Americans name China as the country posing the greatest threat to the U.S.
In an open-ended question allowing Americans to name which country they see as the greatest threat to the U.S., 50% name China.
Numbers, Facts and Trends Shaping Your World
In an open-ended question allowing Americans to name which country they see as the greatest threat to the U.S., 50% name China.
A median of 76% of adults in the 24 countries surveyed say China does not take into account the interests of other countries in its foreign policy. Majorities in most countries also say China does not contribute to global peace and stability.
Nearly a quarter of countries used force to prevent religious gatherings during the pandemic; other government restrictions and social hostilities related to religion remained fairly stable.
The Chinese Communist Party is preparing for its 20th National Congress, an event likely to result in an unprecedented third term for President Xi Jinping. Since Xi took office in 2013, opinion of China in the U.S. and other advanced economies has turned more negative. How did it get to be this way?
President Trump and his policies continue to receive negative reviews from people worldwide, with a lack of confidence in his leadership especially common in Western Europe. While views of the U.S. are positive overall, they vary widely among some of its key allies.
Unfavorable opinion of China in the U.S. is at its highest level in 14 years of polling. Americans also increasingly see China as a threat, and more than half see friction in the current bilateral economic relationship.
Donald Trump’s international image remains poor, and ratings for the U.S. have declined since his election. Yet most people around the world still want the U.S., not China, as the world’s leading power.
People in many countries around the world, particularly in Latin America and Africa, list climate change as a top worry. Americans, Europeans and Middle Easterners, however, most frequently cite ISIS as their top threat.
Ratings for the U.S. remain mostly positive, with a global median of 69% expressing a favorable view. Countries also express broad support for America’s military efforts against ISIS, but are critical of the U.S. government’s use of torture after 9/11.
While Americans say they want the U.S. to mind its own business and focus on issues at home, they remain concerned about the security threats that face the nation in 2014.
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