Fact check: More people around the world now favor China over the US according to a Pew…

Majority view

Recent Pew Research Center work does show that views of China have improved while views of the U.S. have worsened and, in a new 36-country survey, more respondents in a majority of those countries now view China more favorably than the U.S., marking the first time Pew has recorded China ahead in many nations.[2][3][6] However, earlier and still‑relevant global Pew data using medians across countries continue to find that, overall, more people globally have a favorable view of the U.S. than of China.[1][5][11] Thus, the claim that "more people around the world now favor China over the US according to a Pew study" is partially accurate for the specific new multi‑country survey finding (many countries, not necessarily all people worldwide) but overstates the broader global picture and simplifies Pew’s more nuanced conclusions.

Credible dissent

The main dissent comes from other Pew reports and analyses, including its 2023 comparison of views in 24 countries, which found that on balance views of the U.S. remained much more positive than views of China.[5] Earlier Pew surveys in 2025 similarly reported a median favorability of 49% for the U.S. versus 37% for China across 24 countries, indicating the U.S. still led globally on that metric even as the gap narrowed.[1][7] Commentary summarizing Pew’s Global South vs. high‑income country findings also notes that, despite China’s relatively strong standing in some middle‑income countries, the U.S. still enjoys more favorable views than China overall in both high‑ and middle‑income groups.[11] These results contradict a simple, global‑level assertion that “more people around the world now favor China over the US,” even if a newer, larger-sample study shows China ahead in more individual countries.[2][3][6]