U.S. viewed less favourably than China by Canadians, new poll suggests

U.S. President Donald Trump talks with China's President Xi Jinping at the Zhongnanhai leadership compound in Beijing on May 15, 2026. (Mark Schiefelbein, Pool / AP Photo)

Canadians’ opinions of the United States have deteriorated while their perceptions of China have improved compared to a few years ago, a new report suggests.

According to a Pew Research Center report released Wednesday, 44 per cent of Canadians surveyed between February and May hold a favourable view of China, while 33 per cent feel the same about the U.S. Last year, Canadians were “equally” favourable toward both countries. But in 2023, most Canadians had a “positive view” of the U.S. at 57 per cent, compared to 14 per cent that viewed China positively.

Pew’s report compared views of the U.S. and China worldwide, including rating their respective presidents, respect for personal freedoms and foreign policy stances.

The shift in views on the two nations comes amid friction between the Trump administration and Canada, among other U.S. allies. The findings also suggest a notable shift from the period during the COVID-19 pandemic, when many countries’ opinions of China were “near historic lows,” the Washington-based, non-partisan think tank noted in an article on Wednesday.

Laura Silver, a researcher involved in the study, said it was the first time in about 20 years since Pew has been monitoring global views that countries have seen China more positively than the U.S.

Silver, associate director of Pew’s Global Attitudes Research, cited examples that contributed to negative views of the U.S., such as U.S. President Donald Trump’s calls to take over Greenland and the U.S. response to the Israeli-Hamas war.

“By comparison, we know that China is seen to be a more reliable partner in many places. It’s more likely to be seen to contribute to global peace and stability,” Silver told The Associated Press in an interview published Wednesday.

In 2025, Pew found the majority of respondents worldwide still viewed the U.S. more positively than China. But the American think tank noted in the survey that impressions of the U.S. had worsened in 2025 as Trump returned to power.

How other countries view U.S., China

People surveyed in 36 countries now see China more positively than the U.S., with more overall having higher confidence in Chinese President Xi Jinping than in Trump.

In the U.K., 41 per cent of respondents said they have a positive opinion of the U.S. in 2026, falling from 59 per cent in 2023. Meanwhile, the reverse was true on China, with a 46 per cent favourability rating, up from 27 per cent three years ago.

In Spain, 30 per cent of respondents this year had a positive view of the U.S., down from 55 per cent in 2023. Positive public opinion of China, however, rose to 54 per cent, compared to 28 per cent three years ago.

In France, 27 per cent had a positive public opinion of the U.S. in 2026, sliding from 52 per cent who did so in 2023. This year, 36 per cent surveyed in the country said they had a positive view of China, up from 22 per cent three years ago.

In Indonesia, 29 per cent of respondents said they view the U.S. favourably this year, plunging from 55 per cent in 2023. Meanwhile, public opinion about China increased to 72 per cent in 2026, compared to 49 per cent three years ago.

The report found that only six countries viewed the U.S. more positively than China.

Still, most respondents rated the U.S. government higher on personal freedoms than Beijing, though the gap has been shrinking since the think tank asked the question in 2021. From 2021 to this year, there was a drop of 25 percentage points in Canadian respondents who said the U.S. respects personal freedoms.

Methodology

Pew Research Center surveyed 42,151 individuals from 36 countries from Feb. 8 to May 13. Margins of error ranged from 2.3 to 5.5 percentage points, based on the country.

With files from The Associated Press