standing across a broad mix of advanced and emerging economies, underscoring a wider erosion in international perceptions of the US.
As America's global favorability plummets, are its traditional allies now hedging their bets by embracing China?
Has the US strategy of tariffs and tech competition backfired, pushing nations and allies closer to Beijing?
Is China's economic and tech diplomacy in the Global South building a new, non-Western world order?
Global Leadership in Crisis: 2025 Gallup Data Shows Unprecedented Disapproval of US and China
Overview
The 2025 Global Leadership Report reveals a historic shift in how the world views major powers. Nearly half of all countries surveyed gave negative approval ratings to both the United States and China, marking the highest level of global negativity in two decades. This reflects a significant re-evaluation of global leadership and growing polarization, as opinions about these powers become more defined. The return of Trump to the White House influenced some exceptions, such as a sharp rise in U.S. approval in Israel. Overall, the world is moving toward a more fragmented and multipolar order, with traditional alliances under strain.