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Study: U.S. Viewed As 'Favorable', China As Rising Superpower

A Chinese boy passes a photo of China's first aircraft carrier during an exhibition entitled "Scientific Development and Splendid Achievements" in Beijing in 2012.
Feng Li
/
Getty Images
A Chinese boy passes a photo of China's first aircraft carrier during an exhibition entitled "Scientific Development and Splendid Achievements" in Beijing in 2012.

More people around the globe view the United States positively than do China, but most of them also believe that Beijing is set to eclipse Washington as the world's dominant Superpower, according to a new Pew Research survey.

The study measured attitudes in 39 countries. Overall, the United States got a 63 percent "favorable" rating, while China's was just 50 percent. It revealed that 30 percent of those surveyed had an "unfavorable" opinion of the U.S., while 36 percent held that view of China.

The Philippines, Israel, Ghana, Kenya, Senegal, El Salvador and South Korea gave the U.S. the highest favorable ratings, while Pakistan, Jordan, the Palestinian territories, Egypt, Turkey, China and Argentina scored the U.S. the lowest.

Overall, the U.S. got the best reviews in Africa and the worst in the Middle East.

Many of those surveyed, especially in Europe, believe that China "will eventually/has already" replace(d) the U.S. as the world's leading Superpower, including Spain (71 percent), France (70 percent), Britain (66 percent) and Germany (66 percent). Nearly half (47 percent) of Americans surveyed agreed with that view.

Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

Scott Neuman is a reporter and editor, working mainly on breaking news for NPR's digital and radio platforms.