American views on China thaw while Russia perceptions cool

Americans still largely view China negatively, but for the first time in five years, a decrease in unfavourable opinions about this country has been observed. According to the study, 77% of Americans have an unfavourable opinion of China, which is a drop from 81% in 2024.

Regarding trade relations between the U.S. and China, most Americans believe that Beijing benefits more from them. According to the study, 46% of respondents say that China gains more from mutual trade, while one-quarter believe that benefits are evenly distributed. Only 10% assess that the United States gains more profits.

Opinions on trade with China vary significantly depending on party affiliation. Among Republicans and those with Republican views, 60% believe that China gains more from trade with the U.S. Conservatives among Republicans particularly often express this opinion (69%). On the other hand, Democrats and those with Democratic views are evenly divided between those who think China gains more and those who say both countries benefit equally (34% each).

Age also influences the perception of trade relations. Older Americans are more likely than younger adults to see trade with China as more beneficial for Beijing. A majority of people aged 65 and older (56%) say that China gains more than the U.S., compared to 27% of people aged 18-29.

The study was conducted after President Donald Trump imposed tariffs on Chinese products in February and early March, but before imposing additional tariffs in April. The reaction from China included introducing its own tariffs both before and after the study was conducted.

Significantly more Americans believe that increased tariffs on China will be detrimental to the U.S. and to them personally than those who say they will be beneficial. About 52% of respondents believe that the tariffs will have a negative impact on the country, while about a quarter say they will either have no impact on the U.S. or are unsure of their effects. Similarly, over a third of those surveyed express the same views about how the tariffs will affect them personally.

Americans who believe that the U.S. reaps greater benefits from trading with China compared to China are much more likely to view the tariffs as harmful than beneficial to the country (68% versus 18%). The same applies to those who think both countries equally benefit from trade—they lean toward the opinion that the tariffs will negatively impact the U.S. (71%) rather than positively (11%).

Most Americans do not trust Chinese President Xi Jinping. Three-quarters of adults in the U.S. have little trust or no trust at all in Xi Jinping when it comes to making the right decisions on global issues. As many as 39% say they do not trust him at all. Only about one-tenth of Americans (11%) claim to have some trust in Xi, and merely 1% have great trust in him. Another 12% admit they have never heard of the Chinese president.

Similar to the general perception of China, the percentage of those trusting Xi has slightly increased since 2024 (by 4 percentage points). Opinions about Xi also differ based on political party. Although a vast majority of both Republicans and Democrats have little or no trust in Xi's international leadership, Republicans are particularly critical.

Currently, half of Americans describe Russia as an enemy of the U.S., while 38% see it as a competitor, and 9% as a partner. This marks an 11 percentage point decline in viewing Russia as an enemy from last year and a 20-point decline from March 2022, just weeks after Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Nevertheless, more Americans currently see Russia as an enemy than before the invasion (50% compared to 41% in January 2022).

Democrats and those with Democratic views are more likely than Republicans and those with Republican views to see Russia as an enemy of the U.S. (62% versus 40%). Republicans are about as likely to view Russia as an enemy now as they were before the current conflict in Ukraine began. In January 2022, just before Russia's invasion of Ukraine, 39% of Republicans saw Russia as an enemy. This percentage rose to 69% in the early months of the war and has been declining fairly steadily since.

Americans continue to have negative opinions of Russia. In the current study, 13% view Russia very or somewhat positively, while 85% see it very or somewhat negatively. These results are essentially similar to assessments from 2024.

Trust in the Russian President also remains low among Americans. About one-tenth (12%) have at least some trust in Putin regarding his decision-making on global issues, compared to 84% who have little or no trust in his leadership. Indeed, a 57% majority of Americans have no trust in Putin at all.

Similar to views on Russia, attitudes towards Putin have slightly changed in recent years. In 2024, 67% of Americans had no trust in Putin at all, including 75% of Democrats and 61% of Republicans. However, in the current study, only 43% of Republicans have no trust in Putin at all, marking an 18-point decline. About seven in ten Democrats (72%) have no trust in Putin at all, which represents a slight change compared to last year.

More than four in ten Americans (44%) say that the U.S. has a responsibility to help Ukraine defend itself against the Russian invasion, while 53% believe that the country has no such obligation. Opinions on this matter have changed in recent months. Fewer Americans now believe that the U.S. has a responsibility to help Ukraine in its war against Russia than were saying so in the November 2024 survey conducted after the U.S. presidential elections. At that time, 50% expressed this opinion.

The opinion about the United States' responsibility toward Ukraine is divided along party lines. Two-thirds of Democrats and those with Democratic views say that the U.S. has a duty to help Ukraine in its defence, compared to 23% of Republicans and those with Republican views. The proportion of Republicans who believe that the U.S. should help defend Ukraine has dropped by 13 points since November, while the percentage of Democrats who say so has remained largely unchanged over the same period.

About 43% of adult Americans are extremely or very worried about the possibility of Russia defeating and taking over Ukraine. Nearly half (47%) are extremely or very worried that Russia might attack other countries in the region. Concerns about both situations have not changed significantly over the past year but are lower than when first asked about these issues in the early months of Russia's invasion.

A majority of Americans (59%) say that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is committed to lasting peace between Russia and Ukraine, while 47% say the same about U.S. President Donald Trump, and 45% about French President Emmanuel Macron. Two-thirds of Americans say that Russian President Vladimir Putin is not committed to lasting peace between these two countries, including 42% who say that Putin is not involved in this goal at all.

Americans have mixed opinions about Zelensky, just a few weeks after his controversial meeting at the White House regarding American support for Ukraine in the war. About half of Americans (49%) have great or some confidence in his ability to make the right decisions on global issues, compared to 42% who have little or no trust in him on this matter.

Pew Research Center studies reveal the shifting landscape of public opinion in the U.S. on key international challenges, exposing growing partisan divisions in many areas of foreign policy as the Trump administration continues to shape America's approach to global affairs.