Pew Poll Finds China Viewed More Favorably Than U.S. in Most Countries

A Pew Research Center survey released July 15, 2026 found China holding a higher median favorable opinion than the United States across 20 tracked countries. The poll of more than 40,000 respondents recorded a 46 percent median favorable view of China and a 36 percent median for the United States. In 2025 the United States had led on the same measure.

Japan recorded the lowest favorability toward China.

One percent of Japanese respondents said they held a very favorable view and 11 percent a somewhat favorable view. Those figures compare with 8 percent very favorable and 47 percent somewhat favorable in 2002, and zero percent very favorable and 9 percent somewhat favorable in 2020.

Pakistan showed the highest favorability toward China, with 66 percent very favorable and 24 percent somewhat favorable.

A median 31 percent of respondents expressed confidence in Chinese President Xi Jinping to do the right thing in world affairs, compared with 21 percent for U.S. President Donald Trump. Pew stated that more overall now say they have confidence in Xi than in Trump.

Respondents in India, the Philippines and Japan expressed more confidence in Trump than in Xi. In South Korea, confidence in Xi stood 3 percentage points above Trump in 2026, reversing the prior survey in which Trump held 33 percent and Xi 15 percent.

Territorial disputes with China remain a prominent concern in Japan. Eighty-eight percent of Japanese respondents said they were concerned, including 51 percent who were very concerned. That level rose from 86 percent in 2024 and 80 percent in 2016. Twelve of the 36 countries surveyed are in the Asia-Pacific region.