7/17/2026
Yesterday a friend shared an interesting Pew Research Center report with me titled "People in Many Countries Now View China More Positively Than the U.S."
The Pew report compares favorability toward the U.S. and China in 36 countries. It finds that, China is viewed more positively than the U.S. in most of those countries.
This is a big deal because it marks the first time in more than two decades of Pew's global polling that China has enjoyed a measurable advantage over the United States in overall favorability.
Interestingly, the six countries where the U.S. retains a favorable image all have close military relationship with the U.S. -- Poland, Japan, South Korea, India, the Philippines, and Israel. Whether those military ties influence public opinion is an intriguing question worthy of further study.
This naturally raises another question: How much of international public opinion is shaped by a country's security dependence The survey itself doesn't answer that question. It identifies a pattern, but explaining the causes requires additional evidence.
The Gallup report measures approval of national leadership, not overall favorability. It reports that in 2025 the median approval of China's leadership was 36%, compared with 31% for U.S. leadership—the widest lead China has held in Gallup's nearly two decades of tracking.
Regardless of the causes, these findings have practical implications. That is, International public opinion influences a country's attractiveness to international students, skilled workers, tourists, investors, and international partners.
If public opinion is indeed shifting, what is driving the change? Is it security, economics, diplomacy, culture, media narratives, or dissatisfaction? The Pew and Gallup reports show that perceptions are changing. Understanding why may be even more important than the rankings themselves.
