Public opinion toward China is improving across much of the world, especially in emerging economies across Africa, Latin America, and parts of Asia. At the same time, perceptions of the United States have weakened, particularly around its reliability and contribution to global peace and stability.

Younger people are especially likely to view China positively, shaped increasingly by technology, consumer brands, social media, and infrastructure rather than Cold War-era narratives. But attitudes toward China and the U.S. are not necessarily zero-sum.

Laura Silver, an associate director at the Pew Research Center, joins Eric to unpack the Pew Research Center's polling findings on how China is viewed around the world, why China's image is improving, what is driving support among younger people and in the Global South, and what the numbers reveal about shifting perceptions of the world's two largest powers.

📌 Topics Covered in This Episode:

🌍 Why global views of China are improving

📊 What Pew's 37-country survey reveals about China

👥 Why younger people view China more favorably

🇺🇸 Declining confidence in the United States globally

📱 How Chinese technology and consumer brands shape perceptions

⚖️ Why U.S.-China public opinion is not zero-sum

Show Notes:

• Pew Research Center: Views of China and Xi Are Improving Globally by Laura Silver, Jonathan Schulman, Laura Clancy and William Miner
• Afrobarometer: African insights 2026: Beyond borders: Citizen perspectives on a shifting global order
• Foreign Affairs: How China Is Winning Friends and Influencing People by Eric Olander and Lizzi Lee
  
  
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