China surpasses United States in global favorability, Pew poll finds

A Pew Research Center survey of more than 42,000 adults in 36 countries conducted between February and May 2026 shows a historic shift in global public opinion. In 25 of the surveyed nations, respondents view China more favorably than the United States – the first time this has occurred in the roughly 20‑year history of the poll. Only six countries – Poland, the Philippines, South Korea, India, Japan and Israel – still give the United States a more positive rating.

The poll also finds that in 22 countries people rate Chinese leader Xi Jinping more favorably than U.S. President Donald Trump. The change coincides with the war launched by the United States and Israel against Iran, the fading memory of the COVID‑19 pandemic, and a series of controversial U.S. policies, including demands to control Greenland, a raid that captured Venezuela’s former leader Nicolás Maduro, and the handling of the Israel‑Hamas conflict.

Notable regional swings include Canada, where favorable views of the United States fell from 57 % in 2023 to 33 %, while support for China rose from 14 % to 44 %. Major European powers such as France, Germany, the United Kingdom and Spain also shifted toward China. The United States still leads on perceived respect for personal freedoms, but the gap is narrowing.