There is more confidence in Xi Jinping than Donald Trump, the US think tank's s…
For the first time in Pew Research Center's recorded history, global opinion has tilted toward China over the United States — a quiet but consequential shift in the world's moral geography. More people across more nations now express confidence in Xi Jinping than in Donald Trump, suggesting that soft power is not merely a matter of wealth or military reach, but of how a nation is perceived to carry itself in the world. This moment invites reflection on what it means to lead, and whether leadership is granted by strength or by trust.
- For the first time ever, Pew Research Center finds global favorability toward China surpassing that of the United States — a threshold no previous survey had crossed.
- Confidence in Xi Jinping now outpaces confidence in Donald Trump across the international respondents surveyed, signaling a striking inversion of long-assumed Western soft power dominance.
- The findings land amid ongoing tensions over trade, diplomacy, and America's posture on the world stage, suggesting the data reflects accumulated friction rather than a single event.
- The story remains in motion — other outlets are beginning to pick up the thread, and the full scope of the survey's methodology and regional breakdowns has yet to be widely reported.
A new survey by the Pew Research Center has recorded something it has never recorded before: more people around the world now view China favorably compared to the United States. The findings mark a historic first for the long-running research organization, whose global attitude surveys have long served as a barometer of international public opinion.
Central to the study is a striking finding on leadership perception — respondents expressed greater confidence in Chinese President Xi Jinping than in US President Donald Trump. That gap in personal confidence appears to mirror the broader national favorability shift, raising questions about how individual leadership styles shape a country's image abroad.
The story is still developing. As more outlets examine the full dataset and regional breakdowns emerge, a clearer picture will form of which parts of the world have shifted most — and why. What is already clear is that the survey has captured a moment of genuine geopolitical consequence, one that challenges assumptions about where global trust now resides.
A story is developing around More people around the world now favour China over the US, Pew study suggests. There is more confidence in Xi Jinping than Donald Trump, the US think tank's survey indicates.
- Published China is now viewed more positively than the US in many countries around the world, according to a new study by the Pew Research Center. It is the first time the organisation has recorded such results. The findings from the non…
This account is still unfolding. More context will surface as other outlets pick up the thread and add their own reporting.
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More people around the world now favour China over the US, Pew study suggests.
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There is more confidence in Xi Jinping than Donald Trump, the US think tank's survey indicates.
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