Advanced Countries Are More Pro-American... Increase Since Biden's Inauguration
When asked which country is the world's top economic power between the United States and China, 83% of Korean respondents chose the United States.
On the 6th (local time), the U.S. polling organization Pew Research Center released a report containing these survey results. This is an overwhelmingly high percentage compared to 24 other countries.
The Pew Research Center disclosed the results of a survey conducted from February 20 to May 22 this year, targeting 30,861 adults across 24 countries worldwide.
Last November, U.S. President Joe Biden (right) and Chinese President Xi Jinping met in Bali, Indonesia, holding their first summit and shaking hands. [Photo by Yonhap News]
There was also a large gap compared to second-ranked Japan (64%). Only 8% of Koreans chose China. In contrast, Italy chose China (55%) more than the United States (31%).
The survey showed that the more developed a country is, the more favorable its view of the United States tends to be. The report stated, "This year's survey results showed that in most countries, the United States had more positive ratings," adding, "In 2020, when COVID-19 spread, both the United States and China saw declines in favorability, but currently only China remains at a low level."
It continued, "This year's survey results showed that in most countries, the United States had much more positive ratings than China," adding, "This has not always been the case over the past 20 years, and results varied depending on the views of each country's leaders."
According to the report, a 2019 survey of 22 countries showed average favorability ratings of 55% for the United States and 39% for China. In 2020, these dropped to 38% and 25% respectively, but in this year's survey involving 24 countries, the ratings were 58% and 21%.
In this survey, views on the United States improved dramatically, while views on China were at their most negative level. The report analyzed that U.S. favorability rose significantly after the inauguration of the Biden administration in 2021.
Regionally, North America, Europe, and Asia showed relatively negative evaluations of China, whereas Africa and Latin America had predominantly favorable opinions. In Nigeria, favorability toward China was higher than toward the United States.
Among the 24 countries, citizens of 23 countries tended to view President Biden more positively than President Xi. Pew Research Center stated, "Based on the median, 54% of respondents are confident that President Biden will do the right thing regarding world issues, while only 19% share the same opinion about President Xi."
The Pew Research Center did not ask about President Biden in the United States and judged that conducting an independent survey in China was impossible, so it was not conducted there.
Based on the median, 59% had a positive view of the United States, but only 28% had a positive view of China.
Among high-income countries, there was considerable variation in support for President Biden. Most respondents from middle-income countries showed higher trust in President Biden, with the exceptions of Hungary and Indonesia, where both leaders received roughly equal levels of support.
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