For the first time in roughly 20 years of tracking global opinions, China is viewed more positively than the United States, according to a new Pew Research Center poll released on Wednesday, July 15, 2026. The survey, conducted from February to May 2026 during a period of conflict involving the US and Israel against Iran, found that in 25 out of 36 countries and territories surveyed, including Canada and Mexico, more people hold favorable views of China than the US.

Only six countries—Poland, the Philippines, South Korea, India, Japan, and Israel—still see the US more positively than China. Additionally, in 22 of the surveyed countries, Chinese leader Xi Jinping is viewed more favorably than US President Donald Trump, including in Canada, Mexico, and major European powers such as France, Germany, and the UK.

Laura Silver, associate director of Pew’s Global Attitudes Research and a researcher on the study, noted that while views of Beijing and Washington have been similar at times in the past, this is the first significant favorability lead for China. She attributed the shift partly to the Covid-19 pandemic becoming a distant issue and a general souring of global views toward the US.

Silver also cited factors contributing to low US approval, including former President Trump's demands to control Greenland, the American military raid that captured Venezuela’s then-leader Nicolás Maduro, and the US handling of the Israeli-Hamas war in Gaza.

The Chinese embassy in Washington responded to the poll by stating it "demonstrates that China’s governance achievements and development progress are widely recognised." The White House did not immediately comment on the findings.

Sources