China now more favorable than US: Study
What's the story
A new study by the Pew Research Center has revealed a major shift in global opinion, with China being viewed more favorably than the US in several countries. The non-partisan think tank's findings show that positive views of China have hit an all-time high, while perceptions of the US have taken a hit. The survey was conducted between February and May this year across 36 countries, including India.
Global perceptions
Survey details and methodology
The Pew Research Center surveyed over 42,000 people in 36 countries to gage their opinions on China and the US.
Respondents were asked if they had a very favorable, somewhat favorable, somewhat unfavorable or very unfavorable opinion of each superpower.
The results showed that in 25 out of the 36 countries surveyed, more people viewed China favorably than the US.
Changing tides
Shift in favor of China
This is the first time the Pew Research Center, which has been tracking global sentiment toward superpowers since 2002, has seen such a widespread shift in favor of China.
Spain, Indonesia, Italy, Greece, and Canada were among the countries that saw major shifts toward China.
Only six countries in this year's survey still favor the US more: Poland, Philippines, South Korea, India, Japan, and Israel.
Leadership trust
Confidence in world leaders
The survey also asked respondents about their confidence in Xi Jinping and Donald Trump to do the right thing in world affairs.
Overall, confidence levels were low for both leaders, with most scores below 50%. However, many countries surveyed had more faith in Xi than Trump.
The highest and lowest ratings for Xi came from Pakistan (83%) and Japan (7%), respectively.
Foreign policy perceptions
US's declining popularity
The survey also found that while more people believed the US government respected its people's personal freedoms than China's, the gap had narrowed.
A median of 75% of respondents felt that the US interfered in other countries' affairs a great deal or a fair amount, while 45% said the same about China.
This perception further highlights a growing sentiment against US foreign policy among many nations.