China is now viewed more favorably than the U.S. in 25 of 36 countries
Pew found a recent reversal driven by improving views of China and worsening views of the United States across much of the world.
Pew surveyed 42,151 adults across 36 countries from Feb. 8 to May 13, 2026. China led the United States on favorability in 25 countries; the U.S. led in six.
Notable results: Canada moved from U.S. 57% / China 14% in 2023 to U.S. 33% / China 44% in 2026. Mexico registered China 59% / U.S. 40%. The United States still led in India, Japan, the Philippines and South Korea.
_Source: Pew Research Center, Spring 2026 Global Attitudes Survey._
RELATED
How elite U.S. rhetoric about China converged
An NBER working paper finds presidential rhetoric about China became markedly more negative after the early 2000s, converging with already-negative congressional, media, social-media and think-tank language. The authors find evidence of bottom-up diffusion across institutions, not that presidents alone set the national tone.