Washington: Americans’ views of China have improved significantly in recent years, but a majority of the U.S. public still holds a negative view of the Asian power, according to a new
Pew Research Center survey. Pew’s latest survey, conducted among U.S. adults from September 14 to 20, 2026, asked respondents to rate their feelings toward China on a scale of 0 to 100. The average rating for China stood at 37, up sharply from 28 in 2021. A score below 50 is classified as a “cold” view, while scores above 50 indicate a “warm” view.
The share of Americans expressing cold views of China has fallen from 68% in 2021 to 54% in 2026. At the same time, the proportion holding warm views has increased from 11% to 19%, while neutral views rose from 20% to 27%.
Despite the improvement, negative sentiment remains more widespread. About 34% of Americans gave China a very cold rating, while 20% described their views as somewhat cold. By comparison, 12% expressed somewhat warm views and 7% very warm views.
The survey also found a notable political divide. Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents gave China an average rating of 43, compared with 29 among Republicans and Republican-leaning independents. Pew said views have nevertheless become somewhat warmer among both groups in recent years.
The findings come as Chinese President Xi Jinping and U.S. President Donald Trump are meeting in Washington, putting U.S.-China relations under renewed international attention
. The latest polling suggests that while American attitudes toward China remain predominantly negative, the intensity of that negativity has eased compared with the low point recorded in 2021.
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