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At a time when Donald Trump is vowing to “make America great again,” Americans think the country already is pretty great – at least when compared with other nations. Our recent report on views of America’s Place in the World found that 72% think the United States is the world’s leading military power, while 54% say it is the top economic power.
The public views America’s role in the world with considerable apprehension and concern. In fact, most Americans say it would be better if the U.S. just dealt with its own problems and let other countries deal with their own problems as best they can.
Chinese President Xi Jinping’s tour of the United States comes at a time of many tensions between the two nations. Our surveys capture American public opinion toward China, and Chinese public opinion toward the U.S.
The tensions between Saudi Arabia and Iran are often characterized as sectarian, and public attitudes toward the two countries in five Middle Eastern nations surveyed bear this out.
On some key issues, like the Keystone XL pipeline and the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), supporters of Canada’s Liberal Party are less supportive than their Conservative Party predecessors.
Sub-Saharan Africans are feeling positive about their current and long-term economic prospects compared with those in other regions of the world. However, they still see the need for more foreign aid and are concerned about the serious challenges facing them, especially when it comes to better health care and jobs.
Americans see a number of economic threats from China, but they are also worried about cyberattacks, Bejing’s human rights record, China’s impact on the environment and its growing military strength.
Despite historical and territorial frictions, people in Asia-Pacific countries tend to view their neighbors in a positive light. But they express limited confidence in the region’s most prominent national leaders.
© 2024 Pew Research Center
