Tokyo Olympics reach the starting line even as most Japanese say country has handled pandemic poorly
Among 17 publics surveyed, those in Japan report the most negative assessment of how their country has handled the pandemic.
Numbers, Facts and Trends Shaping Your World
Among 17 publics surveyed, those in Japan report the most negative assessment of how their country has handled the pandemic.
Publics disagree about whether restrictions on public activity, such as stay-at-home orders or mandates to wear masks in public, have gone far enough to combat COVID-19.
Most would welcome government-sponsored job training and other interventions.
Unfavorable views of China also hover near historic highs in most of the 17 advanced economies surveyed.
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.
There is widespread support in Taiwan for increased economic and political ties with the U.S. While many are wary of stronger political ties with mainland China, about half would favor stronger economic relations.
More countries still name the U.S. as the foremost economic power than say the same of China. And, even in nations that welcome China’s economic growth, few feel similarly about its growing military might.
Thirty years ago, a wave of optimism swept across Europe as walls and regimes fell, and long-oppressed publics embraced open societies, open markets and a more united Europe. Three decades later, a new Pew Research Center survey finds that few people in the former Eastern Bloc regret the monumental changes of 1989-1991.
Overall, 38% of Americans have a favorable opinion of China, down slightly from 44% in 2017. Concerns about China include economic threats, cyberattacks, environmental damage and human rights.
Trade will likely be a topic of discussion when President Obama visits Japan on Wednesday. Most Americans see trade with Japan as a good thing and back a treaty on Pacific trade.
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ABOUT PEW RESEARCH CENTER Pew Research Center is a nonpartisan fact tank that informs the public about the issues, attitudes and trends shaping the world. It conducts public opinion polling, demographic research, media content analysis and other empirical social science research. Pew Research Center does not take policy positions. It is a subsidiary of The Pew Charitable Trusts.
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