WASHINGTON - More people around the world view China more positively than the United States for the first time since at least 2023, according to a survey by Pew Research Center, with sentiment shifting even among some of Washington’s allies as the two powers compete for influence globally.

Public opinion of the US has worsened to the extent that China is now seen more favourably in most of the 36 countries surveyed in 2026. Those include Canada, Australia, France and Germany – US allies where the “favourability gap” with Beijing has reversed in recent years.

In 20 countries with comparable data going back to 2023, nearly half held a positive view of China, while only 36 per cent regarded the US favourably. That is a significant reversal from three years ago, when the US scored 58 per cent against China’s 32 per cent. It also marks a rebound for Beijing after its rating hit historic lows in many countries during the Covid-19 pandemic.

“Global views of the United States worsened last year as President Donald Trump’s second term began, though most people still had a more positive opinion of the US than China,” according to the report released on the afternoon of July 15, Washington time. “This year, that is no longer the case.”

One area where the US continues to get better ratings than China is its respect for personal freedom, with more respondents saying Washington respects individual liberties. However, that gap is also narrowing.

Pew Research surveyed more than 42,000 people from Feb 8 to May 13, a period that includes the start of the US-led war in Iran.

As the conflict dragged on and threatened to disrupt the global economy, Beijing sought to portray itself as a stabilising force. President Xi Jinping also signalled his ambition for China and its ruling Communist Party to stand at the forefront of global affairs.

At the same time, Trump has shaken traditional US alliances and ignored established diplomatic practices in favor of a transactional approach. His tariff policy and threats to annex territories such as Greenland have alienated even some of America’s closest partners.

China’s edge over the US is particularly significant in several Asia-Pacific and Middle Eastern nations, according to the survey. Only six countries – India, Japan, the Philippines, South Korea, Israel and Poland – viewed the US more positively than China among the larger group of 36 countries surveyed in 2026.

A separate Pew report focusing on China shows that favourable views of the world’s second-largest economy are at or near record highs in a number of countries, including some in Europe.

Pew also found that confidence in Trump and Xi to do the right thing regarding world affairs has followed a similar pattern. While global views of both leaders are generally negative, Xi’s favourability has overtaken Trump’s.

Confidence in the US leadership has been steadily declining since at least the latter half of Joe Biden’s presidency, according to the study.

On foreign policy, respondents in 17 middle-income nations raised more concerns about the US than China. More in those countries see China as “a reliable partner” than the US and say China contributes “a great deal” or a “fair amount” to peace and stability around the world more than the US.

Other survey findings:

Younger respondents tend to have more positive views of China than older people in most of the surveyed countries.
Americans’ closest neighbours, Canada and Mexico, view China more positively than the US.
In several nations neighbouring China – India, the Philippines and Japan – Trump has higher ratings than Xi.
Many in Latin America are divided over whether the US or China is a more reliable partner. BLOOMBERG

China tops US in global favourability for first time: Pew survey