Most Americans see little ability for the U.S. and China to cooperate on climate change policy or combating the spread of infectious disease. A majority of Americans continue to view the China-Russia partnership as a very serious problem for the U.S.
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.
Despite the many depressing stories dominating the international news cycle, there is also a note of positivity among survey respondents in views of the UN, the benefits of international cooperation for solving problems and the importance of common values for bringing nations together.
We asked respondents in both countries to, in their own words, define what democracy means to them. Most commonly, people mention three broad concepts: freedom and human rights, elections and procedures, and having a voice in government.
Though younger people tend to be more internationally oriented than older adults, they differ from one another over how they want their country to engage with the world.
Roughly seven-in-ten Russians say their government did not try to meddle in the U.S. presidential election in 2016. However, 85% say the U.S. tries to shape the internal affairs of other countries.